By inserting an artificial collagen implant into the eye, scientists have developed a way for a person’s own natural corneal cells to regrow and thus restore vision. This is a revolutionary step toward developing an alternative to standard cornea transplants which aren’t widely available in some parts of the world due to a shortage of donated cadaver corneas.

The cornea is the clear film-like covering of the surface of the eye. The cornea helps the eye focus light and is delicate and easily harmed by infection or injury. Annually, around 42,000 people in the United States receive corneal transplants. The United States has an adequate supply of donated corneas but transplants do bring a risk of rejection and require steroid eyedrops, sometimes indefinitely.

Scientists took human collagen grown in yeast and then molded it into a contact lens-looking shape for a cornea. This bioartificial cornea was then placed in 10 patients with severe vision loss from damage to a corneal layer. The damaged tissue was removed in one eye and replaced with the bioartificial cornea. Scientists then noted that cells that normally line a healthy cornea began to grow in the collagen, tear production resumed and corneal nerves began to grow. Unlike a standard corneal transplant, no immune-suppressing medication was needed and there was no rejection of the implant.

While researchers are excited about this new technology, larger studies are needed and the therapy can hopefully be extended to include a wider range of vision loss. Full-thickness damage to the endothelial cells of the cornea are harder to treat than upper-layer corneal problems.*

Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer

Eyecare professionals are warning against the latest craze found in “circle” contacts as worn by pop starlet Lady Gaga in her “Bad Romance” video. While the circle lenses are illegal to sell in the United States, they can be purchased online and more and more teenagers are hopping on board the fashion bandwagon.

The circle lens gives the wearer a childlike, doe-eyed appearance much like the characters in Japanese anime. Young women see the lenses as being as necessary as lipstick or mascara in their everyday beauty routine.

Web sites which sell the circle lenses are not FDA-approved and these web sites do not bother to verify customers’ prescriptions with their eye doctors. As a result, customers can order any prescription strength. Such carelessness with a person’s vision can lead to eye injuries and even blindness. Ill-fitting contact lenses can deprive the eyes of oxygen and cause serious vision problems.*

Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer

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.

Angiogenesis, or the growth of new blood vessels, is a normal process that is vital for development and wound healing.

However, excessive expansion of blood vessels can lead to diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration, cancer, and diabetes.

Researchers at Tufts University have recently discovered ways to prevent harmful forms of angiogenesis through the analysis of a critical biological pathway. Galectin-3 is a carbohydrate-binding protein that is known to promote angiogenesis in the body, but the mechanism behind this relationship was previously unknown. Led by Dr. Noorjahan Panjwani, research has shown that galectin-3 promotes angiogenesis by binding to carbohydrate portions of integrin proteins. Through the understanding of this pathway and using mice as subjects, Dr. Panjwani and her colleagues have ascertained methods to target galectin-3 and prevent harmful angiogenesis. By either applying a galectin-3 inhibitor or preventing this protein from binding to integrins, the researchers were able to successfully disrupt the biological pathway and reduce angiogenesis in mice.

Scientists are optimistic that these new results will be helpful for the future development of drug treatments that will reduce harmful angiogenesis in the human body.

Brian Krawitz
Staff Writer

In 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