| Electronic Contact Lens to Monitor Blood Sugar |
 Researchers at Microsoft are in the process of developing electronic contact lenses with glucose sensor to monitor sugar levels wirelessly.
The initiative by Microsoft Research and the University of Washington, would be a big help to people with Type I diabetes patients, who must keep a check on their blood sugar on a daily basis by actually drawing blood several times a day.
Although tear film can show blood sugar levels but getting it from the eye is extremely difficult.
A ...
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| CooperVision Issues Another Statement Over Contact Lens Recall |
Following the pressure applied by Food and Drug Administration US based eye-care company, CooperVision has released its second announcement regarding the recall of more than 600,000 Avaira Toric contact lenses. The company had first issued the statement on August 19 after it was found that the lenses were linked to pain, red eye and blurred vision by wearers. However on Tuesday, the FDA said that more effort needs to be made by CooperVision in order to alert its customers over the potential risks posed by the lenses....
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| Myopia Causing Gene Identified |
 Scientists have identified a gene whose mutation leads to myopia or nearsightedness.
The gene, LEPREL1, was identified in studies conducted within a southern Israeli Beduin tribe led by Prof. Ohad Birk of the Morris Kahn Laboratory of Human Genetics at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
"We are finally beginning to understand at a molecular level why nearsightedness occurs," said Birk.
Nearsightedness is known to be a hereditary trait, leading to a higher incidence of other secondary ...
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| Special Contact Lens To Prevent Short-Sightedness |
 A special contact lens can slow the progression of myopia. In certain cases it could halt the short sight problem altogether. The special lens gently reshapes the front surface of the eye during sleep at night, a new study suggests. The finding suggests that orthokeratology (OK) lenses may help to reduce the growing incidence and severity of myopia throughout the world, and especially in Asia. "The race is on around the world to develop clinical techniques to deal with the myopia epidemic in East ...
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| Laser-Free Procedure for Short Sight |
 Scientists are saying that a new type of procedure could be a safer alternative to corrective eye laser surgery.
According to a new Cochrane Systematic Review, the new corrective procedure called insertion of phakic intraocular lenses (IOLs) could be comparatively safer and more popular, despite the fact that it doesn't differ too much from the conventional laser surgery process.
Both procedures work by changing the path of the light entering the eye and bringing images into focus in the right place....
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| Progress of Nearsightedness may be Reduced by New Contact Lens |
 A contact lens that may reduce the progress of nearsightedness, or myopia has been detailed in a new study.
The international team of researchers tested the contact lens by fully correcting the central vision but reducing the relative peripheral farsightedness, or hyperopia.
The study, presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology this week, studied 100 myopic Chinese children, ages 7-14.
Test subjects were provided ...
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| US FDA Launches LASIK Study |
 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the launch of a study to assess the problems faced by patients after LASIK surgery. The Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) is a surgical procedure that uses an eximer laser to permanently change the shape of the cornea, but there have been complaints of pain and discomfort from a number of patients. And hence the study called the LASIK Quality of Life Collaboration Project, in which the FDA will be working with the National Eye Institute and the U....
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| Preventing LASIK Infections and Ensuring Compliance in Glaucoma Patients |
 New insights on why some corneal transplants fail, why some patients skip their glaucoma medications, and why preventing infections after LASIK is a growing concern are some of the major topics covered in the June issue of IOphthalmology,/I the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
HRBPatients at Higher Risk for Corneal Transplant Failure/BResearchers analyzed data for 1,090 participants in the Cornea Donor Study (CDS), a multicenter, controlled clinical trial, to find factors linked with corneal transplant failure....
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| Contact Lens Wear Gives Social Benefit To Kids |
 Study says kids wearing contact lenses are more confident of the way they look, their athletic abilities, and acceptance by their friends as compared to children who wear eyeglasses.
Thus, according to the researchers, nearsighted children as young as eight years old reap social benefits from wearing contact lenses instead of glasses.
While doctors generally wait to prescribe contact lenses until children are in their early teens, nearsighted children often are diagnosed with myopia and ...
