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A New Implantable Microchip May Create a 'Bionic Eye'

Bionic Vision Australia (BVA), an Australian research group, is getting close to implanting a microchip into a human retina and creating the first bionic eye.

Associate Professor Gregg Suaning, of the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering and a project leader said the new, 98-channel microchip, now undergoing preliminary lab testing, was a major step towards the goal of a functional bionic eye. He went on to say:

This is a remarkable new microchip that has brought an Australian retinal implant much closer to reality.
At only five square millimetres, the device is tiny but represents a significant advance in nerve stimulation technology. The design team incorporated never-before attempted features with this design and they absolutely nailed every aspect. The result is mind boggling.

The advanced prototype of this new bionic eye uses a pair of glasses with a camera that wirelessly transfers data to the microchip implanted in the retina and stimulating the nerves needed for vision.

The first human trials will begin in 2013.

Tags: bionic, blindness, eye, eye doctor, eyecare, glasses, technology, vision loss

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Cutting Corneas Can Save Eyes

Currently there’s a shortage of donor corneas for those that need a transplant. But a new procedure to help restore vision for two different corneal diseases may also address this supply problem.

Two specific diseases, keratoconus and Fuch’s dystrophy, affect different layers of the the cornea. After the part of the cornea needed to treat keratoconus is removed from the donor tissue, the exact cells required to treat Fuch’s dystrophy remain intact.

By scheduling two patients for surgery on the same day, it would be possible to use one cornea for two patients, thus cutting in half the number of donor corneas needed.

Tags: blindness, cornea, eye, eye care, fuch's dystrophy, Keratoconus, optometrist, vision

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An Eye-For-An-Eye? Man sentenced to be blinded with acid

Wow. It seems the “eye-for-an-eye” legal code is still is use.

In Iran, a man has been sentenced to blinding by acid after he blinded another man by throwing acid in his face.

The convict, named only as Mojtaba, 25, threw acid in the face of Alireza, 25, a taxi driver in Iran’s clerical hub city of Qom, after an “illicit affair” with the victim’s wife, Mojdeh.

The supreme court has upheld a lower court ruling that Mojtaba be blinded with drops of acid. This is in line with Islamic justice, which in cases of violent crimes allows for “qisas,” or eye-for-an-eye retribution. In this unfortunate instance, they mean that literally.

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care, a family Optometry practice in Palmetto Bay, Florida. Please call or contact our office for more information.

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Tags: blindness, eye, Eye for an eye, vision loss

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Misinformation About Cataracts May Delay Treatment

HealthDay (12/27, Thompson) reported, “Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness among seniors in the United States, with more than half of all US residents developing the cloudy vision of cataracts by the time they reach 80 years old, according to Prevent Blindness America, a nonprofit group that focuses on eye health.” According to eye experts, “people seem to believe things about cataracts that aren’t quite right, including when and how they should be treated.” Unfortunately, “misinformation sometimes leads people to delay treatment long past when it could help them or to expect too much from treatment for this widespread vision problem.”

Cataract Patient Urges Others Not To Be Frightened By The Prospect Of Surgery. In a related story, HealthDay (12/27, Thompson) discussed the experiences of Marilyn Norred, a 74-year-old retired nurse who knew “for 30 years that she had cataracts in both eyes.” This spring, she underwent cataract surgery in both eyes after having put up with increasingly blurry vision. She advised readers with cataracts to “look forward to the surgery rather than being frightened by the prospect,” and she characterized her restored eyesight as a “wonderful gift.”

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care, a family Optometry practice in Palmetto Bay, Florida. Please call or contact our office for more information.

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Tags: blindness, cataract, Cataract surgery, eye, eye care, optometrist, optometry, vision care

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Up Close and Blurry

Have you ever found yourself needing to hold books, newspapers or menus at arms length in order to focus properly? Maybe computer work causes you headaches, or staring at your iPhone constantly leaves your eyes fatigued? You may be experiencing a condition called presbyopia, a normal age-related change in your vision that affects your ability to see objects up close.

