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Iowa State University researchers have developed a new technique that successfully treated rats for blindness caused by glaucoma. Their experimental treatment will be used on canine patients in the next year. If successful, it is expected to move to human trials.   An estimated 3 million people in the U. S. are affected by glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness in the developed world and the number one cause of vision loss among blacks. People with elevated intraocular pressure are at greatest risk for developing glaucoma. Iowa State researchers leading the six-year project are Dr. Sinisa Grozdanic, a veterinary ophthalmologist...

The ability of zebrafish to regenerate damaged retinas has given scientists a clue about restoring human vision and could lead to an experimental treatment for blindness within five years. British researchers said on Wednesday they had successfully grown in the laboratory a type of adult stem cell found in the eyes of both fish and mammals that develops into neurons in the retina. In future, these cells could be injected into the eye as a treatment for diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetes-related blindness, according to Astrid Limb of University College London's (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology. Damage to...

Overweight and obese people should be aware that their unhealthy lifestyle could put their eyesight at risk, scientists say. It is common knowledge that expanding waistlines are linked to conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. But research shows that obesity is also linked to eye problems, which could lead to loss of eyesight. Two Israeli ophthalmologists are now warning that the prospect of eye disease should also be a powerful incentive to lose weight. Professor Michael Belkin and Dr Zohar Habot-Wilner, from the Goldschleger Eye Institute at the Sheba Medical Centre, reviewed more than 20 studies involving thousands...

ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON -- The first drug shown to significantly improve the vision of patients threatened by a major cause of blindness in the elderly won federal approval Friday. The drug, called Lucentis, treats the wet form of age-related macular degeneration, a disorder where blood vessels behind the retina leak blood and fluid, worsening vision and often causing blindness. An estimated 90 percent of the 1.4 million Americans who have lost their eyesight due to the disorder have the wet form. Lucentis, made by Genentech, Inc., a South San Francisco, Calif., biotechnology company, inhibits the growth of blood vessels when...

A new research has found that constant use of computers may be linked to the development of a progressive eye disease, specially in shortsighted people, which eventually leads to blindness, according to a report published in the British Medical Journal. Glaucoma is a relatively common eye disease that develops very slowly, characterised by progressive sight defects or visual field abnormalities over time. Its exact cause is unknown, although potential risk factors, including smoking and high blood pressure, have been suggested. Researchers at the Toho University School of Medicine in Tokyo categorized the use of computers in blocks of five years,...

Men who spend hours staring at a computer screen may be at increased risk for glaucoma, a disease that can cause blindness, Japanese doctors say. Researchers studied more than 10,200 workers with an average age of 43 for signs of glaucoma, a gradual disease of the optic nerve leading to loss of peripheral vision. The workers were randomly selected for testing at their medical check-up. Participants filled out questionnaires about their eye health and use of computers at home and in the office. Dr. Masayuki Tatemichi of Toho University School of Medicine in Tokyo and his colleagues found one-third of...

With a stylish exterior of metallic blue and gray, the device looks like a personal digital assistant but slightly larger. Julius Mendalis, 84, a lawyer for the company that makes Arizona Iced Tea, paid $795 for this gadget, and he loves it, though he is not a man of technology, rarely uses computers and does not surf the Web. It is helping him read again. The Quicklook, an amalgamation of a tiny digital video camera and a four-inch liquid-crystal display screen, acts as an electronic magnifying glass, enlarging the text of a newspaper or a legal brief to an inch...

A marijuana-based medication for people suffering from multiple sclerosis and severe pain is expected to be approved for sale in Britain early this year, British officials say. The drug, Sativex, developed by GW Pharmaceuticals, a British company, is a liquid extract from marijuana grown by the company under license from the government. Developed to be sprayed under the tongue, it would be the first drug in recent decades to include all the components of the cannabis plant, advocates of medical marijuana say. The British agency that regulates pharmaceuticals does not like to discuss potential drugs before they are approved. The...

Men should think twice about how tight they wear a necktie because it could increase their chances of developing glaucoma, a group of serious eye diseases. Research reported in the British Journal of Ophthalmology on Tuesday showed that a tight necktie raises blood pressure in the eye, which is a leading risk factor in the illness that can lead to damage to the optic nerve and loss of vision. "A tight necktie increases IOP (intraocular pressure) in both normal subjects and glaucoma patients and could affect the diagnosis and management of glaucoma," said Dr Robert Ritch of the New York...

Normally, glaucoma can be treated with medication or laser surgery; however, some cases are not responsive to these treatments. That is where Optonol’s patented Ex-PRESS Miniature Glaucoma Implant comes in. The treatment significantly reduces intra-ocular pressure, by ridding the eye of excess fluid, which does not drain normally in glaucoma sufferers. The device can also serve as an effective, long-term alternative to the traditional treatments. The Ex-PRESS implant - 3mm long, 400 microns in diameter - consists of a microscopic conduit that drains excess fluid out of the eye and harmlessly deposits it into the surrounding tissues. The resultant pressure...