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| Daily Exposure To Sunlight Can Prevent Kids From Myopia |
 Spending a couple of hours outdoors each day could help children avoid becoming short-sighted, Australian researchers said Tuesday.
Exposure to bright light for two to three hours daily helps regulate the eye's growth, dramatically reducing the risk of myopia, an Australian Research Council study found.
Short-sightedness, traditionally a problem among the highly educated, has reached record levels in east Asia, lead researcher Professor Ian Morgan told AFP.
Growing numbers of children ...
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| High Temperatures Reduce Contact Lens Solution's Anti-fungal Properties |
A contact lens solution loses its anti-fungal properties when exposed to high temperatures, according to a new study.
Published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, the study involved the same contact lens solution that was implicated in the epidemic of the eye infection Fusarium keratitis, which occurred between 2004 and 2006.
Background information in the article suggests that Bausch and Lomb launched in 2004 its ReNu with MoistureLoc, which contains ...
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| Study Says Contact Lens Cases are Home to Pathogenic Amoebae |
 Contact lens cases are often contaminated with Acanthamoeba which cannot be killed by normal contact lens solution, according to a new Spanish study.
Published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, the study report describes Acanthamoeba as one of the most common types of protozoa in soil, which is often found in fresh water.
The researchers behind the study say that most species eat bacteria, and some can cause infections in humans.
They have revealed that one of the diseases caused ...
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| Gel may Help Slow Down Myopia Progression in Kids |
 A new study from University of Oklahoma Department of Ophthalmology has found that daily use of medication called pirenzepine gel can slow down myopia progression in children, say researchers.
Myopia or nearsightedness is a condition in which focus on near objects is good, but distant objects appear blurry. Caused by a problem with the length of the eyeball or the curvature of the cornea, myopia gets worse over time in many children.
In the study led by Dr. R. Michael Stiatkowski of Dean ...
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| Increased Outdoor Activity Lessens Myopia Risk in Kids |
 You might be scolding your kid for putting studies at stake, courtesy long hours of out-of-doors activities, but as it turns out, outdoor games are good for children, at least as far as their eyesight is concerned, says a new study.
Researchers in Australia have found an association between high levels of outdoor activity and low rates of short-sightedness, or myopia, in children.
The prevalence of childhood myopia has increased dramatically in recent decades. With rates of 80percent in ...
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| Glaucoma Could Be Monitored by Smart Contact Lens |
 A novel contact lens with a built-in pressure sensor that could help monitor conditions such as glaucoma has been developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis, US.
The device is based on a new technique, which can embed conducting circuits in the organic polymer traditionally used to make contact lenses.
Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is an elastic, transparent and gas-permeable organic polymer that can be cast-moulded into a range simple shapes.
It is widely used in ...
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| 'Natural' Contact Lens Moisturizer |
A new study says that body fluids could make great contact lens moisturizers in what may be welcome news for contact lens users struggling to combat dryness.
Findings from researchers at Hamilton's McMaster University show that a common fluid found in the body can be used as a natural moisturizing agent in the lenses.
This is a step up from the current wave of self-moisturizing contact lenses that use synthetic materials as a wetting agent to prevent eye dryness and increase wearer comfort....
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| FDA Plans to Study the Outcome of Lasik Eye Surgery in Patients |
Lasik eye surgery has come in for some flak by a few patients who are unhappy with their vision, post surgery. According to the FDA about 5 percent of patients are not happy with the surgery, prompting the agency to embark on a detailed study on Lasik eye surgery patients. Federal health officials were witness to complaints from patients, disappointed with the quality of vision after lasik eye surgery. They complained of great pain and discomfort. Some of them also experienced double vision and blurred vision post surgery....
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| Study Busts the Myth Between Myopia and Introversion |
Melbourne University researchers say that they have found evidence by conducting a research into myopia or shortsightedness - an eye condition which renders one unable to see distant things clearly - that people who wear glasses are not stereotypical geeks or nerds.
