Editorial by Dan Roberts, Editor-in-Chief Prevent Blindness Since 1908, Prevent Blindness has been living up to its name by educating the public about early prevention and detection. It has done this by way of vision screenings, educational programs, research support, and advocacy. But the organization hasn’t stopped there. It realizes that preventing blindness means more […]
Courtesy: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health (NEI/NIH) A new study offers an explanation for how years of chronic sunlight exposure can increase the risk of cataract, a clouding of the eye lens that typically occurs with aging. The study firms up a link between the sun’s damaging rays and a process called oxidative […]
(Updated 4/17/16) On June 24, 2014, Ohr Pharmaceutical, Inc. announced positive top-line interim results for its Phase 2 clinical trial of Squalamine eye drops in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). The data demonstrated a positive benefit in multiple visual function including a gain in visual acuity of +10.4 letters with Squalamine eye […]
Phase II Clinical Trial to Begin This Year StemCells, Inc. yesterday announced that, based on positive interim results, it has closed enrollment in its Phase I/II clinical trial for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in order to focus its efforts on a follow-on Phase II randomized, controlled proof-of-concept study. Exceeding the company’s expectations, interim results showed […]
Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School and other institutions have demonstrated for the first time that the omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs), DHA and EPA, can inhibit choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Their findings will be published in PNAS Online Early Edition the week of June 16-20, 2014. “These are […]
Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) announced in a shareholders’ conference call on June 9, 2014, that it has initiated its myopic macular degeneration (MMD) trial at Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA. The open-label study will enroll 12 patients, with cohorts of 3 patients each in an ascending dosage format. As with it’s current trials for […]
by Dan Roberts A relationship has been found, but don’t throw away the meds. The media has recently been reporting research from the University of Wisconsin, which found an association between development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and use of blood pressure (BP) lowering medications. Before patients begin discarding their BP drugs, however, they should […]
Courtesy: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health (NEI/NIH) NIH-funded study could help improve retinal prosthetic devices In laboratory tests, researchers have used electrical stimulation of retinal cells to produce the same patterns of activity that occur when the retina sees a moving object. Although more work remains, this is a step toward restoring natural, […]
by Dan Roberts Editor-in-Chief, Prevent Blindness I was looking through our Prevent Blindness online library today and realized how many “listicles” there are. Listicles are articles formatted into lists, which old-school journalists say are rotting our brains. I should worry about that, but I enjoy reading and writing them, so I’ll take my chances. I […]
An Overview of Low Vision Devices and Technology by Dan Roberts Available in audio/visual format Can a blind person see? Most thoughtful people now understand, or can be led to understand, that a blind person can indeed “see”. Just not with the eyes. Modern science has shown that it is our brains that see by interpreting the […]