- Major progress made in blindness caused by cellular degeneration.
- New model to examine Usher Syndrome.
- Gene therapy used in Toronto.
- And, about a dozen stories about the science, medicine and prevention of blindness from all over the world.
Editorial By Chris Hofstader
This week, the story in Science Briefs that I found most interesting was the one about progress related to blindness caused by cellular degeneration as I knew little about that cause for blindness and got to learn some new things. I always find Science Briefs to be a bit uplifting as so often it demonstrates positive progress and, on a personal level, I'm a science enthusiast and enjoy reading about science in general.
We hope you enjoy this edition of Science Briefs.
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
Scientists Achieve Promising Results Towards Restoring Vision In Blindness Caused By Cellular Degeneration In The Eye
A preclinical study using stem cells to produce progenitor photoreceptor cells — light-detecting cells found in the eye — and then transplanting these into experimental models of damaged retinas has resulted in significant vision recovery. This story comes to us from: Worldhealth.net.
University of Houston researcher builds new model to examine Usher Syndrome
Usher syndrome, a rare inherited genetic disease, is a leading cause of combined deafness and blindness with type 2A (USH2A) being the most common form. USH2A, caused by mutations in the USH2A gene, can include hearing loss from birth and progressive loss of vision, prompting retinitis pigmentosa (RP). RP affects the retina, the eye’s light-sensitive layer, leading to a breakdown of the light-sensitive cells in the retina which initially leads to night blindness followed by progressive loss of daily vision. Currently no treatment exists for USH2A. This story comes to us from: EurekAlert.
Hundreds of British people are needlessly going blind. Why?
“Why are so many people going blind in Britain when treatment is available? This story comes to us from: The Guardian.
HUIDAGENE GIVES IND APPROVAL OF THE FIRST MULTIREGIONAL, MULTINATIONAL
the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved its application for an investigational new drug (IND) for the planned multi-regional, multinational clinical trial of HG004 in the treatment of patients with RPE65-associated inherited retinal dystrophies.This story comes to us from: BreakingLatest.news.
Vision loss treatment: Gene therapy used in Ontario
Blind woman becomes first in Quebec to try 'bionic eye' … said Moniz of Fighting Blindness Canada. This story comes to us from: CTV News.
Uganda: eye care for the poorest
In Uganda, Gladys Atto has been on a mission to fight preventable blindness since she graduated as an ophthalmologist from Mbarara University of Science and Technology. This story comes to us from: Africa News.
Doheny Eye Institute Announces Upcoming Presentations at ARVO 2023 Annual Meeting
Doheny Eye Institute, one of the nation’s leading vision research institutions, announced that more than 30 of its scientists and clinician-scientists will present their latest research during the upcoming Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting. The meeting will take place April 23-27, 2023 in New Orleans at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. This story comes to us from: The Bakersfield Californian.
Charity program offers cataract treatment for elderly residents in rural areas
About 35 percent of blindness and 25 percent of middle and severe vision injury is caused by untreated cataracts. This story comes to us from: SHINE News.
Hospital paid out more than £4million in compensation after errors caused blindness in patients
Five successful claims for medical error causing blindness saw the NHS trust pay on average £960,000, the second-most of all hospitals in the UK. This story comes to us from: Northants Live.
Preventing Blindness
Keeping an Eye on Your Peepers
Regular eye exams help identify problems early. This story comes to us from: Hernando Sun.