Health News
An Eye For Lab-Built Retinas
Scientists have found a method for creating laboratory-built retina structures from human blood. The synthetic retinas could be used to study and test drugs for degenerative eye disease, including retinitis pigmentosa , which causes blindness.
Eye Disease May Give Clues of Brain Decline
An eye exam can do far more than screen for potential vision problems. It also can give doctors a view into the body's vascular system, and it may even be able to pinpoint patients more likely to suffer cognitive decline.
Rethinking Glaucoma: Really a Brain Disorder?
When most people think of glaucoma, they think "eye disease." However, doctors are rethinking that categorization, instead suggesting the disorder may be brain-related.
Home Glaucoma Monitoring Helps Treat Young and Old
Parents may soon be able to aid doctors in monitoring their child's glaucoma, or even their own. An at-home test capable of measuring pressure within the eye could provide added information that helps improve their treatment.
RA Drug Slows Damage of Rare Disease
Inflammation is at the root of many common diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. As such, it may be possible that certain rheumatoid arthritis drugs also can treat other inflammatory diseases.
Gene Therapy May Restore Vision
Gene therapy was previously shown to aid patients with congenital blindness in one eye. A small trial has found success in treating the second eye, restoring vision in dim-light settings.
Merck's Eye Medication Zioptan Approved
Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Zioptan ( tafluprost ophthalmic solution) 0.0015%, the first preservative-free prostaglandin analog ophthalmic solution.
Eyeing Up Better Vision Screenings For Kids
Vision screenings typically offered to children detect few potential conditions. A newly designed device detects vision changes, and soon also learning disabilities, helping ensure children receive effective treatment for conditions sooner.
Eyes Wide Open to Stem Cell Potential
Two women going blind from two different conditions are seeing better after the first known transplant of human embryonic stem cells into human patients.
With an Eye to Your Homeland
Heading south, young men and women? It may be better for your eyes - or at least put you at a lower risk for developing one form of glaucoma.