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DURHAM, N.C. — Your eyes may be the window to your soul, but thanks to new research, they may also be the key to detecting Alzheimer’s disease early on. Researchers at the Duke Eye Center say a simple eye scan may reveal activity in the brain associated with the debilitating condition. Eye doctors may not only be fitting patients with glasses or contacts in the future, but they could also be routinely checking people for Alzheimer’s. The research team found that blood vessel activity in the eyes of Alzheimer’s patients is notably different from that within healthy individuals. ========================================================== ================================================================...

Kris Held,MD @kksheld Drs are literally walking out of this talk on implementing,complying with Obamacare.We are men and women of the mind not mindless drones. 1:37 PM - 21 Apr 2013 Dr. Kristin Held, a San Antonio-based opthamologist, is live-tweeting the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Government Relations session. The conference is being held this weekend in San Francisco. The topic of the Government Relations session is complying with and implementing Obamacare. Dr. Held doesn’t like what’s she’s hearing, and she’s not the only one. Indeed, almost all the doctors have walked out of the meeting.

Translation expert turning insights and computing power on other coded messagesThe manuscript seems straight out of fiction: a strange handwritten message in abstract symbols and Roman letters meticulously covering 105 yellowing pages, hidden in the depths of an academic archive. Now, more than three centuries after it was devised, the 75,000-character "Copiale Cipher" has finally been broken. The mysterious cryptogram, bound in gold and green brocade paper, reveals the rituals and political leanings of a 18th-century secret society in Germany. The rituals detailed in the document indicate the secret society had a fascination with eye surgery and ophthalmology, though it...

COB ADDER, Iraq – U.S. and Iraqi ophthalmologists teamed up to provide eye care to approximately 100 Iraqi citizens as part of a U.S. and Iraqi medical engagement at Camp Mittica, May 19-20. Dr. Stephen G. Waller, an ophthalmologist from Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio led a team of local Iraqi and Aegis Defense Services medical personnel in administering care to the Iraqi people. The team performed surgeries on the surface of the eye, such as cancers and other growths as well as eyelid deformities during the medical engagement. The team also provided eye check-ups and handed out...

MONDAY, June 14 (HealthDayNews) -- Bananas, oranges, and other fruits may reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness among older people. Scientists have found that people who ate at least three daily servings of fruit had a 36 percent lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) than people who ate fewer than 1.5 servings a day. "This is the first good study that has some statistical value that documents what we've been thinking all along," said Dr. Robert Cykiert, a professor of ophthalmology at New York University School of Medicine in New York...

Stem cells derived from bone marrow and intrastromally injected into the corneas of mice can differentiate into keratocan-producing cells, according to an experimental study by researchers at the University of Cincinnati. Winston Whei-Yang Kao, PhD, and colleagues investigated whether bone marrow stem cells could differentiate into cells that expressed keratocan, a characteristic of corneal keratocytes. The study involved Kera-/- mice. Hongshan Liu, PhD, a research scientist in the university's ophthalmology department, presented their findings at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting. The researchers found that, after 1 week, the abnormal corneas of animals injected with the stem...

STANFORD, Calif. - Michael Marmor, MD, wanted to know what it was like to see through the eyes of an artist. Literally. After writing two books on the topic of artists and eye disease, the Stanford University School of Medicine ophthalmologist decided to go one step further and create images that would show how artists with eye disease actually saw their world and their canvases. Combining computer simulation with his own medical knowledge, Marmor has recreated images of some of the masterpieces of the French impressionistic painters Claude Monet and Edgar Degas who continued to work while they struggled with...

Scientists say they've restored the vision of blind mice by introducing light-sensitive cells into the rodents' retinas.       These "photoreceptor precursor cells" are not undifferentiated stem cells but come from a later stage of cell development when stem cells have already "committed" to being a particular cell type -- in this case the rod-and-cone photoreceptors the eye uses to sense light.The study invigorates the search for cell transplants that might someday restore the vision of millions of people who suffer from a loss of these photoreceptors.  "We think this is a major breakthrough because it shows what can be achieved," said...

“After every Diwali, a large number people are blinded while bursting fire crackers. There are others who suffer from blindness due to chemical burns. But there is a ray of hope for such patients,” said Dr Radhika Tandon, Additional Professor, Ophthalmology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at the national symposium on stem cells being held at Panjab University. “Standard corneal transplant does not work in cases where blindness is due to chemical burning. But stem cell transplant can prove to be effective,” she said, adding that stem cell transplants do not ensure a perfect vision, but the patient...

Stem cells used to restore vision A hospital in West Sussex is pioneering the use of stem cells to restore the eyesight of patients. The trial, being carried out at the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, has already helped 40 people see again. The surgery at the hospital has been developed over the past five years. Stem cells from the patient or a donor are used to redevelop the cornea, the transparent film at the front of the eye which lets in light. Opthalmic surgeon Sheraz Daya said: "Many people who've had injuries to their eyes, or even people born...

Overweight and obese people should be aware that their unhealthy lifestyle could put their eyesight at risk, scientists say. It is common knowledge that expanding waistlines are linked to conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. But research shows that obesity is also linked to eye problems, which could lead to loss of eyesight. Two Israeli ophthalmologists are now warning that the prospect of eye disease should also be a powerful incentive to lose weight. Professor Michael Belkin and Dr Zohar Habot-Wilner, from the Goldschleger Eye Institute at the Sheba Medical Centre, reviewed more than 20 studies involving thousands...

UF finding could lead to approaches to treat macular degeneration GAINESVILLE, Fla. - University of Florida scientists conducting experiments with mice have found evidence that the body naturally replenishes small amounts of cells in the eye essential for healthy vision. The finding may shatter the belief that a cell layer vital for eyesight called the retinal pigment epithelium, or RPE, is a nonrenewable resource, say researchers writing in a recent issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. RPE plays a vital role in our visual health by forming the outer barrier of the retina and supporting the function of cells...

If U.S. and coalition forces here are going to be successful in their quest to kill, capture and deny sanctuary to al Qaeda and Taliban militants, they must first be able to see their nemesis. And with the help of the 452nd Combat Support Hospital's ophthalmology unit, troops in the Afghanistan theater will never have to go into a combat operation with "blind" ambition. They'll see the big picture clearly – an Afghan nation rid of unwanted oppressors. "Our role is to provide eye care for the U.S. troops in the theater and to provide emergency eye care for the...