Two new studies raise questions about the impact of certain nutritional supplements on eye health.

 

The second portion of the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS 2), involving more than 4,000 Americans between the ages of 50 and 85 who were at risk for developing AMD, examined the impact of changes to the AREDS formulation. The diet prescribes daily high doses of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, and the minerals zinc and copper, to slow the progression of AMD. The researchers measured the impact of adding omega-3 fatty acids, removing beta-carotene or reducing zinc.

 

Adding omega-3 fatty acids did not increase the diet’s benefits, and reducing zinc did not affect its effectiveness; however, removing beta-carotene, which is associated with lung cancer in smokers, increased protection. Furthermore, the researchers confirmed that the formulation did not prevent cataracts.

 

To do that, it might be better to consider… pine bark extract. In another study, American researchers discovered that cataracts can be treated with dietary pycnogenol, which has a positive effect on eye lenses and no negative short-term impact.

 

Sources: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130506095619.htm

 http://communications.uwo.ca/com/media_newsroom/media_newsroom_stories/western_researchers_confirm_pine_bark_extract_could_reduce_cataract_risk_20130424447970/

 

Essilor has acquired a majority stake in EyeBuyDirect.com, a leading online optical retailer with a presence in the United States, China, and Hong Kong.

 

In 2010, Essilor acquired a majority stake in FramesDirect.com. The French giant then relied on FramesDirect to start up the MyOnlineOptical.com platform in the United States, offering eyecare professionals a tool to create an online retail business for themselves.

 

Marc Tersigni, president of Essilor Canada, explains that his company bought EyeBuyDirect.com to relaunch the platform, enabling eyecare professionals who use it to compete in the e-commerce arena, where a tough price war is raging.

 

The platform is not available yet in Canada. “Before launching such a product here, we want to make sure that it will be well received by our clients and is compliant with Canadian legislation, which is different from U.S. legislation,” explains Marc Tersigni. “We think that the platform may be the right vehicle to encourage sales growth for eyecare professionals. However, our priority is still to support the establishment of storefront practices and to ensure Canadian patients receive the best possible care,” he adds.

A study published in Optometry and Vision Scienceconfirms that simply switching to an alternative product or solution can relieve the discomfort experienced by some contact lens wearers.

 

The study evaluated the degree of improvement that eyecare professionals can expect when they suggest a patient switch to a different contact lens or lens care product, which is common practice, though the effectiveness of switching has rarely been measured.

 

The researchers observed two groups of wearers, 24 of whom felt discomfort when wearing contact lenses and 13 of whom had no symptoms. The patients were asked to use different combinations of contact lenses and solutions, in a blind study, for eight days.  Patients who had symptoms reported a significant improvement after switching lenses and products, particularly when it came to dry eyes and discomfort. The discomfort reportedly returned at the end of the day, however, despite the initial improvement.

 

Asymptomatic patients, on the other hand, did not notice any difference between the two combinations.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259968.php 

Researchers at Duke University, in North Carolina, are closer to identifying gene mutations associated with severe nearsightedness.

 

In a paper published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, the researchers singled out mutations in a gene that helps regulate copper and oxygen levels in eye tissue. The mutations predispose carriers to the more severe form of myopia.

 

“This is the first time a gene mutation for autosomal dominant nonsyndromic high-grade myopia in Caucasians has been discovered,” said senior author Terri Young. To accomplish this, Young and her team studied families in which this type of myopia was common. They identified mutations in the SCO2 gene found in family members who had myopia, but absent in other family members. They then discovered 4 mutations in this gene in 140 other nearsighted people.

 

According to Young, these findings suggest that a copper deficiency could predispose people to develop myopia.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130502131710.htm#

Google recently released its technical specifications for its augmented reality eyewear, while making it clear that consumers will have to be patient for a little longer than planned before seeing the device on the market.

 

We now know that Google Glass will include a high-resolution display that is the equivalent of a 25-inch high-definition screen from eight feet away, a camera that takes 5-megapixel photos and video at 720 pixels, and 12 GB of memory, synchronized with a “cloud” service to store 16 additional gigabytes, in addition to WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. Google urges consumers to be patient, however. People will have to wait a little while longer for the eyewear, which was supposed be on the market in 2013.

 

In the meantime, competition in Asia is growing. We already knew that Sony was working on its own augmented reality project. However, now Baidu, a Chinese search engine that has more hits than Google in China, is also working on a similar product. Its Baidu Eyes are said to be very similar to Google Glass, featuring an LCD display and voice control capability, as well as image and facial recognition technologies. The device is presently in the testing phase and there has been no indication as to when they might be available on the market.

Sources: https://support.google.com/glass/answer/3064128?hl=en

http://www.shinyshiny.tv/2013/04/google_glass_no.html

http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/sony-patent-reveals-dual-lens-google-glass-rival

http://www.acuite.fr/articles.asp?REF=8488