"We have literally busted the myth that people who wear glasses are introverted or have particular personality characteristics. They are more likely to be agreeable and open, rather than closed and introverted," said Prof ...
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| Army Hospital Gets Its First Lasik Surgery Centre |
 The first ever Kerato-Refractive Surgery (Lasik Surgery) Centre of the Armed Forces was inaugurated at Army Hospital (Research and Referral), in New Delhi today by Lieutenant General Yogendra Singh, Director General Armed Forces Medical Services in the presence of Major General O P Mathew, Commandant, Army Hospital (R and R). Lasik surgery will help in correction of complex refractive errors and the problems of the anterior surface of the eye ball. Lieutenant General Yogendra Singh brought out that ...
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| LASIK Patients Worldwide Report More Than 95 Percent Satisfaction Rate |
An average 95.4 percent of LASIK patients have reported satisfaction with their new vision. The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery announced this today in the first review of the world body of scientific literature.There are 16.3 million patients having had LASIK worldwide. LASIK is considered the most successful eye corrective procedure and has more than a decade's backing of clinical study and technological innovation. "We find that there is solid evidence in the world's scientific ...
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| Superhuman Vision Made Possible With Contact Lens |
Movie characters from the Terminator to the Bionic Woman use bionic eyes to zoom in on far-off scenes, have useful facts pop into their field of view, or create virtual crosshairs. Off the screen, virtual displays have been proposed for more practical purposes -- visual aids to help vision-impaired people, holographic driving control panels and even as a way to surf the Web on the go. The device to make this happen may be familiar. Engineers at the University of Washington have for the first time ...
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| LASIK: a Perfect Solution to Myopia |
 Laser surgery to correct vision problems has been in use since the early 1990s. Photorefractive Keratotomy (PRK) is typically used to correct low to moderate myopia, while laser in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) is preferred for high myopia corrections. Although over 18 million LASIK procedures have been performed worldwide, there is still some controversy regarding the maximum correction possible and efficacy with this technique. In an article published in the January 2008 issue of the American Journal ...
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| Contact Lens can Aggravate Sickness |
Contact lens has made people take the news, that they have myopia or hypermetropia, better. It has revolutionised the cosmetic industry. But optometry experts in the U.S. feel there are times when wearing contact lens can do more harm than good. They advice people who have caught a virus to avoid wearing contact lenses. William "Joe" Benjamin, professor of optometry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham says that eyes functions differently when people are sick. "Tear production is altered, and eyes tend to get very dry....
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| Women in Their 50s and 60s Can Opt for LASIK Eye Surgery |
It's not too late for women in their 50s and 60s to consider LASIK eye surgery, says Leo Maguire, M.D., a Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist.
LASIK -- short for laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis -- is a type of eye surgery to correct refractive errors or abnormalities in the eye's focusing power. It's performed most often on people who are nearsighted.
In an interview in the September issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource, Dr. Maguire says there are extra considerations for women in their ...
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| Lasik Device To Correct Bifocal Vision Approved |
One of America's biggest eye care companies has had its recent invention-the CustomVue Monovision Lasik device, approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Advanced Medical Optics Inc. claims the invention is the first Lasik device to correct one of a patient's eyes to see far (myopia) and the other eye to see objects close-up (presbyopia).
According to the FDA the instrument works by correcting all the nearsightedness to help distance vision in a patient's dominant eye, while fixing only ...
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| Optometrists Support AMO's Voluntary Contact Lens Solution Recall |
ST. LOUIS: Following Advanced Medical Optics' voluntary recall on Friday of its Complete(R) MoisturePlus(TM) brand contact lens solution, doctors of optometry from the American Optometric Association's (AOA) Contact Lens and Cornea Section concur with the company's decision to remove the product nationwide.
Although a cause has not been officially determined, health officials from the federal government are investigating reports that Acanthamoeba keratitis, a corneal bacterial infection, has ...
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| U.S. Navy Offers Intralase No-Blade Lasik for Servicemen |
The U.S. Navy recently began to pay Lasik surgery costs for serviceman who use no-blade Lasik eye surgeons. Dr. Dello Russo, one of the pioneers who introduced this method, celebrates the endorsement and explains the Navy's choice.
