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Degenerative retinal disease is a problem for millions of people worldwide, as light-sensitive cells called photoreceptors at the back of the eye die without being replaced. Thanks to new research, a solution to the problem might not be far off. Scientists in Canada have come up with a way to transform dormant support neurons called Müller glial cells into tissues that work like cone photoreceptors, which are required for color perception and visual acuity. While the process has only been tested on mice cells, it could eventually be developed into a therapy that can restore vision in people. Part of...

It could signal a new era in the treatment of age-related diseases. Anew gene therapy that reprograms cells to their younger state reversed vision loss in primates, according to a new study — potentially signaling a new era in the treatment of age-related diseases. The challenge: Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is a condition caused by decreased blood flow to the optic nerve, resulting in sudden, significant, and usually permanent loss of vision in the eye. Scientists aren’t sure what causes NAION, but most of the 6,000 Americans diagnosed with it every year are over the age of 50....

(CNN) - Recalled eye drops have been linked to dozens of dangerous infections and at least one death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified 68 patients in 16 states with infections from Global Pharma Healthcare’s Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops. The artificial tears, distributed by Ezricare and Delsam Pharma, were first recalled in February. According to the CDC, patients were infected by a rare strain of drug-resistant bacteria never before reported in the U.S. Eight patients reported losing vision, and four had to have eyeballs surgically removed. One person died. The CDC says anyone who has used Ezricare...

The Food and Drug Administration warned Wednesday of another imported eye product that could be contaminated with bacteria, in the wake of an outbreak earlier this year of highly drug-resistant bacteria that hospitalized and blinded some patients. Americans should stop using Delsam Pharma's Artificial Eye Ointment, the FDA says, an over-the-counter product manufactured by Global Pharma Healthcare Private Limited. The company has agreed to recall the product. It's the same manufacturer behind the EzriCare and Delsam Pharma artificial tears products that were already recalled earlier this year. The FDA had faulted the company for multiple violations and banned imports into...

The CDC has urged several doctors and patients to stop using EzriCare Artificial Tears as it has been linked to 50 bacteria-resistant infections and one death in 11 states, according to a report. Most of the people infected said they used artificial tears, with EzriCare being the most reported brand. EzriCare drops are preservative-free and don’t have any ingredients that prevent bacterial infections from occurring. “CDC recommends that clinicians and patients immediately discontinue the use of EzriCare Artificial Tears until the epidemiological investigation and laboratory analyses are complete,” said the report.

Public health authorities are investigating an outbreak of bacterial infections across the United States caused by over-the-counter eyedrops contaminated with a rare “extensively drug-resistant” bacterial superbug. At least 68 patients in 16 states are suffering from severe side effects after using Artificial Tear eyedrops that were infected with a rare strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Tuesday. Last month, Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops, a product used to lubricate dry eyes, was recalled by its manufacturer Global Pharma Healthcare. The drops were distributed by EzriCare and Delsam Pharma and sold at drug stores...

Eyedrops from EzriCare and Delsam Phama were recalled .... As of March 14, a reported 68 patients in 16 states have been infected with this 'rare strain' of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, according to an update by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Global Pharma Healthcare recalled its Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops that were distributed by EzriCare and Delsam Pharma last month. The drops had been sold at drug stores across the country, including Walmart, Target, and CVS, and on Amazon, though the products have since been pulled.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that consumers and health care providers immediately stop using EzriCare Artificial Tears as it investigates a "multistate cluster" of infections that testing has linked to the eye drops. At least one death has been associated with the infections. Infections have been found in 50 patients in 11 states, the CDC said, adding that most of them had used artificial tears and that the mostly commonly used brand was Ezricare. Results in some patients included "permanent vision loss resulting from ocular infection, hospitalization and [the] death of one patient with bloodstream infection,"...

Unlike Force Design 2030, Vision 2035 is a roadmap for a better way forward for the U.S. Marine Corps.In the rush to restructure the Marine Corps from a global force focused on uncertainties to a regional force focused on the certainty of a single threat (China’s Navy), the Marine Corps jettisoned many capabilities needed to fight and win today and in the future. The magnitude of these divestments is reflected in the accompanying graphic.The multiple years’ gap between the divestiture of currently needed force structure, equipment, and logistics and the arrival of new capabilities with proven effectiveness and in sufficient...

