by Dan Roberts April 2002 AMD patients are benefitting from a new combination drug therapy being tested at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSC). The therapy involves a combination of medicines which includes carbon dioxide, an element which dilates the blood vessels in the retina for the maintenance of proper [Read More]
News
Email Discussion Groups May Improve Health
by Dan Roberts April 2002 Researchers have shown that participation in an email discussion group may improve health status and lower health care utilization for persons with recurrent back pain. This is the first study of its kind which looked at Internet support in connection with health improvement, and it is this writer’s belief that [Read More]
Low Vision Specialist – Living Well With Low Vision
Definition of Low Vision Low vision is defined as an impairment of sight which cannot be adequately corrected with pharmaceutical or surgical interventions, conventional prescription eyewear, or contact lenses. The patient usually presents with a loss of visual field, loss of light sensitivity, distortion, loss of color vision, or loss of contrast. Low vision [Read More]
Stargardt’s Patients Need Special Light Protection
by Robert Hammer, B. Optom. January 2002 The gene for Stargardt’s disease has been identified (Allikmet et al.’97 Nat. Gen. 15:236-246). The faulty gene fails to code for a protein which is present in rod outer segments only (has not been found in cones, pigment epithelium or anywhere else in the body). This protein was [Read More]
Cells From The Iris May Replace Retinal Photoreceptors
by Dan Roberts November 2001 An online publication of the December 2001 publication of Nature Neuroscience has reported that, with genetic manipulation, cells from the iris may be able to replace photoreceptor cells in the retina. In recent experiments, Dr. Masatoshi Haruta of Kyoto University and colleagues took iris cells from rat eyes, then introduced [Read More]