To understand this condition, imagine a video camera focused far away. When you bring it to a close object it’s initially blurry before you hear the lens inside moving and the image becomes clear. The eye works similarly, with a lens inside that changes shape and makes up close images clear.

When you are born, your lens has a large range of focus; but everyday since birth, the human eye can focus less and less. It takes about 40 years for your lens to no longer be able to meet your near demands. And with more than 135 million Americans over the age of 40, more people than ever are experiencing blurry vision with reading. As the population ages, there is a growing need for vision correction to help with this ever-increasing problem.

Presbyopia, or the loss of focusing, affects everybody differently – but there is no avoiding it. Some nearsighted people don’t realize that their focusing has decreased because they can see up close with no correction. And some people who are farsighted may experience symptoms even earlier.

Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent or delay this normal change, it will happen no matter how you try to stop it. So the best course of action is to see your Optometrist to explore what vision correction options will work best for you.

Presbyopia is a normal and common problem. This problem may be new to you, but as eye doctors, we have been managing presbyopia for a long time. In order to make your vision clear and comfortable, and to know all of your correction options, make an appointment with your Optometrist today. Remember, as my father says, “don’t wait until you have to stand on the newspaper in order to read it.”

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care. Please call or contact our office for more information.

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Tags: Blurred vision, doctor, eye, eye doctor, glasses, Health, optometrist, optometry, presbyopia, reading, reading glasses, vision

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Stem Cells Grown on a Contact Lens May Restore Vision

: Image via Wikipedia

Stem cells that have been grown on contact lenses could be a cure for a common cause of blindness, claim scientists. Australian researchers said that this breakthrough could “dramatically improve” the vision of patients with damage to their cornea, the clear front surface of the eye, caused by disease or injury.

The research team removed tissue with regenerative stem cells from patients’ own eyes and then proliferated these cells in the laboratory on the surface of a contact lens. This lens was then placed back onto the damaged cornea for 10 days, during which the cells were able to recolonize and “patch” the damaged eye surface.

Within weeks the patients saw dramatic improvements in their vision. Of course more research is needed, but if early findings bear out then this treatment could be effective for thousands of patients.

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care Center. Please call or contact our office for more information.

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Tags: American Heart Association, Biotechnology, Clinical trial, contact lens, cornea, eye, Patient, Stem cell

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Multifocal contact lenses `may affect night driving`

By Adrian Galbreth

People’s ability to drive at night may be affected depending on the type of contact lens they wear, a new study has suggested.

According to a research article published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, multifocal contact lens wearers tend to drive slower at night than people who wear other means of vision correction.

The research was led by Dr Byoung Sun Chu, formerly of the School of Optometry at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, who said that for patients who drive long distances and hours at night, medical professionals should carefully consider the best form of correction for presbyopia.

“One alternative is to prescribe the multifocal contact lenses for daytime use and a different correction for driving at night,” he suggested.

Recent safety advice issued by the Rhode Island Department of Health recommended that people who may have purchased coloured or decorative contact lenses over the Halloween period without a prescription should throw them away. ADNFCR-1853-ID-800227617-ADNFCR

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care Center. Please call or contact our office for more information.

Tags: clarin eye care, Contact Lenses, eye, eye care, eye doctor, eye exam, eyecare, optometrist, optometry, vision care, vision correction

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Preventing Blindness Has Become More Likely With New Findings of Lead Exposure

Donald A. Fox, a professor of vision sciences at the University of Houston’s College of Optometry, and his team have uncovered some unexpected effects of lead exposure that may one day help prevent and reverse blindness.

The study suggests that lead, or a new drug that acts like lead, could transform human embryonic retinal stem cells into neurons that would be transplanted into patients to treat retinal degenerations.

