Always Something to Learn
Studying nonhuman eye tissue can lead to insight into how vision develops and the mechanisms that make vision possible. Sometimes, this research leads to new tools or it uncovers novel cellular processes in the eye. Two research projects, one at New York University (NYU) discovered new cells types in the visual system of fruit flies, […]
Insights into Attention and Memory: Understanding the Science Behind Focus
I remember my elementary school teachers admonishing my classmates and me not to watch television while we did our homework. The reasons given were: 1) We ended up paying more attention to the program than our homework. Of course, there were those who did their homework during the commercial breaks. 2) Our homework ended up […]
A New Look at Myopia
Since the development of spectacles, myopia isn’t considered a big deal in terms of vision conditions. After all, how many medical conditions are as easy to treat as myopia? A person just needs some corrective lenses and he or she is good to go. Hearing loss isn’t as easy treat as myopia. Just ask someone […]
The Science of Seeing: Unraveling Human Vision & Primate Color Perception
Call us biased, but we think vision is very cool. The images that our eye sees are encoded as visual information in the brain and the images enable us to see, navigate and learn. No wonder the eyes are considered the front of the brain, and biomedical research is uncovering different aspects of vision that […]
Retinopathy of Prematurity: Breakthroughs in Treatment and Diagnosis
Having a child born prematurely poses numerous challenges for the parents. There is the additional time spent in the hospital, as well as concerns about the life and health of the baby. One concern is the potential development of retinopathy of prematurity, a form of blindness. Retinopathy of prematurity happen when a premature baby comes […]
Experimental Drugs & Nerve Endings
Diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, optic neuritis, stroke—they all can lead to blindness. Is there a way to prevent, slow down types of vision loss or restore vision that has been lost? Research at Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine studied an experimental drug and […]
Navigating Within Space & Restoring Vision After a Stroke
Have you ever considered the amount of information that goes from your eyes to the brain, so that you can navigate through an area, be it in your home or a walk to the store? Also, if vision is lost as a result of stroke, can it be restored? Both deal with taking information in […]
Research Advancements Offer Hope for LCA & Usher Syndrome Patients
Leber congenital amaurosis type 10 (LCA10) and Usher syndrome are both genetic diseases that lead to blindness. LCA10 is a retinal disease that leads to severe visual impairment or blindness in early childhood. Usher syndrome is the leading cause of both blindness and deafness, with type 2A (USH2A) being the most common type. This type […]
Brains and Vision—Lots Going On
More than half of the brain is dedicated to processing visual information. The processing of visual information isn’t as simple as it looks. Back in the 1950s, when scientist first discussed artificial intelligence, it was thought that teaching a computer to play chess would be difficult but teaching a computer to see would be easy. […]
Other Ways to Treat Presbyopia
Benjamin Franklin is credited with inventing bifocal spectacles, and for over 200 years, they were what persons over the age of 50 used to read and do other near work. However, soon there will be other options, and none of them involve lens. Collagen Cross-Linking This entails using UVA light and riboflavin, also known as […]