The Food and Drug Administration has announced marketing approval of a new device that can help orient people who are blind by helping them process visual images with their tongues. The BrainPort is a battery-powered device that includes a video camera mounted on a pair of glasses and a small, flat intra-oral device containing a [Read More]
Category: Latest News
Summary of Research and Development – 2015
by Dan Roberts (Also available in audiovisual format) INTRODUCTION This is my 10th annual summary of leading research and developments that have occurred during the past 12 months in the field of blindness and low vision. For more details about any of the reports, sources are provided. Many studies and clinical trials are moving ever [Read More]
L-DOPA May Slow Development of AMD
The color (pigmentation) of the retina, or lack thereof, is thought to play a role in the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The substance that provides pigmentation is melanin, and a precursor to the pigment melanin is called L-DOPA. Since L-DOPA converts into dopamine in the brain, it has been used as a treatment [Read More]
Learn About Comprehensive Dilated Eye Exams
People of all ages should have their eyesight tested to keep their vision at its best. Children usually have vision screening in school or at their pediatrician’s office. Adults, however, may require more than vision screening. Even if your vision seems fine, the only way to know for sure that your eyes are healthy is [Read More]
Stem Cell Therapy Shows Positive Results In Asian Patients
Ocata Therapeutics, Inc. (now owned by Acucela) has announced positive results in four Asian patients who were treated with the company’s proprietary RPE stem cells. These new data support previously reported positive long-term safety and signs of visual improvement, as reported here in October 2014. The Korean study, published online in Stem Cell Reports, features [Read More]