Science Briefs – Edition 19

What's Inside

  • Glaucoma highest risk for blindness in black Americans.
  • Expanding gene therapies into more areas of blindness.
  • Proven therapies for AMD.
  • And about a dozen articles about the science and medicine related to blindness from all accross the English speaking world.

Editorial By Chris Hofstader

Welcome to edition 19 of Blindness Briefs. This edition has about a dozen stories related to the science, research and medicine related to blindness that we could find in the mainstream media.

Although this isn't one of our larger editions, I think it has interesting articles and, more so than some other weeks, it's mostly good news about advancements being made in a number of different areas of blindness. I think you, our loyal readers, will enjoy it.

Disclaimer

World Blind herald does not write the stories to which we link in Science Briefs, we gather them, curate them and bring them to our readers. We are not scientists ourselves and cannot guarantee the validity of the stories in this digest. We do, however, want to be very clear that you should not attempt any of the medical interventions mentioned in Science Briefs without first consulting a professional ophthalmologist and discussing it with them. Do not take medical advice from this or any other web site or podcast without first consulting a professional.

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Science and Medicine

Winners of ARVO Foundation Collaborative Research Fellowship Announced

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) announced today the recipients of the 2023 ARVO Foundation Collaborative Research Fellowship: José Arthur Milhomens Filho, MD; Maria Constanza Paz, PhD; Raba Thapa, PhD. With the goal of strengthening ophthalmic research capacities worldwide, the Fellowship pairs early-career researchers from developing countries with collaborating scientists in well-established research laboratories. This story comes to us from: Newswise.

Are You at Risk For a Leading Cause of Blindness in Black Americans?

Glaucoma is known as the “Sneak Thief of Sight” because the most common type is painless and progresses so slowly that most people don’t notice symptoms for years—until severe permanent damage has already occurred. Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, especially for blacks. In fact, black Americans have a 6-8 times higher risk rate, and at least one in five age 75 and older has the disease. This story comes to us from: Milwaukee Courier.

Expanding gene therapy for rare disease that causes blindness

A method of gene therapy with the hopes it will restore vision loss in Usher Syndrome Type 2A (USH2A), a rare genetic disease. The National Eye Institute has awarded Muna Naash, John S. Dunn Endowed Professor of biomedical engineering, $1.6 million to support her work. This story comes to us from: EurekAlert.

Woman with disability gets her eyesight back after cataract surgery

Soon after her doctor removed the cloth from her eyes after the operation, she clapped her hands, laughed out loud, and smiled at the doctor and staff at Thane civil hospital. Though doctors said she was 21 years old, her exact age could not be confirmed. This story comes to us from: Hindustan Times.

Health officials find cases of cataract and conjunctivitis-related blindness in Pusiga

The residents who underwent health screenings were instructed to return for additional medical exams to address their conditions. This story comes to us from: MyJoyOnline.com.

Exploring The Pros and Cons of Laser Surgery for Treating Glaucoma

The pressure on the optic nerve may cause vision loss, a visual field defect or complete blindness. This story comes to us from: The Star Bulletin.

Big Data Research into Leading Cause of Childhood Blindness Gets Boost from FDA Grant

Cataract surgery is one of the most effective and common procedures performed in all of medicine. Cataract surgery is transformative; it allows people to see as soon as the bandage is removed. However, in children, managing cataracts is tedious and often difficult, requiring many visits over many years. Treating cataracts is also more urgent in infants than adults because the condition can cause blindness. This story comes to us from: Newswise.

Combining multiple maps reveal new genetic risk factors for blindness

Combining a map of gene regulatory sites with disease-associated loci has uncovered a new genetic risk factor of adult-onset macular degeneration (AMD), according to a new study publishing January 17th in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Ran Elkon and Ruth Ashery-Padan of Tel Aviv. This story comes to us from: EurekAlert.

Proven Treatment Strategies for ARMD

While there is currently no cure for this condition, there are several armd treatment available to help reduce its progression and improve vision. This story comes to us from: ZOBUZ.

Study: More than a quarter of older Americans have visual impairment

… Updated national prevalence estimates of vision impairment and blindness among older Americans based on objective visual function testing. This story comes to us from: Ophthalmology Times.

Expanding gene therapy for rare disease that causes blindness

A University of Houston researcher is expanding a method of gene therapy with the hopes it will restore vision loss in Usher Syndrome Type 2A (USH2A), a rare genetic disease. The National Eye Institute has awarded Muna Naash, John S. Dunn Endowed Professor of biomedical engineering, $1.6 million to support her work. This story comes to us from: Science X.

Why Congenitally Blind People Show Activity in Visual-Processing Areas of the Brain

Study reveals structural changes of connectivity in the thalamus to other brain areas in those with congenital blindness, providing evidence of brain plasticity. The areas of the thalamus that connect with the occipital lobe in those with blindness are weaker and smaller, giving space to connections in the temporal cortex which are strengthened. This story comes to us from: Neuroscience News.

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