A tiny implant could help patients continuously measure their intraocular pressure from the comfort of their own homes.

 

Developed by a professor of bioengineering at Stanford University and an ophthalmologist from Bar-Ilan University in Israel, the device is in fact a small tube. One end is open to the fluids that fill the eye; the other end is capped with a small bulb filled with gas. As the intraocular pressure increases, intraocular fluid is pushed into the tube, and the gas pushes back against the fluid. This causes the barrier between the fluid and the gas to move, allowing the patient to measure the pressure.

 

A smartphone app or smart glasses could be used to snap a photo of the instrument, providing a critical wealth of data. Previous research has shown that measuring intraocular pressure over 24 hours, rather than once a day or week, results in a change in treatment in up to 80 per cent of patients.

 

The scientists now just need to re-engineer the device with materials that will increase the life of the device inside the human eye, and to find a better way of implanting it. “I believe that only a few years are needed before clinical trials can be conducted,” says Israeli ophthalmologist Yossi Mandel.

Source: 

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/281574.php

People with more yellow pigment in their eyes seem to see further than others, even through haze or atmospheric pollution.

 

By filtering out “blue haze,” i.e., haze in which blue light rays are more dispersed than rays from red or infrared light, the yellow pigments seem to improve vision. In the lab, researchers tested the visibility of distant objects through haze. It took twice as much haze for the objects to disappear from the view of subjects who had more yellow pigment than from the view of others.

 

The presence of this pigment has to do with the accumulation of the nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin in the eye and helps protect it from long-term damage. The study reveals that this characteristic has probably developed over the course of human evolution because it improves vision.

 

The findings of the experiment show that people with more yellow pigment may have an advantage when it comes to outdoor activities such as flying a plane. To be sure, however, the experiment will have to be reproduced in natural outdoor conditions. 

Sources: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140825123319.htm

http://journals.lww.com/optvissci/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2014&issue=09000&article=00010&type=abstract

 

A Native American genetic heritage appears to increase the risk of diabetic retinopathy among Latino Americans with type 2 diabetes.

 

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) Eye Institute say they have discovered one of the causes that increase the incidence of diabetic retinopathy among Latino Americans in comparison with Whites or African Americans.

 

They studied data from 944 Latino Americans aged 40 and over with type 2 diabetes, 135 of whom suffered from retinopathy. Typically, Latino Americans have a genetic background that includes genes of Native American, European and African origin. Researchers noted that individuals whose genealogy consisted of more than 50% Native American ancestry had an 87% higher chance of developing the disease.

 

“The next step is to try to identify which genes of Native American origin contribute to the increased risk of developing severe diabetic retinopathy,” says Xiaoyi Gao, the main author of the article which was published recently on the website of the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140821132653.htm

http://www.iovs.org/content/early/2014/08/20/iovs.14-15044

 

According to a study conducted on members of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society, the differences between men and women who practice the profession are diminishing, but work/home balance is still more difficult for women.

 

Between 2000 and 2013, the percentage of female ophthalmologists in Canada grew from 16% to 22%. In Quebec, the percentage rose to 36%. After surveying 385 ophthalmologists, researchers at Laval University, in Quebec City, found that men and women work an equal number of clinical hours. This equality was also found with respect to type of surgery performed, hospital affiliation, university appointment/rank and number of peer-review publications.

 

However, women operate less often. Only 49% of women operate two days or more per month, compared to 64% of men. This difference is especially present outside of Quebec, and is attributable to the fact that surgical time is granted based on seniority, which gives men an advantage.

 

The situation deteriorates for women when it comes to the impact of family life on professional life. Over half of women said that childbearing slowed career progress, compared with barely 15% of men. This is not surprising, as four out of ten female ophthalmologists are primary caregivers for over 20 hours per week, compared to 12% of men. Only 30% of men have a spouse who works full-time, compared to 72% of women.

 

Despite the differences, over 80% of ophthalmologists, both male and female, claim they are satisfied with their choice of profession.

Source:

http://www.lefil.ulaval.ca/articles/autre-oeil-36221.html

http://www.canadianjournalofophthalmology.ca/article/S0008-4182(14)00062-3/abstract

 

CooperVision recently unveiled a new e-commerce service designed to help independent eyecare professionals increase their contact lens sales.

 

The LensFerry service will be available on the WebSystem3 platform, a subsidiary of CooperVision. Presently offered only in the United States in a beta version, it will become accessible in 2015 in certain other countries which have yet to be determined.   

 

The idea is very simple: LensFerry lets patients reorder their contact lenses directly from the manufacturer, using their smartphone, tablet or computer, and receive them quickly. The prescribing ECP receives the profits from the sale as if the lenses had been ordered in the office.

 

The service will include contact lenses from all manufacturers, sold at the price set by the independent ECP.

 

“The key to maintaining a profitable optical practice is not only to provide the best eye care, but also to provide wearers with the most practical ways of purchasing their lenses,” says Jeremy Godsil, general manager of WebSystem3. “LensFerry is meeting the needs of practices in a world that is focused on e-commerce.”

 

It is worth noting that CooperVision recently finalized its purchase of Sauflon Pharmaceuticals Limited, the manufacturer of Clariti^® soft daily lenses.

Sources:

http://coopervision.com/our-company/news-center/press-release/lensferry-poised-simplify-contact-lens-e-commerce-landscape

http://coopervision.com/our-company/news-center/press-release/Acquisition-of-Sauflon-Pharmaceuticals-Limited