Fox said these effects occur at blood lead levels at or below 10 micrograms per deciliter, the current low-level of concern by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because the effects occur below the “safe level,” Fox says it raises more questions about what should be considered the threshold level for an adverse effect of lead on the brain and retina.

“This work has long-term implications in retinal degeneration and diseases where photoreceptors die.” Fox said. “Researchers may be able to use lead as tool in transforming embryonic retinal stem cells into… cells that could be transplanted into diseased retinas, ultimately saving sight and reversing blindness.”

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care Center. Please call or contact our office for more information.

Tags: clarin eye care, eye, eye care, eye doctor, eyecare, optometrist, optometry, vision, vision care, vision correction, vision loss

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Anorexia May Cause Potentially Serious Eye Damage

The eating disorder anorexia nervosa causes potentially serious eye damage, according to a study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Anorexia nervosa affects up to 3% of affluent women, and is the third most common chronic disease among teenage women, up to one in 10 of whom will die from it.

Researchers have now analyzed the thickness of the macula and its electrical activity in the eyes of 13 women with anorexia nervosa and in 20 healthy women of the same age. The average age of the women was 28. Those with anorexia had had their condition for an average of 10 years.

The macula lies in the center of the retina, at the back of the eye, and is responsible for fine detailed central vision and the processing of light. Tests were done to determine how well the eyes picked up fine detail.

The analysis showed that the macula and the nerve layers feeding it were significantly thinner in the eyes of the women with anorexia nervosa. There was also significantly less firing of the neurotransmitter dopamine, a key element of the brain’s ability to process visual images.

There even seemed to be differences between women with different patterns of anorexia. The fovea, the center of the macula that is rich in light sensitive cone cells, was thinner in those women who binged and purged compared to those who simply restricted their calorie intake.

The authors conclude that it is not yet clear whether macular thinning and decreased neurotransmitter activity are the initial stages of progressive blindness or whether these signs will revert back to normal once normal eating patterns are resumed.

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care Center. Please call or contact our office for more information.

Tags: anorexia, clarin, clarin eye care, clarineyecare, eye, eye care, eye doctor, eye exam, eyecare, optometrist, optometry, vision, vision care, vision loss

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Diabetes Is On The Rise

Diabetes is the number one cause of blindness in America today, which is why the American Diabetic Association recommends a comprehensive eye exam every year by your eye care provider.

Some examples of the changes that we see are bleeding and leaking from the small blood vessels in the retina as well as changes to your eyeglass prescription, both caused by uncontrolled blood- sugar levels. Many times it is your eye doctor who first uncovers the signs that ultimately lead to the diagnosis of diabetes.

According to a new report from the CDC, the number of cases of diabetes may triple by the year 2050, to the point where 1 in 3 Americans will have the disease. This is mainly fueled by:

1. An aging population – The number of adults ages 65 and older are expected to climb from 38.7 million in 2008 to 88.5 million by 2050. Also, a confounding factor is that type 2 diabetes is on the rise in younger people, especially adolescents. This group was rarely affected in the past, but lifestyle factors like obesity and a lack of exercise are mostly to blame for the increase.

2. Minority populations are increasing – African-Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, and Asian-Americans have the highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes. African-Americans, for example, are twice as likely to be diagnosed as non-Hispanic whites. They’re also more likely to suffer complications.

3. People with diabetes are living longer - This is mostly due to better medical care. Public health campaigns and greater emphasis on diabetes education have also likely contributed. With more awareness and better care, the number of undiagnosed cases has also fallen.

Diabetes is a life-altering disease. It is important that you take it seriously and always follow your doctor’s recommendations. Our office is here to help in any way we can, from simple discussions about the effects of diabetes to an in depth examinations of your retina. We are here for you today and into the future.

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care Center. Please call or contact our office for more information.

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Tags: blindness, Blood sugar, care, clarin eye care, diabetes, Diabetes mellitus, dr. clarin, eye, eye care, eye doctor, eye exam, optometrist, optometry, vision, vision care, vision correction, vision loss

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