New technique captures high-res images of full retinaDecember 02, 2008Technology could help in the monitoring and treatment of diseases of the eye that may cause blindness Rockville, MD - Researchers used a new imaging technique to take high quality color photographs of the clinical stages of ocular inflammation in mice, and the technology could help in the monitoring and treatment of diseases of the eye that may cause blindness. The study, "The Clinical Time-Course of Experimental Autoimmune Uveoretinitis Using Topical Endoscopic Fundal Imaging with Histologic and Cellular Infiltrate Correlation," was published in the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2008 49: 5458-5465). It featured the use of Topical Endoscopic Fundal Imaging (TEFI), a technique that uses an endoscope with parallel illumination and observation channels connected to a digital camera. TEFI was developed by Michel Paques, et al (see Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2007 48: 2769-2774). David Copland, BSc, MSc, and the team from the University of Bristol's Academic Unit of Ophthalmology monitored changes in the mice retina over time without distress to the animals or the need for anesthesia. "TEFI enhances our monitoring of clinical disease in a rapid and non-invasive fashion," the researchers reported. "It will aid in the design of experimental protocols according to clinical observations." The study focused on a condition similar to human posterior uveitis, which can be difficult to monitor using present techniques. TEFI allowed the researchers to see changes to the eye that were previously undetectable. The researchers wrote that TEFI can help monitor the effects of new ocular therapies, as well as invasive procedures such as intravitreal or sub-retinal injections. Though the method will be a helpful resource to improving detection, Copland's team said the technology should be used in conjunction with existing techniques for monitoring the progression of eye diseases. "Combined TEFI and histological methods enable the observation of clinical features and severity of disease, but information regarding the dynamics, phenotype, function and quantity of cellular traffic through the eye is only provided through detailed analysis of cell populations present in the eye at various stages of disease progression." Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology |
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| Related Blindness Current Events and Blindness News Articles Sight gone, but not necessarily lost? Like all tissues in the body, the eye needs a healthy blood supply to function properly. Poorly developed blood vessels can lead to visual impairment or even blindness. Cataract surgery helps AMD patients; steroid improves DME; online eye health forum This month's Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) reports on a national study that finds cataract surgery is likely to benefit patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at all stages of the disease, on a clinical trial showing that the steroid triamcinolone may be effective in advanced diabetic macular edema (DME) patients when standard treatment fails, and on the public's use of two Academy-sponsored online eye health forums. A decade later, lifestyle changes or metformin still lower type 2 diabetes risk Intensive lifestyle changes aimed at modest weight loss reduced the rate of developing type 2 diabetes by 34 percent compared with placebo in people at high risk for the disease, researchers conclude based on 10 years of data. Mortality Rates Reduced among Children Whose Mothers Received Iron-folic Acid Supplements Offspring whose mothers had been supplemented with iron-folic acid during pregnancy had dramatically reduced mortality through age 7, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 1 shot of gene therapy and children with congenital blindness can now see Born with a retinal disease that made him legally blind, and would eventually leave him totally sightless, the nine-year-old boy used to sit in the back of the classroom, relying on the large print on an electronic screen and assisted by teacher aides. Treating ROP in tiny preemies; better glaucoma follow-up in urban clinic Highlights of today's Scientific Program of the 2009 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) - Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) Joint Meeting include: John T. Flynn, MD, Columbia University School of Medicine, discussing the ever-tougher challenges Eye M.D.s face in caring for the vision of the tiniest premature babies; and a report by Bradford W. Lee, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine, on barriers to glaucoma follow-up as perceived by patients in an urban, culturally diverse clinic. First in New York: Bionic technology aims to give sight to woman blinded beginning at age 13 A 50-year-old New York woman who was diagnosed with a progressive blinding disease at age 13 was implanted with an experimental electronic eye implant that has partially restored her vision. Can we 'learn to see?': Study shows perception of invisible stimuli improves with training Although we assume we can see everything in our field of vision, the brain actually picks and chooses the stimuli that come into our consciousness. Experimental treatments restore partial vision to blind people Two experimental treatments, a retinal prosthesis and fetal tissue transplant, restored some vision to people with blinding eye diseases. The findings, presented at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news on brain science and health, may lead to new treatments for the blind. Researchers discover mechanism that helps humans see in bright and low light Ever wonder how your eyes adjust during a blackout? When we go from light to near total darkness, cells in the retina must quickly adjust. Vision scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified an intricate process that allows the human eye to adapt to darkness very quickly. The same process also allows the eye to function in bright light. More Blindness Current Events and Blindness News Articles |
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