Google has taken their new Google Glass technology a step further with an idea that could have significant benefits for the blind. The company has applied for a patent for a contact lens containing a built-in camera. With this, a blind person would be able, for example, to receive an audible signal warning of an [Read More]
Category: Research and Developments
Blindness and Visual Impairment Rates Have Fallen
234 out of 15,000 studies between 1980 and 2012 have shown that rates of blindness and visual impairment have decreased significantly in developed countries during the past two decades. Macular degeneration now appears to be the leading cause of chronic vision loss, surpassing cataracts and glaucoma. The most common cause of partial vision impairment continues [Read More]
Seniors With Wet AMD Now Less Likely to Need Long-Term Care
Researchers have looked at a sample population of senior adults newly diagnosed with wet age-related macular degeneration (exudative, or neovascular, AMD) and found that those who received either Lucentis or Avastin injections* were 19% less likely to be admitted to a long-term care facility during the follow-up period. The reason? The introduction of anti-VEGF therapy [Read More]
Findings Help Predict AMD Advancement
A 10-year follow-up study of participants in the original AREDS trial has been completed. The Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group revealed new statistics on the risk and rate of progression from early to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Participants aged 55 to 80 years with no AMD or AMD of varying severity were followed [Read More]
Choroideremia Gene Therapy Showing Promise
Researchers at Oxford University have reported successful findings from their Phase 1/2 clinical testing of the CHM gene for treatment of choroideremia. Choroideremia is a rare disease affecting mostly males that leads to blindness. In the multicentre clinical trial, six male patients (aged 35—63 years) all showed improvement after replacement of the malfunctioning gene. The [Read More]