In Focus, December 2008

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DR study: 25 year results
Although there is a relatively high rate of diabetic retinopathy (DR) progressing to proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), the level of PDR care available has improved, according to 25-year results of the Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy (WESDR), published in the November issue of Ophthalmology. 

ARVO to award young scientists
A series of awards granted to scientists under the age of 45 has been announced by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Foundation for Eye Research (AFER) and Merck & Co, Inc. 

Regrowth of optic nerve cells achieved
It may be possible to regenerate optic neural axons by manipulating growth control pathways, according to study results published in the 7 November issue of the journal Science. 

Anti-VEGFs may cause blindness
Long-term use of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs should be treated with caution because endogenous VEGF plays an important role in the maintenance of retina neuronal cells, according to study results published by PLoS ONE on the 3rd November. 

Treating paediatric convergence
Office-based vergence/accommodative therapy with home reinforcement (OBVAT) is the most effective method of treating symptomatic convergence insufficiency when compared with any other home- or office-based placebo or therapy, according to study results published in the October issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology. 

Night vision and AMD
Problems with night vision correlate to an increase in the risk of symptoms of both the wet and dry forms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to study results published in the November issue ofOphthalmology. 

Blindness risk double in men
Despite the higher rate of prevalence in women, it is men who are more likely to suffer severe vision loss as a result of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), according to study results published online ahead of print by Neurology. 

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