Among patients who visited an ophthalmologist over an 8-year period, those with a current prescription for a fluoroquinolone were 4.5 times more likely to have a retinal detachment…The mechanism underlying the association is unknown but is presumed to be related to the destructive effects of fluoroquinolones on collagen and connective tissue. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Ophthalmology/GeneralOphthalmology/32011
A recent study was conducted to evaluate the treatment of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) with either subthreshold diode laser MicroPulse (SDM) or intravitreal bevacizumab (BCZ). The study was conducted over a period of 10 months and examined 52 eyes of 52 patients with (a) treatment with SDM at the active leakage site guided by fluorescein…
For decades, scientists have looked for explanations as to why certain conditions occur with age, among them memory loss, slower reaction time, insomnia and even depression. They have scrupulously investigated such suspects as high cholesterol, obesity, heart disease and an inactive lifestyle. Now a fascinating body of research supports a largely unrecognized culprit: the aging…
Retinitis pigmentosa, a blinding eye disease that is caused by the same genetic defect in both dogs and humans, was successfully corrected by a University of Pennsylvania research team that used gene therapy in afflicted dogs. The retinitis pigmentosa cure holds promise for eventual treatment in humans as well. Both humans and dogs can contract…
Researchers reporting in the January issue of Cell Stem Cell, a Cell Press publication, have identified adult stem cells of the central nervous system in a single layer of cells at the back of the eye. That cell layer, known as the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), underlies and supports photoreceptors in the light-sensitive retina. Without…
Daily aspirin use among seniors may double their risk of developing a particularly advanced form of age-related macular degeneration, a debilitating eye disease, a large new European study suggests. The possible link involves the so-called “wet” type of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a significant cause of blindness in seniors. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_120483.html
Hiding in the back of your eye are stem cells from the central nervous system, scientists have discovered. The stem cells in question were found in a special layer of cells in the eye called the retinal pigment epithelium, or RPE. Just one cell thick, the layer lies underneath the retina, the eye’s light sensor….
Sheila Nirenberg of Cornell University has been trying to work out how the retina in your eye communicates with your brain — and judging by a recent talk at TEDMED, it seems like she’s actually cracked it. Nirenberg produced mathematical equations that, with startling accuracy, encode images into neuron pulses that can be understood by an…
Tuberculosis experts at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere have closely mimicked how active but untreated cases of the underlying lung infection lead to permanent eye damage and blindness in people.Lead study investigator and Johns Hopkins infectious disease specialist Petros Karakousis, M.D., says the new animal model should hasten development of a badly needed, early diagnostic test…
Promising treatments for those blinded by an often-hereditary, retina-damaging disease are expanding throughout Europe and making their way across the pond, offering a ray of hope for the hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. left in the dark by retinitis pigmentosa. The disease—which affects about one in 4,000 people in the U.S. and…