Archive for the ‘Outside The Lines’ Category
Test your vision using a cell phone
09.02.2010A team of researchers at MIT has developed a prototype eye test that could revolutionize eye care in underdeveloped nations. While the eye test won’t do away with the need for eye doctors, it will make it easier for people to get the proper prescription from agencies which offer donated glasses.
This new test is called the Near-Eye Tool for Refractive Assessment (NETRA for short). The person will look through an eyepiece at two lines on the cellphone screen. One line is red and the other one is green. If these lines are aligned, then the person’s vision is fine. If, however, the lines are not aligned, the person click’s on the phone’s arrow buttons until the red and the green line come together. This is repeated with the lines at different angles and the number of times the person has to click determines how their eyes focus the best. The software within the cellphone then deciphers the results into what corrective lenses the person needs.
While further testing is slated for this fall, it is hoped that the test will go to market in six months. Researchers are excited about the possibility of transforming the lives of those in underdeveloped nations and making eye care more accessible to them.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
Quiz: How long does it take you to figure out which one’s the pool chemical and which one’s the glaucoma eyedrop?
08.27.2010
One bottle is for swimming pool chemistry and contains hydrochloric acid.
…The other one is a prescription eyedrop for glaucoma.
But say both of them are on the kitchen counter, and you’ve had a rotten, harried day. Further suppose that you don’t have your reading glasses on and you know it’s time to take your prescription glaucoma eyedrops so that your eye pressure stays under control and doesn’t cause any further damage to your optic nerve. (See http://www.visivite.com/glaucoma.html and http://www.eye-surgeons.net/glaucoma-news.html).
Now take a closer look…
They’re both similarly-shaped bottles. The FDA mandates that beta-blocker eyedrops such as levobunalol must have a yellow bottle cap. Funny…the pool testing bottle also has a yellow cap.
Think you could do the same?
My lovely female patient from this afternoon was embarrassed and flabbergasted that she made this mistake.
But any one of us could have done the same, don’t you agree?
Paul Krawitz, M.D, President
Vitamin Science, Inc.
Alternative to Using Viruses for Gene Therapy Breakthrough!
08.23.2010In a recent study conducted at Tufts University, researchers demonstrated that non-viral gene therapy can delay the onset of retinal degeneration of the eye and preserve vision. Small DNA carriers known as nanoparticles containing GDNF (Glial Cell Line-Derived Neutrophic Factor) were injected into the retinas of mice subjects and the responses were monitored. GDNF is a protein that protects the photoreceptor cells of the retina. Seven days after injection, the treated mice exhibited less retinal damage and better vision than the controls. However, the retinal protection provided by the treatment dwindled soon after, as no difference in vision between the two groups was present two weeks after treatment.
GDNF Protein expression
Previously, gene therapy has been carried out using viruses. Viruses are very efficient in delivering DNA to cells in vivo, but they can provoke immune responses that can lead to inflammation and other setbacks. Using nanopoarticles as part of non-viral gene therapy is a safer option that avoids these complications. The next step is to find ways to retain the retinal protection, as the ameliorative effects offered by the discussed treatment are currently short-lived.
Nevertheless, this study makes an important leap in finding ways to delay the onset of degenerative retinal diseases in humans, such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.
Brian Krawitz
Staff Writer
Read about the artificial “eye” for those who are blind.
08.03.2010Certain eye conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration may soon be treated by eye implants. The revolutionary eye implant has actually been in development since the late 1980s and human clinical trials are expected to begin within the next three years.
The implant is airtight and made of titanium. It contains a 200-channel chip that sits in the eye socket and has a wire coil which encircles the iris of they eye. A wireless computer-based controller which is outside the body takes care of the data transfer.
Glasses fitted with a camera will be worn by patients and patients will carry a small battery powered computer which will read and analyze images and transmit data to the implant. The implant will then use electrodes to transmit electrical impulses to retinal nerve cells. Patients will see hundreds of pixels of data instead of millions of pixels associated with healthy vision. In addition, patients will need therapy to teach their brains how to interpret the patterns of dots and color.*
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
Parents, do your children need sunglasses?
05.27.2010It’s summertime again and much attention is given to the necessity of protecting children’s skin from the damage of harmful UV rays. But parents should be mindful of guarding their children’s eyes from the sun’s rays as well.
May has been designated as UV awareness month and Prevent Blindness America is cautioning parents that children are especially susceptible to harmful ultraviolet A and B damage.
There are a couple of factors for this recommendation:
- Children typically spend more time outdoors
- The lenses of children’s eyes are more transparent than those of adults. This transparency risks retinal exposure to short wavelength light.
Children and adults alike should wear sunglasses that block out 99 - 100 percent of both UVA and UVB radiation. Parents should make sure that the sunglasses fit their child’s face properly and that they block out the sun’s rays from every direction.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
