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Health News Results - 24
Blind People Are Better at Sensing Their Heartbeats
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- March 29, 2023
- Full Page
People who are blind are better at sensing their own heartbeats, according to a new study that found blindness appears to heighten one's ability to feel signals from the inner body.
In Mouse Study, Scientists Use Gene Editing to Reverse a Major Cause of Blindness
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- March 17, 2023
- Full Page
A gene-editing experiment that restored the vision of mice might one day be used to treat a major cause of human blindness.
Scientists in China reported they used the CRISPR-based gene-editing technique to bring back vision in mice with retinitis pigmentosa.
Genom...
Gene Therapy Helps Those With Rare Form of Blindness See Better at Night
- By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- October 13, 2022
- Full Page
An experimental gene therapy offers hope for rapid improvement in the night vision of adults who have a congenital form of childhood-onset blindness, researchers report.
In this ongoing...
Reusing Contact Lenses Raises Odds for Rare Eye Infection
- By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- September 25, 2022
- Full Page
Although wearing reusable contact lenses is generally safe, it can be associated with a greater risk of a rare eye infection, new British research shows.
In the study, people who wore reusable contact lenses were nearly four times more likely to develop the infection ca...
8/12 -- Bioengineered Pig Skin Is Turned Into Corneas, Restoring Patients' Sight
- Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
- August 9, 2022
- Full Page
Farmyard pigs could be the key to restoring sight in people who have lost their vision due to a damaged cornea, a new study reports.
Collagen drawn from pig's skin is being used to create an experimental implant that mimics the human
Threatening Eye Condition Rare After COVID Infection
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- April 15, 2022
- Full Page
As doctors learn more about COVID-19 infection, they are finding that in rare cases, it appears tied to a disturbing eye condition.
Macular Degeneration Can Rob You of Sight: Know the Signs
- February 6, 2022
- Full Page
Early diagnosis and care can often stop the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the leading cause of vision loss in older Americans, the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) says.
As part of AMD Awareness Month in February, the societ...
Some Patients With Macular Degeneration Could Stop Monthly Eye Injections
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- January 24, 2022
- Full Page
Injection medications can save the vision of older people with macular degeneration, but the ongoing regimen is taxing. Now a preliminary study raises the possibility that some patients can safely be "weaned off" the treatment.
Researchers found that of just over 100 pat...
Have Diabetes? Here's How to Save Your Sight
- Robert Preidt
- November 3, 2021
- Full Page
Managing your diabetes can be tough, but your eyes might thank you for it.
Diabetic retinopathy is a diabetes complication that damages the retina's blood vessels, often resulting in vision loss and blindness. The condition occurs in more than half of people with diabete...
Robotics Bring the White Cane Into the 21st Century
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- September 16, 2021
- Full Page
The "white cane" that many blind people rely on for navigating the world hasn't been upgraded in a century, but researchers are reporting progress on a "robo-cane" they hope will modernize the assistive device.
The prototype cane is equipped with a color 3D camera, senso...
Man Blind for 40 Years Regains Some Sight Through Gene Therapy
- May 24, 2021
- Full Page
Doctors for the first time have used a form of gene therapy to restore partial vision in a blind person, according to findings announced Monday.
The research team genetically altered retinal ganglion cells to become light-sensitive in a man whose vision was destroyed by ...
Can a Drug Help Prevent Diabetic Vision Loss?
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- March 31, 2021
- Full Page
The overall eye health of people with diabetes benefits from preventive drug injections directly into the eyeball, but it's too soon to tell whether such treatment will better preserve their vision long-term, new clinical trial results show.
Regular injections of afliber...
Vision Problems Are On the Decline for American Seniors
- Robert Preidt
- March 17, 2021
- Full Page
Serious vision problems among older Americans have declined sharply, and the improvement has been greatest among women, folks over 85 and seniors who are Black or Hispanic, a nationwide study shows.
"The implications of a reduction in vision impairment are significant," ...
Scientists Gain Insight Into Genetics of Glaucoma
- Robert Preidt
- March 3, 2021
- Full Page
Researchers have identified 44 new genetic variants associated with glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness. They say their findings could provide new targets to treat the common eye disease.
In their study, the international team compared the genes of more than 34,000 pe...
New Hope for Better Treatments Against Macular Degeneration
- Robert Preidt
- February 22, 2021
- Full Page
A number of new treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a progressive eye disease, are under development. AMD is a leading cause of vision loss in older people.
About 11 million Americans have AMD, which affects part of the eye that allows you to see fine ...
Promising Steps Toward Retinal Cell Transplants to Fight Blindness
- Robert Preidt
- January 19, 2021
- Full Page
A promising step toward using retinal cell transplants to treat blindness is reported in a new study.
Adult retinal stem cells from deceased human donors survived when they were transplanted into the eyes of non-human primates, according to the researchers.
The cel...
COVID Tied to Rare But Severe Eye Infection
- Steven Reinberg
- December 14, 2020
- Full Page
A rare, sight-stealing infection might be triggered by COVID-19, a new study suggests.
In the space of two months, three patients suffering from COVID-19 in one New York health system developed keratitis, an inflammation of the cornea, which then led to a sight-threateni...
Parkinson's Drug Eyed as Treatment for Severe Macular Degeneration
- Serena McNiff
- September 16, 2020
- Full Page
A drug long used to treat Parkinson's disease may benefit patients with a severe form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a small clinical trial suggests.
One of the leading causes of vision loss in older people is a condition called dry macular degeneration. ...
Have Diabetes? Don't Lose Sight of Danger to Your Eyes
- Serena Gordon
- August 10, 2020
- Full Page
Diabetes can wreak havoc on many parts of the body, including the eyes, but people with diabetes aren't doomed to have vision problems.
With good blood sugar management and regular eye exams, many eye conditions can be prevented or treated, experts say.
P...
With Macular Degeneration, 1 Missed Visit to Eye Doc Can Mean Vision Loss
- Robert Preidt
- February 7, 2020
- Full Page
Missing just one eye doctor appointment can result in vision loss in older adults with macular degeneration, a new study warns.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss in the elderly, and these findings show the need for patients to k...
Vision Problems Strike More Than 2 Billion Globally
- Robert Preidt
- October 11, 2019
- Full Page
More than 2 billion people worldwide suffer vision problems that range from impairment to blindness, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
And at least 1 billion of those people have problems such as short- and far-sightedness, glaucoma ...
Teen's Fussy 'Junk Food' Diet Leaves Him Blind
- Alan Mozes
- September 3, 2019
- Full Page
Can a steady diet of junk food rob you of your vision?
A new case report suggests it's possible: After years of eating only potato chips, French fries, cold cuts and white bread, a 17-year-old British boy went blind.
Despite his bad eating habits, his body ...
Potentially Blinding Shingles of the Eye on the Rise
- Alan Mozes
- May 9, 2019
- Full Page
The virus that gave you chickenpox as a kid can rise again after decades of inactivity and inflict a painful, even blinding, eye infection in old age.
New research reveals that cases of eye-based "shingles" have tripled since 2004.
Exactly what is driving t...
Brain Sharpens the Hearing of the Blind, Study Finds
- Robert Preidt
- April 24, 2019
- Full Page
Researchers have long wondered why blind people seem to have a sharpened sense of hearing. Now a Seattle team has pinpointed specific brain adaptations that occur in folks without sight.
"There's this idea that blind people are good at auditory tasks, because they ha...