News

Chloramphenicol remains effective against Gram-positive bacteria, the most common agent in bacterial conjunctivitis, researchers say.

The loss of autoantibodies may serve as useful biomarkers for glaucoma, according to Nadine von Thun Und Hohenstein-Blaul, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany, and colleagues.

The global epidemic in type 2 diabetes mellitus is of unprecedented proportions. In absolute numbers, it probably exceeds any previous epidemic in the history of mankind. There are now more than 400 million people with diabetes in the world, and the number is projected to exceed 600 million by 2030.

Electronic retina implants can restore enough vision for some patients to pursue tasks of daily living, according to RE MacLaren, part of a team testing the devices.

It’s very hard to tell the difference between Fusarium and Aspergillus species with in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) of fungal keratitis, researchers say.

Fluorescence of lens proteins could help understand, diagnose, and treat cataracts, researchers say.“Rather than waiting for the condition to appear, it could be possible to diagnose and monitor cataract before it forms, allowing preventative measures to be taken where possible,” said Rory Duncan of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburh, United Kingdom in a press release.

Argon laser peripheral iridoplasty (ALPI) significantly widens the anterior chamber angle circumferentially in eyes with occludable angles treated with laser peripheral iridotomy, researchers say.

Ocriplasmin (Jetrea, ThromboGenics) may achieve lower macular hole closure rates than in trials, new British and Irish data suggests. Also, “the incidence of adverse events was greater than previously reported,” wrote RJ Haynes of Bristol Eye Hospital in Bristol, United Kingdom, and colleagues in the journal Eye.

Serum and aqueous levels of Klotho levels are reduced in pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PXF) and pseudoexfoliative glaucoma (PEG) while Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is increased, researchers say.

More citizens from the United Kingdom are traveling abroad for laser eye procedures, according to a medical travel website. Enquiries from the United Kingdom into overseas clinics for laser procedures rose 60% in the 12 months ending November 15, 2016, according to WhatClinic.com, which lists medical clinic by location.

The finding raises questions about whether the supplements could play a role in glaucoma, wrote H. Esfandiari of the University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran and colleagues in the journal Eye.

With the start of each new year also comes the hope for many innovations and advances. On top of that, I hope we can still make progress for our patients in our beloved field of ophthalmology.

A prospective masked study enrolling eyes with low to moderate myopia with or without astigmatism found significantly better efficacy, safety, and predictability with wavefront-guided LASIK compared with small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE).

Millions of adults around the world run the risk of losing their eyesight because of inattention to complications of diabetes, according to a team of international researchers. “A quarter of people with diabetes surveyed are not discussing eye complications with their health care professional, with many presenting when vision problems have already occurred,” the report said.

Optical services chains in the United Kingdom are misleading customers about filters to screen out blue light from electronic devices, according to the BBC. Boots Opticians and Vision Express both claim that the filters protect against retinal damage despite a lack of evidence, the news service said in a recent press release.

The Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a study of two Portuguese populations.

Accumulating evidence suggests that multiple treatments can help people with amblyopia, according to a review of the literature.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expediting its review of a new potential treatment for giant cell arteritis, a rare inflammatory disease that can cause permanent vision loss, Roche has announced.

Work is progressing on contact lenses that can monitor biomarkers in tear film for intraocular pressure, diabetes mellitus, and other health conditions.

Reductions in vision correlate with lower literacy scores on standardised tests, a new study showed.

Patients treated for diabetic macular oedema with ranibizumab in the UK National Health Service (NHS) are getting benefits similar to those seen in clinical trials, according to a new study

Clinicians can predict which patients with ocular hypertension are most likely to develop primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) using short-wave automated perimetry, scanning laser polimetry, and confocal laser ophthalmoscopy, as well as the patient’s age, researchers said.

Screening programmes could catch diabetic retinopathy in children earlier if they began screening 6 years after diabetes is diagnosed.

Studies in mice suggest that a technology based on topical endoscope fundus imaging could allow early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers have said.

Google is using its DeepMind computing system to search for early signs of diabetic retinopathy and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), the company announced this month.

It is not better to sit up straight to read, a long-term study has concluded. Finnish researchers Olavi Pärssinen and Markku Kauppinen published their results in Acta Ophthalmologica this month.

The Nd:YAG laser plays a key part in ophthalmology. However, it is important to select a device that enables the best treatment results using lower energy and fewer shots

Technique targets the main cause of vision degradation and a large clinical series finds positive results.

Community monitoring of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) can be just as effective as hospital-based monitoring, researchers say.