New Atlas

Medical Audio available

Eye implant could more effectively prevent a common form of blindness

Ben Coxworth October 29, 2018

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness in older people, with the "wet" form of the disease being responsible for about 90 percent of all cases of AMD-related severe vision loss. There may be new hope, however, in the form of an experimental eye implant.

The Port Delivery System incorporates an implanted drug reservoir, which is externally refilled

Medical Audio available

MIT research points to autoimmune disease as the cause of glaucoma

Rich Haridy August 12, 2018

An exciting breakthrough has revealed a new hypothesis behind the cause of glaucoma, a common degenerative eye disease. The study found a high number of T-cells present in the retinas of those suffering from the disease, suggesting the condition may have a previously undetected autoimmune cause.

The body's own immune cells may be the culprit behind the slow retinal deterioration associated with ...

Science Audio available

Researchers reveal how blue light exposure is damaging our eyes

Rich Haridy August 8, 2018

In today’s connected world we are increasingly having blue light beamed into our eyes at all times of day. A new study from the University of Toledo has homed in on exactly how blue light can damage our eyes and the researchers recommend avoiding looking at cell phones and tablets in the dark.

This is the first study to comprehensively reveal how blue light turns safe molecules in the ...

Health & Wellbeing

Degenerative eye diseases associated with Alzheimer's risk

Rich Haridy August 8, 2018

A study has found a correlation between some degenerative eye diseases and Alzheimer’s disease. No mechanism explaining the connection has been proposed but it is thought these eye conditions may help physicians identify patients at risk of developing Alzheimer’s before major symptoms appear.

Age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma were all associated with a higher risk of developing ...

Biology

Blindness strikes three women after iffy stem-cell treatments

Michael Franco March 16, 2017

Stem cells have been shown to do everything from regrowing skull bones to healing damaged lung tissue. They've even restored vision in rabbits. But when three adult women tried an unproven stem-cell treatment in Florida to combat vision loss from macular degeneration, they all went blind.

Two of the women were able to see well enough to drive before the damaging procedure