IN THIS ISSUE:

  • Exciting Upcoming Advancements in Ophthalmology
  • Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment of Eye Diseases
  • When is it Time to “Act on a Cataract”?

Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases

More than 285 million people around the world have vision loss and blindness. No matter what the degree, losing some or all of your sight can be emotionally devastating. It's very hard for any individuals to feel like they're losing their independence, and being able to see is a huge part of that.

But the good news is that advances are being made every day in the diagnosis and treatment of various eye diseases. This is probably one of the most exciting times in ophthalmology in terms of developing technology that can help people who were once blind be able to see again. Promising works in progress include advances in drugs, stem cell treatments, and even a bionic eye. Many of these discoveries have been made in the last decade.

Drugs/cold laser therapy for macular degeneration

One such area where treatment has come along very quickly is with macular degeneration, a disease that affects nearly 2 million Americans. It has the potential to cause partial blindness by damaging part of the retina. As it involves the center portion of the vision, the loss of vision can prevent driving and make reading and close work difficult.

Prior to seven years ago, there were no good treatments for macular degeneration. Now there are several treatments for the more-damaging "wet" form of this disease, including several drugs and a cold laser technology. Several drugs are being tested for the "dry" form, but there are no approved treatments yet.

Artificial retinas

Trials are also underway with artificial retinas – photo sensors (similar to those in a smart phone) implanted in or near the retina that are connected to a small computer. The computer interprets light signals and sends the information to the brain. For those people who grew up in the ‘70s watching The Six Million Dollar Man and were fascinated about the possibility of the bionic eye, today it's actually being done. Because computer power generally doubles every two years, the advances in this area are expected to be rapid.

Science and your eyes; eight upcoming advancements

Tiny Diamonds Deliver Medicine

People with glaucoma rely on drops to control elevated pressures in their eyes. This pressure can, over time, lead to blindness. It can often be difficult for patients to get a true dose of the eye drops and to take them on schedule. Researchers from UCLA may have solved both problems with contact lenses made from super-tiny nanodiamonds. Coated with time-release medication, these lenses have the ability to deliver the right dose in the right place at the right time. This project will begin animal studies soon.

New Applications for HIV Medications

Talk about a new purpose -- doctors have found that drugs most often used to treat HIV and AIDS can also help with a leading cause of blindness: age-related macular degeneration. So far, the drugs -- called nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) -- have been tested only in mice, so there's a long way to go before they may be approved for this use on people. When they are, the good news is they're already on the market, they're not costly, and they're safe.

Gene Therapy Might Restore Sight

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley placed a gene into the retinas of blind mice with a condition similar to retinitis pigmentosa. Afflicting people of all ages, retinitis pigmentosa causes a gradual loss of vision, akin to losing pixels in a digital camera. Sight is lost from the periphery to the center, usually leaving people with the inability to navigate their surroundings. Some 100,000 Americans suffer from this group of inherited retinal diseases. The gene therapy allowed the animals to tell whether lights were flashing. They added a chemical "switch" to help brain cells respond to light. This technique has also helped restore sight in dogs. With luck, one day it will work in humans.

Could Your TV Diagnose Glaucoma?

Scientists at City University London mapped eye movements while people watched TV. They found that healthy eyes follow a different path than ailing ones. The study is in the early stages, but the researchers hope it will translate into easier -- and earlier -- diagnosis and treatment for glaucoma and other conditions. This technology could prove especially beneficial in places where people have limited or no access to an eye doctor or clinic, but they can sit down and watch a screen.

An Implant to Sense Glaucoma Pressure

Pressure checks at the doctor’s office are routine if you have glaucoma. High intraocular pressures can damage your optic nerve and lead to blindness. Your doctor could one day implant an electronic sensor in your eye to help track changes in the pressure without an office visit. The wireless gadget, now under development at the University of Washington, will send data to a handheld device or a smartphone and could also have the ability to transmit straight to your doctor.

3-D Printing and Your Eyes

A traditional glass -- or more likely acrylic -- prosthetic eye can cost $5,000 and takes hours to mold and hand paint. Despite the time and expense, it may never look quite right. Thanks to 3-D printing, the cost for a prosthetic eye could decrease to as low as $150. This new technology would even allow for precise color matching with the existing eye. The project, a joint effort between Britain’s Manchester Metropolitan University and London’s Fripp Design, aims to have eyes ready for market within a year.

Smartphones Bring the Doctor’s Office to You

Products currently on the market are improving access to eye care worldwide. Peek and D-eye pair a small lens attachment with an app that turns a smartphone into a portable exam tool. They let doctors check eyes in places that bulky equipment just can't go. The iExaminer System marries an iPhone with the device your primary care doctor uses to look into your eyes. Detailed pictures can be taken and shared with an expert if a problem is suspected.

Tiny Needles Could Replace Eye drops

What if you could get a shot that would deliver medicine right to the specific spot in your eye that needs it -- and you wouldn't even feel it? Researchers at Georgia Tech have come up with needle points so fine that drugs can be injected without pain. The intended use for these needles involves treatments for glaucoma and an overgrowth of blood vessels in the cornea -- both of which can harm your vision if not treated. To date, the needles have only been tested in animals.

BACK