Gender and Eye Conditions

U.S. women are significantly more likely than U.S. men to experience several eye conditions including cataracts and general eye fatigue and are more likely to identify health and environmental factors, such as diabetes and glare/bright light respectively, that can adversely affect their vision. Transitions Optical, Inc. online survey comprised 2,207 U. S. adults with 52% being women.

Eyelash Enhancement and Make-A-Wish

As mentioned in previous blogs my office has been using Lumigan (bimatoprost) to enhance the growth of eyelashes. Allergan, the manufacturer of Lumigan (marketed under the name Latisse (includes eyelash liner), has begun a national campaign to generate $1 million to support the foundation. This foundation is dedicated to granting the wishes of children who have life-threatening medical conditions. The campaign launched with an initial donation of $500,000 from Allergan to the Make-A-Wish Fondation. Between now and December 31, 2009, Allergan will donate $5 for each new visitor who registers online for Latisse Wishes at www.latisse.com for an additional $500,000.

similarities between glaucoma and Alzheimers or Parkinson’s

Researchers reveal similarities between glaucoma and Alzheimers or Parkinson’s disease
A new understanding of glaucoma has emerged. “Glaucoma isn’t simply an eye disease but rather a degenerative nerve disorder, not unlike Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.” Glaucoma begins with injury to the optic nerve as it exits the back of the eye the damage then spreading from nerve cell to nerve cell. When the retinal ganglion cells are “sick”, the long axons that project from the eye to the brain are also affected, resulting in changes that we can detect in the vision center of the brain. This phenomenon is called transynaptic damage, which occurs in Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s.

What are signs and symptoms of glaucoma?

There are 2 major types of glaucoma: open-angle glaucoma and acute closed-angle (also called narrow angle) glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma (about 90% of all glaucoma) usually has no signs or symptoms in its early stages, the first sign is usually loss of peripheral (side) vision. This is why it is so difficult because the vision loss is irreversible. Narrow angle glaucoma is very different. Symptoms of narrow angle may come suddenly and include redness, ocular pain, facial pain, headache, rainbow colored haloes around lights, nausea and vomiting which is why when this happens it is called an attack of acute angle closure and is considered a medical emergency.

Human corneal stem cells may help repair vision

University of Pittsburgh researchers have shown that stem cells injected into the eyes of mice with defective corneas returned the corneas to a more normal appearance. After growing stem cell cultures in the lab, the researchers injected the stem cells into the eyes of mice bred to have defective corneas that mimic scar tissue in humans

Open Your Eyes to Healthy Eating!!

By eating foods rich in six nutrients a person can help protect their sight, according to the American Optometric Association. Those nutrients include lutein and zeaxanthin (colorful fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, kale, corn, green beans, peas, oranges and tangerines), essential fatty acids (fatty fish, such as tuna, salmon, or herring, whole-grain foods, chicken, and eggs), vitamin C (fruits and vegetables such as oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, papaya, green peppers, and tomatoes), vitamin E (vegetable oils, such as safflower or corn oil, almonds, pecans, sweet potatoes and sunflower seeds) and zinc (extra-lean red meat, poultry, liver, shellfish, milk, baked beans and whole grains). Approximately 43 million Americans have macular degeneration or cataracts, the two leading causes of vision loss and blindness. Good nutrition has a very strong correlation with prevention of these age related diseases.

FDA approval of eye implant to treat macular edema

Allergan, Inc. announced that the Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of its eye implant Ozurdex, intended to treat the vision disorder macular edema (swelling in the macula-area of retina responsible for quality vision) following blockage of retinal veins. The device is a biodegradable implant that is injected into the eye releasing a cortical steroid called dexamethasone improving vision.

Eating for Eye Health

In a recent article that was published in About.com newsletter they recommended certain vitamins and nutritional supplements for maintaining eye health. Lutein (10mg/day) is one of more than 600 naturally known carotenoids found to be present in a concentrat ed area of the retina (macula) and protects the eyes from oxidative stress and high-energy light. Lutein can be found in dark, green, leafy vegetables such as spinach and collards, and also corn and eggs. DHA (500mg/day) is an essential fatty acid (polyunsaturated fats) playing an important role in bodily functions. Vitamin C (500mg/day) is a water-soluble vitamin with anti-oxidant actions being associated with reduction in the risk of cataracts and seems to play a role in delaying age-related macular degeneration. Vitamin E (400mg/day) is the collective name for a set of 8 fat-soluble vitamins with antioxidant properties and is found in nuts, salads, peanut butter, cereals, sweet potatoes and margarine. Copper (2 mg./day) is a trace nutrient essential to all high plant and animals. It can be an antioxidant, scavenging damaging particles in the body known as free radicals. It can be found in mixed nuts, sunflower seeds, liver, beans and lentils.

Contact lenses coated in stem cells may restore sight to patients with corneal disease

Researchers from Australia’s University of New South Wales have used contact lenses coated in stem cells to restore sight to patients suffering from corneal disease. In the procedure, the investigators removed tissue with regenerative stem cells from patients own eyes and then multiplied them in the laboratory on the surface of a contact lens. Next, the contact lens was placed back onto the cornea for 10 days, during which the cells, which can turn into any other sort of cell, were able to recolonize and patch the damaged eye surface.