Good for One, Bad for Another
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) is a protein that our bodies produce to promote the growth of new blood vessels. This is a good thing since more blood vessels mean more oxygen goes to the tissues. The lungs have VEGF because blood flow is so important. Of course, what’s good for one organ isn’t good […]
On/Off Switches Part Two
In On/Off Switches Part One I wrote about research done at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) that discovered a compound that controls the growth of blood vessels. This can be utilized for conditions ranging from diabetic retinopathy to cancer. They aren’t the only ones doing this type of research. Scientists at Johns Hopkins have […]
On/Off Switches Part One
Isn’t electricity great? You flip a switch and an appliance turns on or off. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to do something similar for our bodies, in particular our eyes. That way when an injury or disease comes along, something in the cellular level could be turned on or off and […]
Turmeric & Stem Cells
The search for treatments to improve outcomes for many eye diseases and conditions is ongoing. Sometimes what can end up being used to treat an eye condition is surprising and sometimes it isn’t. First the surprising development. Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed a treatment for uveitis in dogs using turmeric. Don’t worry you […]
Sports Vision
“Keep your eye on the ball,” is a phrase many of us heard when we were playing a sport as kids. For most of us, we were just good enough to play a pick-up game with friends or to play on a school team or community league. What about those who are good enough to […]
Immune System & Eye Disease: More than Meets the Eye
Having an immune system is a good thing. It deals with bacteria and viruses, so that either we don’t get sick or if we do, our body fights them off and, for the most part, sickness isn’t fatal. Sometimes our immune system doesn’t work the way we want it to. That can range from an […]
Myopia Can Be Reversed In Children With Bifocal Contacts
True confession: I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 10 years-old. It didn’t bother me to wear glasses because I was so pleased to be able to see the chalkboard clearly. For me, wearing glasses was a simple thing I could do to maintain good grades. Many kids aren’t like me in that they aren’t […]
Alzheimer’s and Glaucoma—Are They Related?
No one wants to be sick. No one wants to get a disease, especially diseases like Alzheimer’s and glaucoma. Glaucoma robs a person of his or her sight. Alzheimer’s robs a person of his or her mind. Interestingly enough, people who have Alzheimer’s are more likely to have glaucoma. They are both diseases that affect […]
Smartphone Ophthalmoscopes Help to Keep an Eye on Patients
If you spent time with an optometrist or ophthalmologist who started working in the 1970s or earlier, how they worked back in the day seemed so primitive. No computers or smart devices. Optometrists couldn’t prescribe medicine. Treatment options for many vision conditions were limited or nonexistent. Diagnostic equipment took up an entire room. Thanks to […]
2020 Ocular Melanoma News
Ocular melanoma, known as uveal melanoma, is a rare form of cancer that affects five in one million people. Despite its name, it isn’t caused by exposure to the sun, the way skin cancer is and it represents five percent of the melanomas that are diagnosed each year. It causes vision loss, blindness and can […]