Dello Russo comments on the most recent endorsement of the no-blade (Intralase) Lasik he introduced over five years ago to make Lasik surgery safer and more accurate. The Intralase laser replaces a metallic blade that was previously used to perform the first step of Lasik surgeries....
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| Juvenile Onset Myopia may Be Due to Parental Refractive Error |
Progression of myopia is slower in children who wear a special kind of no-line bifocal lenses than those who wear more conventional lenses according to a new study published in Investigative Ophthalmology (and) Visual Science (IOVS). Researchers from New England College of Optometry, Pennsylvania College of Optometry; University of Alabama School of Optometry; University of Houston College of Optometry; and State University of New York Stony Brook, Department of Preventive Medicine conducted the five-year study....
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| In the Eye of a Storm- B (and) L Contact Lens Solution Recalled |
New York- In an action replay of events just ten months ago, Bausch and Lomb, have recalled above 1 million bottles of contact lens solution, following reports of abnormal levels of iron content in the solution.
In 2006, the company had removed its product called ReNu with Moisture Loc solution off the shelf, following reports of being connected to a harmful fungus. The present problem is with the discovery of iron in ReNu MultiPlus contact lens solution, which is thought to impact the shelf life of the solution negatively....
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| Wearing No-line Bifocals Slows Myopia Progression in Some Children |
Certain children who wear a special kind of no-line bifocal lenses show signs of slower progression of myopia than those who wear more conventional lenses according to a new study published in the February 2007 issue of Investigative Ophthalmology (and) Visual Science (IOVS).
The study found that among children with two myopic parents, myopia progression was slower in children wearing progressive-addition lenses (PALs) when compared to those wearing single-vision lenses (SVLs). Knowing parental ...
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| PRK and LASIK Surgeries 'Safe and Effective' |
 Both LASIK and PRK eye procedures are safe and effective, according to results of a 10-year study presented at the recent American Academy of Ophthalmology's Joint Meeting.
Researchers who examined patients a decade after undergoing LASIK and PRK treatments say both procedures provide stable, long term improvement for nearsightedness.
"Our study provides a clear answer to those who doubt LASIK's reliability, showing that both LASIK and PRK are effective for correcting myopia with no long term ...
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| Technology Making LASIK Safer for Those Who Have Had Previous Eye Surgery |
Rapidly improving technology is making LASIK safer, as well as widening the scope of its potential benefits, according to A. John Kanellopoulous, MD, who taught an instructional course at the recent American Academy of Ophthalmology's 2006 Joint Meeting.
During the course titled "LASIK in Eyes Following Previous Surgery: A Practical Approach to Indications, Technique and Possible Complications and their Management," Dr. Kanellopoulous, who was joined by Gregory Pamel, MD and Eric D. Donnenfeld, ...
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| Lasik or Lasek Surgery - Which One is Better? |
A new study has shown that vision correction patients will be benefited equally with Lasik surgery as well as Lasek surgery. Both types of surgeries are equally safe and beneficial.
Both surgeries employ lasers to cut flaps in the cornea and rectify the shape. Lasek (laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy) involves cutting only the external surface of the cornea. This helps in doing away with some of the potential flap problems that could arise from a deeper incision created during Lasik (laser in situ keratomileusis) surgery....
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| Study Compares LASIK and LASEK Eye Surgery |
A study comparing the safety, effectiveness and reliability of LASIK and LASEK has found no clinically significant differences between the two types of laser eye surgery.
The study, led by a University of Illinois at Chicago researcher, is published in the December 2006 issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology.
"Although there have been many studies of the safety and efficacy of both types of laser surgery, there has not been a large study directly comparing the outcomes of the two procedures," said Dr....
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| Investigations Reveal That Infections Due To Contact lens Could Cause Blindness |
 An investigation has found that 200 people in the United States and the Far East who use contact lenses have contracted an infection that could lead to blindness.
