Eye-Related Problems Linked To Diet, Sun, And Smoking

Image via WikipediaA diet rich in all the things that are known to be good for your health also can protect against vision-stealing cataracts, according to a study in the Archives of Ophthalmology.In a survey of more than 1,800 women, those whose diets were poor in fruits, vegetables and whole grains had a high risk of developing cataracts - deposits of altered proteins in the lens of the eye that can impair vision, according to Julie Mares, an ophthalmology professor at UW and lead author of the studySeparately, a preliminary study in the same journal found a correlation between high levels of sun exposure combined with the taking of certain medicines, including antibiotics and anti-depressants, with cataract formation. Another study in...

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1 in 4 children have undetected vision problems

One in four children in the U.S. have undetected vision problems which could impair learning, according to the American Optometric Association.Experts believe that approximately 80 percent of learning comes through a child's eye.Sending your child to school without good vision could be setting them up for failure or even cause them to be misdiagnosed with a learning disability.This year, the AOA surveyed teachers throughout America to get their take on exactly how significant children's vision is in their classrooms. According to teachers surveyed, morethan 60 percent saw a direct improvement in a child's academic performance and/or classroom behavior after an eye or vision problem was diagnosed and treated....

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Depressed People See a Gray World

Researchers at the University of Freiburg in Germany had previously shown that people with depression have difficulty detecting black-and-white contrast differences. But the scientists had used a somewhat subjective measure — psychophysical tests — and others in the field had suggested perhaps depressed individuals had a harder time holding their attention and that explained the results.The new study, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, relies on an objective measure of the retina, suggesting depressed people may see the world in a different way from the non-depressed.How the depressed eye worksContrast vision relies on so-called amacrine cells within the retina, which horizontally connect the retina's neurons called ganglion cells...

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Seniors Eye Care Program

Without question it is the older folks amongst us that need eyecare services. The reason is most people with eye diseases such as cataracts,glaucoma and macular degeneration are seniors. It is exactly these individuals that struggle with the cost of eye care. Many seniors neglect their eye care and vision problems because they have low or fixed incomes or inadequate vision insurance.There is a solution: the Seniors EyeCare Program, formerly known as National Eye Care Project (NECP). Under this program, if you are a U.S. citizen or legal resident age 65 or older, have not seen an ophthalmologist in the last three years or more, and do not belong to an HMO or have Veterans' vision care, you can call a toll-free number for the name of a volunteer...

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Darker Skinned Individuals Also At Risk For Skin Cancer

Image via WikipediaAccording to a study published in the Archives of Dermatology, darker skinned individuals are also at risk for skin cancer, particularly in geographic areas with intense sun exposure. After analyzing data from the Florida Cancer Data System, looking at patterns of race- and sex-specific invasive melanoma trends between 1992 and 2004 and comparing them with national trends in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, researchers found that melanoma rates increased in both registries among all groups, including blacks and Hispanics, particularly in Florida. To date, however, most public-education programs about melanoma have primarily been directed to whites, so there may be less awareness of ...

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Alcohol consumption in diabetics linked to decline in visual acuity

Image via WikipediaNew research shows that patients with diabetes mellitus who drink moderate amounts of alcohol are not at an increased risk for developing retinopathy, but are at an increased risk for losing visual acuity."The relationship with the decline in visual acuity was continuous through the distribution of alcohol consumption," report Joline Beulens of University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.In this study, the group analyzed data on 1239 individuals aged 55 to 81 years with Type 2 diabetes previously enrolled in the AdRem study, a sub-study of the Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron MR Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE) trial.Alcohol consumption was self-reported, with moderate drinking defined...

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Researchers at MIT have developed a method of using a basic cell phone coupled with a cheap and simple plastic device clipped onto the screen to estimate refractive errors and focal range of eyes. Because of its simplicity and the fact that soon just about everyone will have access to a mobile phone, eye exams may become available to the whole world at little to no cost.Ping l...

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FDA Approves Implantable Telescope To Help Patients With AMD

FDA has approved a first-of-its-kind technology to counter a leading cause of blindness in older adults -- a tiny telescope implanted inside the eye.The Implantable Miniature Telescope aims to help in the end stages of incurable age-related macular degeneration, although the FDA warned Tuesday that patients need post-surgery rehabilitation to make it work.Dr. Malvina Eydelman, FDA's ophthalmic devices chief, said the device can improve the quality of life for those who are 75 and older, have a certain degree of vision loss and who also need a cataract removed. In addition, the FDA took the highly unusual step of requiring that patients and their surgeons sign a detailed 'acceptance of risk agreement' before surgery, acknowledging potential...

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Autologous Stem Cell Treatment Restores Vision In Patients With Severe Eye Damage From Burns.

The AP reports, that, according to a study published online June 23 in the New England Journal of Medicine and reported last week at a meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, dozens of people who were blinded or otherwise suffered severe eye damage when they were splashed with caustic chemicals had their sight restored with transplants of their own stem cells -- a stunning success for the burgeoning cell-therapy field. In fact, Italian researchers say that the treatment worked completely in 82 of 107 eyes and partially in 14 others, with benefits lasting up to a decade so far.The Time "Wellness" blog reported, In a study of 106 patients treated between 1998 and 2007, researchers were able to extract adult stem...

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Two Therapies That May Slow Progress Of Diabetic Retinopathy

Image via WikipediaThe Los Angeles Times "Booster Shots" blog reported that, according to data published June 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting, doctors said they have identified two therapies that may slow the progress of diabetic retinopathy.After examining data on a subset of 2,856 people from the ACCORD study, researchers found that "people with type 2 diabetes who adhere to intensive blood sugar control, compared with standard blood sugar control, have reduced progression of retinopathy. In addition, patients treated with a combination of a cholesterol-lowering statin and fibrate drugs also had a lower rate of progression compared with patients taking statins alone....

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Increasing Rates Of Hypertension Among People 18 And Younger.

Image via WikipediaThe Wall Street Journal reports that over the past three decades, rates of hypertension have increased among people aged 18 and under. In fact, data show that the rate has risen from one percent to five percent in this age group, putting young people at risk for heart attacks and strokes, particularly for those who are overweight, although the risk is higher overall.Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital say that there is a link between pediatric high blood pressure and enlarged hearts, especially in those who are overweight or obese. Still, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, children who exercised regularly for just three months following a diagnosis of high...

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Corneal Transplant Rejection More Likely In Patients With Neovascularization

Image via WikipediaAccording to a study published in the July issue of Ophthalmology, corneal transplant rejection is more likely to occur in people who have abnormal vessel growth in their eyes before undergoing the surgery.But, patients with such neovascularization might improve their chances of a successful transplant when administered antiangiogenic drugs beforehand, such as ranibizumab and bevacizumab.After reviewing 19 studies encompassing approximately 24,500 corneal transplants, researchers also found that patients who do not have vascularization when they undergo transplantation have a greater than 80 percent chance of retaining good eye health five years after their surgery.The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more on corneal...

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