French scientist Daniel Aberdam has successfully restored corneal cells using hair cells.

 

Thanks to this feat, which took ten years to accomplish, the French Académie des sciences awarded him the 2013 Grand Prix Fondation Générale de Santé for cell therapy and regenerative medicine. Under the direction of Daniel Aberdam, the scientists from the stem cell research lab at Inserm, Paris, took a hair sample to be cultured. They deprogrammed the hair cells and reprogrammed them to grow corneal cells.

 

Now it’s just a question of seeing whether it’s possible to repair the cornea in certain patients by transplanting these cells, to restore their sight. “If we take hair from a patient and produce cornea cells from that patient, we will see almost no immune rejection,” says Daniel Aberdam. “However, if we take cells from another person, we may see a rejection, but it will be extremely limited, since the cornea is an immune protected site.”

 

Such a method would go a long way in helping resolve the problem of a lack of corneas. About 42 million people worldwide are on waiting lists for corneal transplants.

Sources:

http://www.acuite.fr/articles.asp?REF=9194

http://www.israelscienceinfo.com/medecine/inserm-technion-le-dr-daniel-aberdam-ete-recompense-pour-ses-travaux-sur-des-cellules-souches-ips-partir-de-cheveux-et-pour-son-avancee-dans-la-decouverte-dune-molecule-medicament-appelee-prima

 

If it passes, the French government’s draft law on consumer issues may have strong repercussions in the optical industry.

 

The French government has been upfront: the stated objective of the draft law, which is currently in its second reading in the National Assembly, is to get French people to save by expanding the distribution of lenses and contact lenses, namely to e-commerce. According to Benoît Hamon, Minister for the Economy and Finance, Internet sales of optical products would represent “about a billion euros in purchasing power” for the French people. The minister expects prices to drop by 30 to 40 percent.

 

An amendment to the draft law asks that the initial dispensing of corrective lenses and contact lenses be subject to a medical prescription. Another amendment requires that the pupillary distance be indicated on the prescription in order to encourage the development of the online sale of eyewear. Furthermore, consumers would be able to purchase contact lens care products in supermarkets—not just in pharmacies.

 

The French government justifies this new draft law by saying that, in all of Europe, the French people spend the most on eyewear and contact lenses—$118 (81 euros) a year. Nearly three million French people do not purchase glasses because they are too expensive.

 

Sources:

http://www.acuite.fr/articles.asp?REF=9195

http://www.leparisien.fr/laparisienne/sante/vente-par-internet-de-produits-d-optique-un-gain-d-un-milliard-d-euros-selon-hamon-09-12-2013-3392357.php

 

 

 

Eyecare professionals should take the opportunity in December to remind their patients that certain toys can represent a danger to their children’s eyes.  

 

In the US, Prevent Blindness America takes the issue very seriously and designates December “Safe Toys and Gifts Month.” The not-for-profit organization offers tips on the best ways to choose a safe toy according to the child’s age and on recognizing dangerous toys on one of its website pages: www.preventblindness.org/make-safe-toys-and-gifts-priority. In addition to tips, it includes data on eye injuries caused by toys.

 

It’s important to note that in the US in 2011 there were 262,300 recorded injuries caused by toys, with the head and face being the body parts most often affected. In Canada, the Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) issues regular reminders that thousands of children visit emergency rooms each year over the holiday season due to eye injuries caused by toys.

 

To lessen risks, Health Canada suggests in particular avoiding toys that have sharp points and edges and those with arrows, bullets and missiles, and discarding or repairing old or broken toys. Finally, children who have handled sticky gel or soft plastic toys should wash their hands immediately afterward to prevent chemical residues from irritating their eyes.

Sources:

http://www.preventblindness.org/make-safe-toys-and-gifts-priority

http://www.cnib.ca/en/your-eyes/safety/at-play/Pages/child-eyeinjuries-1207.aspx

 

The 2013 edition of the VisionWatch Survey, carried out for The Vision Council, confirms the role that electronic devices play in eye strain.

 

Among the 7,160 respondents, only 1% does not use any digital devices on a daily basis. Television has the highest daily usage (81.1%), but is most popular among people aged 55 and older. Smart phones (61.7%), laptops (60.9%) and desktops (58.1%) are the next most prominent devices. These devices are particularly popular among the 18 to 34 age group. However, the gap is smaller for the 55 and older age group, indicating that smart phones are becoming more widely adopted by older adults. Finally, 37% of respondents regularly used tablets, while 17.4% used video game consoles.

 

All these devices take a toll on our eyes. Taken together, we use them over many hours every day. A third of respondents use them from 3 to 5 hours a day and a similar proportion use them between 6 and 9 hours a day. Along with neck and shoulder pain, eye strain is the most common symptom reported by users. Over 73% of participants described the symptoms as annoying or irritating, but one out of twenty described the discomfort as painful or excruciating.

 

Almost 40% of the study participants having experienced discomfort have tried to reduce their symptoms; however, many did not know what to do, particularly younger respondents. It is clear that eyecare professionals have become an important source of information and advice on how to decrease irritation.

Source:

www.visionexpoeast.com/Press/Vision-Voice-Newsletter/Research-Article-November-2013/

 

 

 

 

A study, the results of which were published in Optometry and Vision Science, shows that anisometropia is more prevalent in older adults.

 

The researchers followed 118 patients over 12 years. Their average age was 67 at the start of the study and 79 at the end. During this period, the prevalence of anisometropia, which is a significant difference in vision between the eyes, almost doubled. When the patients approached 80 years of age, 32% had the condition.

 

Most cases were related to differing degrees of farsightedness between the eyes. Others were caused by unequal blurring of the lens of the eye, even though none of the subjects had cataracts as such.

 

Differences could begin to occur at any age, and a few patients actually saw their anisometropia decrease over the course of the study.

 

“Whatever the cause of the increase in anisometropia with aging, the fact that significant anisometropia is at least ten times more common in those over 75 years of age than in children needs to be clearly emphasized to clinicians,” says the study’s authors.

 

“Uncorrected anisometropia is likely to lead to disturbances in binocular vision and stereopsis, which in turn may contribute to falls in the elderly,” says Gunilla Haegerstrom-Portnoy, lead author and professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Source:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131126155834.htm