Eye

Two new autism detection methods are promising to offer clinicians objective diagnostic tools that are not based on subjective behavioral assessments. Both systems are in early stages of clinical verification but they enter a busy field of research into autism biomarkers.

​Despite the fact that dry eye disease (DED) is a relatively common condition, there are relatively few drugs approved for its treatment. This is because the testing of such medications on actual human eyes would be quite risky. With that in mind, scientists have developed a blinking eye-on-a-chip.

​There are already a number of inexpensive new devices that allow doctors in developing nations to image patients' retinas. In order to get a better look at what's going on, though, an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanner is required – and a cheaper one of those has now also been developed.

Presbyopia is a common form of age-induced far-sightedness. Now a Stanford team has developed a pair of high-tech specs called autofocals, which use fluid-filled lenses, depth-sensing cameras and eye-tracking technology to make sure whatever a wearer is looking at stays sharp.

​In remote communities, a family doctor may or may not be present, but an ophthalmologist likely isn't. That's why Brazilian startup Phelcom Technologies created the Eyer, a smartphone-connected device that allows patients' retinal-scan images to be analyzed by ophthalmologists via the internet.

The subjective sense that time moves faster as we get older is a universal one, and over the years​ scientists have proffered a number of different explanations as to why this happens. A new and strange hypothesis attempts to explain the phenomena, and it has to do with our aging brains.

​Caused by autoimmune diseases, chemical burns, or sometimes even as a side effect of eye surgery, corneal melting is an incurable disease that's a major cause of blindness. It could someday be treated using a contact lens, however, which is currently in the works.

A compelling new study has reported that statistically significant differences can be identified in the retinas of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The finding paves the way for a future where the disease​ could be diagnosed from a simple eye scan before major symptoms appear.

​It's safe to say that no one likes the thought of getting a needle in the eye. If they have to, therefore, it would certainly be best if the procedure were performed correctly the first time. A new "smart" tissue-sensing needle is designed to help that happen.

​In an extraordinary milestone procedure, scientists in the UK have performed the first gene therapy operation aimed at stopping progression of the most common cause of vision loss. The success of the procedure is yet to be determined​.

New research has found a promising leukemia treatment in an eye drop already being developed to battle retinal neovascular disease. The research revealed the eye-drops, still in a pre-clinical stage of development, target the same gene that inhibits the progression of this aggressive blood cancer.

A study from researchers at the Salk Institute has uncovered a profound new insight into how our circadian rhythms are regulated through light-sensing mechanisms within our eyes. The research could lead to new ways to combat insomnia and help people with disrupted circadian rhythms.