The popular video game Tetris may help treat adult amblyopia, according to researchers at McGill University.

 

The usual treatment for this disorder involves covering the stronger eye to force the weaker eye to work. This approach has proven only partially effective in children, and has had little impact on amblyopia in adults. The McGill researchers focussed instead on forcing both eyes to cooperate in accomplishing given tasks.

 

The research participants were given special video goggles that displayed the game differently in each lens. “One eye was allowed to see only the falling objects, and the other eye was allowed to see only the ground plane objects,” explained Dr. Robert Hess. The researchers were convinced that this cooperative effort would improve vision in the lazy eye by increasing the level of plasticity in the brain and allowing this eye to relearn.

 

After two weeks, compared to patients playing Tetris the traditional way, patients using Dr. Hess’s method showed dramatic improvements in their vision and depth perception.

 

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130422122953.htm

Researchers in Singapore have come up with a new treatment that may put an end to taking daily medication for glaucoma.

 

The Ocular Therapeutic Engineering Centre (OTEC) team, from the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, has developed LipoLat, a new treatment that is simple, quick, and painless. It involves an injection into the conjunctiva, four times a year, of a solution containing an anti-glaucoma drug wrapped in nano-sized capsules. The nano-capsule then slowly releases the drug over a number of weeks, maintaining a sufficient dose in the organism.

 

A human clinical trial is presently underway. Up to now, preclinical studies have shown that a single injection is as equally effective as three months of daily eye drops. This treatment is also a way around many problems that come with eye drops, including allergies, unpleasant side effects, remembering to take them at the correct time and correct insertion technique.

Source: http://www.bulletins-electroniques.com/actualites/72873.htm

It isn’t every day that professionals from the optical-eyewear industry get the chance to sit down at a table with heads of state. And what’s more, to make them aware of issues of concern to our industry that extend beyond our boundaries.

  

But that’s exactly what happened to the heads of Oxibis, Jérôme Collin and Daniel Arnaud, who enjoyed a meal at the Élysée, in the company of President François Hollande. The menu… the obstacles facing the French optical-eyewear industry.

 

Jérôme Collin, CEO of Oxibis and president of Lunetiers du Jura, spoke on behalf of profession, sharing his concerns over the rise in on-line eyewear sales.

 

The debate over this topic resumed in earnest in France a few weeks ago, after the State tried to create a law regulating e-commerce.  This came about after a 2010 decision was handed down by the European Union Court of Justice in 2010, confirming that banning the online sale of contact lenses goes against European community law.

 

“If we can’t prevent it, we think eyewear e-commerce should be subject to regulations,” said Jérôme Collin. “Frames should be provided by an optician to ensure they are correctly fitted.”

 

Topical anakinra (Kineret), an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist generally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, may be effective in treating dry eye disease.

 

This surprising discovery was made by American researchers who had found that dry eye disease is associated with an overexpression of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1 (IL-1).

 

The study on topical anakinra involved 75 patients, divided into three groups. One group was treated with a basic lubricant, another with a solution containing 2.5% of anakinra and the third with a solution containing 5% of anakinra. Treatment with anakinra was well tolerated by patients and much more effective than artificial tears. At 2.5%, anakinra was four times more likely to eliminate corneal staining and six times more effective in reducing symptoms.

 

“We have never seen results such as this before in a trial to treat dry eye disease,” said Dr. Reza Dana, lead researcher. “We possibly have found a safe, well tolerated eye drop that can treat the underlying cause of dry eye rather than just temporarily mask the symptoms.”

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130418162310.htm

Combining two treatments are effective in defeating certain inherited disorders that cause blindness.

 

In 2010, András Komáromy and colleagues at Michigan State University succeeded in reversing vision loss in puppies with achromatopsia by replacing the mutant gene associated with this disease. However, this treatment had only worked on dogs less than a year old. The researchers wondered whether this was due to the fact that the photoreceptor cells of older dogs were too degenerated. This gave rise to the idea of a second study.

 

“How about if we selectively destroy the light-sensitive part of the cones and let it grow back before performing gene therapy? Then you’d have a younger, less degenerated cell that may be more responsive to therapy,” explained professor Komáromy.

 

They were astounded by the results. “All seven dogs that got the combination treatment responded, regardless of age,” said András Komáromy. “Based on our results, we are proposing a new concept of retinal therapy. One treatment option alone might not be enough to reverse vision loss, but a combination therapy can maximize therapeutic success.”

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130409110008.htm