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From Newsweek Health, courtesy of MSNBC.com August, 2005
Eyes Right
Early screening can fix serious vision problems. How doctors and lawmakers are lobbying to ensure kids get access to the tests they need.
Aug. 2, 2005 - Kennedy Beiderman seemed like any normal kindergarten student. A bright and upbeat girl from Appleton, Wis., she loved roller-skating, bike riding and playing with her friends. But she struggled with her classes and couldn’t keep up with her peers. Kennedy’s mother, Jill, said she and her husband just “assumed that was normal, because Kennedy was a normal child." They never suspected their daughter had a vision problem. An eye exam revealed that Kennedy was already legally blind in one eye and was losing sight in the other. (Full article) |
From Prevent Blindness.com April, 2007
Economic Impact of Vision Problems in the U.S. Estimated at $51.4 Billion
Prevent Blindness America released a new report estimating the costs associated with adult vision problems in the United States at $51.4 billion. The Economic Impact of Vision Problems: The Toll of Major Adult Eye Disorders, Visual Impairment and Blindness on the U.S. Economy provides both the costs to the individual and their caregivers, and the impact on the U.S. economy of vision conditions including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataract, diabetic retinopathy, primary open-angle glaucoma, refractive error, visual impairment and blindness. (Full press release.) |
From The Cleveland Clinic December, 2006
Elvis Wore Shades; So Should You
It’s hard to imagine the rich and famous, a Hollywood star or a dot-com mogul projecting an air of mystique and power without sporting a phat pair of shades. And Elvis’ success as a crooner? Never would have happened without a cool pair of Foster-Grants. Given their ubiquitous use in myriad fashion ensembles, it is easy to forget that sunglasses can perform a basic function: protecting the eyes from damage from harmful sun rays.
In fact, many people forego protective eyewear when they are outdoors. Given the recent evidence regarding depletion of ozone, the atmospheric layer that helps shield the earth from harmful ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun, such behavior is increasingly risky. Indeed, shunning protective eyewear increases the risk of development of vision disorders such as cataract and macular degeneration. (Full article). |
From Science Daily June, 2007
Gene Therapy Awakens The Brain Despite Blindness From Birth
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated that gene therapy used to restore retinal activity to the blind also restores function to the brain's visual center, a critical component of seeing. The multi-institutional study led by Geoffrey K. Aguirre, assistant professor of neurology in Penn's School of Medicine, shows that gene therapy can improve retinal, visual-pathway and visual-cortex responses in animals born blind and has the potential to do the same in humans. (Full article)
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From The Mayo Clinic July, 2006
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is sometimes called the silent thief because it can slowly steal your sight before you realize anything's wrong. It's a leading cause of vision loss.
The most common form of glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma, develops gradually, giving no warning signs. Many people aren't even aware they have an eye problem until their vision is extensively compromised. (Full article) |
From EyeCare America website May, 2007
The Foundation of the American Academy of Opthamology
The Importance of Eye Care
In addition to protecting your eyes from accidents, early detection and treatment of eye problems is the best way to keep your healthy vision throughout your life.
By age 65, one in three Americans has some form of vision-impairing eye disease.
Most do not know it because there are often no warning symptoms or they assume that poor sight is a natural part of growing older. In many cases blindness is preventable. We offer information about eye disease to raise awareness of the facts of eye disease. (Full article) |
From Science Daily July, 2007
Link Between Carbohydrate Quality And Vision Loss Is Strengthened By New Data
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its associated vision loss may be connected to the quality of carbohydrates an individual consumes. In a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Allen Taylor, PhD, director of the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University, and colleagues confirmed earlier findings linking dietary glycemic index with the risk of developing AMD. (Full article)
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From the National Institutes of Health July, 2007
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Protect Eyes Against Retinopathy, Study Finds
Retinopathies May Be Prevented or Lessened By a Change in Diet
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids protect against the development and progression of retinopathy, a deterioration of the retina, in mice. This is the major finding of a study that appears in the July 2007 issue of the journal Nature Medicine. (Full press release)
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