Blindness is loss or absence of the ability to perceive visual images. The condition of a person having less than 1/10 (20/200 on the Snellen test) normal vision. Blindness may be caused by injury, by lesions of the brain or optic nerve, by disease of the cornea or retina, by pathological changes originating in systemic disorders (e.g., diabetes) and by cataract, glaucoma, or retinal detachment. Blindness caused by infectious diseases, such as trachoma, and by dietary deficiencies is common in underdeveloped countries where medical care is inadequate.
Healthy diet associated with lower risk of cataracts in women – Women who eat foods rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals may have a lower risk of developing the most common type of cataract that occurs in the United States, revealed by researchers.
Women can be blinded by jealousy, emotional upsets – Women who were made to feel jealous were so distracted by unpleasant emotional images they became unable to spot targets they were trying to find, revealed by two University of Delaware psychology professors.
It’s never too late to quit smoking and save your vision — UCLA study focuses on AMD in women over 80 — Need a little extra incentive to kick the habit? – Smoking, even after age 80, continues to increase one’s risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 65.
Umbilical stem cells may help recover lost vision for those with corneal disease – New research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) may help in the recovery of lost vision for patients with corneal scarring.
UCSB, UCL scientists rescue visual function in rats using induced pluripotent stem cells – An international team of scientists has rescued visual function in laboratory rats with eye disease by using cells similar to stem cells. The research shows the potential for stem cell-based therapies to treat age-related macular degeneration in humans.
Study shows pine bark improves circulation, swelling and visual acuity in early diabetic retinopathy — Research reveals Pycnogenol is effective in visual improvement in subjects – Pycnogenol (pic-noj-en-all), an antioxidant plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, can improve microcirculation, retinal edema and visual acuity in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy.
Cataract Surgery Does Not Appear Associated With Worsening of Age-Related Macular Degeneration – Age related macular degeneration does not appear to progress at a higher rate among individuals who have had surgery to treat cataract, revealed by researchers.
1 shot of gene therapy and children with congenital blindness can now see — Leber’s congenital amaurosis (LCA) – Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have used gene therapy to safely improve vision in five children and seven adults with a rare form of congenital blindness.
Diabetes weakens your bones – The inflammatory molecule TNF-a may contribute to delayed bone fracture healing in diabetics, revealed by researchers. Diabetes, a condition where the body either does not produce enough, or respond to, insulin, affects at least 171 million people worldwide, a figure that is likely to double by 2030.
Rare cases of restored vision reveal how the brain learns to see – By testing formerly blind patients within weeks of sight restoration, Sinha and his colleagues found that subjects had very limited ability to distinguish an object from its background, identify overlapping objects, or even piece together the different parts of an object.
Children with FASD have more severe behavioral problems than children with ADHD – Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) have a high risk of psychiatric problems, particularly attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, or both.
FDA Taking Steps to Improve Contact Lens Safety – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking steps to improve contact lens safety by reminding consumers of the importance of following proper cleaning and storing procedures.