New research suggests aging is an important component of retinal ganglion cell death in glaucoma, and that novel pathways can be targeted when designing new treatments for glaucoma patients. Dorota Skowronska‐Krawczyk, Ph.D. describes the transcriptional and epigenetic changes happening in aging retina. The team shows how stress, such as intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation in the eye, causes retinal tissue to undergo epigenetic and transcriptional changes similar to natural aging. And, how in young retinal tissue, repetitive stress induces features of accelerated aging including the accelerated epigenetic age. "Our work emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and prevention as well as...

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reportedly said Wednesday that what he and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have said about the future of the Republican Party is “remarkably similar.” The comment comes after Schumer said in an interview with the New York Times he would like Republicans to work with Democrats in the aftermath of the midterm elections. Schumer’s remarks precede a Senate Republican Conference meeting in which Republicans will have to choose between McConnell and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), the outgoing National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, as the new Senate minority leader.

Glaucoma is an irreversible blinding eye disease characterized by progressive ganglion cell death. To date, IOP control has been almost the only clinical option for the treatment of POAG. However, visual field damage continues to progress after lowering IOP in most patients, suggesting the existence of more complex pathogenic mechanisms in glaucoma. Recently, a collaboration between Academician Yang Zhenglin and Professor Zhang Houbin of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital affiliated with the University of Electronic Science and Technology revealed the important role of cholesterol metabolic homeostasis in the pathogenesis of glaucoma and rescued the ganglion cells of ABCA1 knockout mice after...

New research shows that a treatment for retinal vein occlusion yields long-lasting vision gains, with visual acuity remaining significantly above baseline at five years. However, many patients require ongoing treatment. Retinal vein occlusion is one of the most common blinding conditions in the United States; without treatment, central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), the most severe type of retinal vein occlusion often leads to significant and permanent vision loss. Retinal vein occlusion is caused by a blockage of the veins carrying blood away from the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. The most effective treatment, injections of...

The risk of vision loss for users of medication like Viagra and Cialis appears to be small, but might prompt added warning labels. Drugs known for helping men with erectile dysfunction may come with a higher risk of vision problems than currently thought. In new research out Thursday, scientists have documented an association between three serious eye disorders and drugs including Viagra and Cialis; the findings might prompt the need for added warning labels on these medications, the authors say, though the individual risk for experiencing these complications does appear to be very small. Commonly used erectile dysfunction drugs such...

Family member's friend and coworker was vaxxed early as a frontline worker. Dec 2020? They now have optic nerve inflammation and may be unable to work. Seems to me I read something about vax affecting vision/eyes, but cannot seem to find post or article. Any be would be appreciated.

Just three minutes of exposure to deep red light once a week, when delivered in the morning, can significantly improve declining eyesight, finds a pioneering new study by UCL researchers. In summary, researchers found there was, on average, a 17% improvement in participants' color contrast vision when exposed to three minutes of 670 nanometre (long wavelength) deep red light in the morning and the effects of this single exposure lasted for at least a week. However, when the same test was conducted in the afternoon, no improvement was seen. In humans around 40 years old, cells in the eye's retina...

Thursday on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sounded off on President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda. McConnell slammed the “irresponsible” and “reckless” spending proposal. He added that “the American people didn’t vote to turn this country into Bernie Sanders’ socialist vision.”

It appears soldiers will have to wait a few more months before getting issued the Army’s new heads-up display. The Army has delayed its scheduled fielding date for the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), the game-changing goggles Microsoft developed for the service based on the company’s HoloLens technology. While the futuristic goggles were expected to be fielded to soldiers this year, the Army office charged with overseeing the project, Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier, announced on Thursday that the first unit would not be equipped with them until next September. A delay in the IVAS timeline was first reported by...

Every day we are bombarded with more and more outrages. Our nation and world are on fire, and we’ve learned that we’ve been betrayed on just about every level imaginable, not the least coming from our own wicked hearts. So amongst this raging inferno, why am I writing essentially a movie review? For the same reason we may go to church, spend time among loved ones, and pray–because amongst the profound physical challenges in our world, feeding our spirit has never been so important. Plus sometimes–after a day of work, or on a day off–we need some R & R…...

Since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced last month that his nation’s troops would continue to secure Kabul international airport in Afghanistan, the leader has been both pressured and praised. The Taliban, which has recently accelerated its military campaign across the war-torn country, on July 13 described any further Turkish military presence as “reprehensible” and warned of dire “consequences.” Yet Ankara’s agreement to secure the vital air link was also key to US President Joe Biden’s “positive and productive” description of his meeting with Erdogan at June’s NATO summit. Indeed, Turkey’s continued presence at the airport helps the US and...