Investigators have warned contact lens users about a new fungus infection called fusarium keratitis. This warning has lead to the withdrawal of one type of a lens cleaning solution that has been used by many of those affected.
Researchers have also explained that many people who follow poor lens hygiene are also at a greater risk ...
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| Reports Characterize Fungal Eye Infections Among Soft Contact Lens Wearers |
 CHICAGO - Fusarium, the fungus implicated in recent eye infections among soft contact lens wearers, is associated with an increasing number of cases of keratitis (corneal swelling and inflammation), according to a report published online today in Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Infections caused by fungi can be devastating to both the structure of the eye and the patient's vision, according to background information in the article. Keratitis, or swelling and inflammation ...
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| Contact Lens Care Products Results In Eye Infection |
Bausch (and) Lomb Inc. is in serious trouble after an eye infection was detected in association with the use of one of its lens care products. There are complaints arising from Asia, US and Europe under pressure since authorities said its contact lens care products might be linked to a spate of serious eye infections in Asia and the United States, said a handful of cases of the infection had also been confirmed in Europe. Bausch (and) Lomb, based in Rochester, New York, recalled ReNu lens care products after users were diagnosed with fungal infections....
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| Alarm Raised for Contact Lens Wearers |
The use of a Bausch (and) Lomb Inc's brand cleansing solution has been linked to a severe corneal fungal infection, which if left untreated can cause blindness. Optometry doctors in the U.S have urged contact lens wearers to take proper precautions to prevent this.
Bausch (and) Lomb Inc. has stopped shipping their ReNu with MoistureLoc brand contact lens solution since Monday following warnings from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about increased reports of the eye infection....
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| LASIK Treatments Still To Reach Common Man |
 Even after a decade of its institution, Lasik, the eye surgery that corrects vision be means of Laser, remains out of reach of common man. An average procedure costs somewhere between (Dollor) 3,000 to (Dollor) 5,000 and not many people can afford it.
Moreover, there are still question marks over the efficacy of the treatment as well as its rage of safety. It is estimated that over 18 percent of the people require a second Lasik treatment sometime after they have undergone their first procedure. Chicago refractive surgeon Dr....
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| Lasik surgery effective in correcting vision |
LASIK (Laser in Situ Keratomilensis), is the most widely performed laser vision correction today. It is effective in correcting short sightedness (Myopia), farsightedness (Hyperopia) and even astigmatism. The procedure is performed in an out-patient surgery center, using a special piece of equipment called Exlimer laser.
You may be a good candidate for lasik if you meet the following criteria.
(a) Enjoy general good health
(b) Have no eye disease
(c) Have a relatively stable prescription for glasses or contact lenses....
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| New contact lens materials |
According to researchers at the Southeastern Medical College at Dallas report that contact lenses, both rigid and soft, made from new hyper-oxygen transmissible materials are expected to reduce the possibility of bacterial infection better than contact lenses which are available now. Based in part on these findings, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved hyper-oxygen transmissible contact lenses for 30-day continuous wear.
The results of the Southeastern study are published in American Academy of Ophthalmology....
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| Contact Lenses Found To Slow Progression Of Myopia in Kids |
Children who wear rigid gas permeable ( RGP ) contact lenses can minimize the chances their myopia will worsen over time say researchers according to a recent study .
More than 100 children ages 8 years to 11 for about three years. About half the group wore RGP lenses, and the other half wore soft contact lenses. Kids who wore the RGPs generally needed about two weeks to adapt to the lenses. Myopia progressed as would be expected in the children who wore the soft lenses. Compared to soft lenses, ...
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| Implantable Contact Lens Found Safe and Effective |
A contact lens that is implanted permanently in the eye is safe and effective for treating nearsightedness. The device is intended to be an alternative for laser operations that correct nearsightedness by reshaping the cornea, the clear outer covering of the eyeball, Dr. John Allan Vukich of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine in Madison told.
Vukich and colleagues analyzed the results of a multicenter trial of patients who had received the implantable lens, known as STAAR ICL and made by STAAR Surgical Inc....
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