In a study designed to compare the effects of contact lens wear versus spectacle wear on children on their sight, the use of soft contact lenses does not, clinically, accelerate myopic progression in children. These results, combined with earlier data on the safety of soft contact lenses in children, make a strong case that children can safely wear soft contact lenses. The author of the study that was sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Dr. Jeffrey J. Walline presented results at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting. After using contact lenses for 3 years, the contact lens wearers weren’t more nearsighted than the spectacle wearers.

In a clinical trial at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, researchers from The University of Pennsylvania have used gene therapy to safely restore vision to a significant degree in three young adults with a rare, inherited blinding disease, Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). The LCA gene therapy performed through a surgical procedure reflected no signs of causing inflammation in the retina or other toxic side effects. The innovative treatment might be effective in treating possibly other congenial retinal diseases.

According to research by scientists at the Schepens Eye Research Institute, people with a certain low level of tear production have a higher probability of developing chronic dry eye syndrome after having undergone LASIK surgery. The laser refractive surgery is done to correct near- and far-sightedness. The study, published in Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science, may help ophthalmologists find out if these patients require pretreatment and whether or not surgery is appropriate for such persons.

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The Schepens Eye Research Institute have discovered a chemical in the eye that triggers non-neuronal cells to turn into progenitor cells, a stem-like cell that can generate new retinal cells. The research is published in the Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science journal, and offers hope for patients with damaged retinas due to diseases such as macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.

Researchers are experimenting on a treatment for rare eye cancer, which has already saved some children from vision loss. The US researchers also succeeded in restoring vision in a few cases. The method involved inserting a catheter in the eye via the body so that the chemotherapy drug melphalan, made by GlaxoSmithKline under the name of Alkeran, was administered directly to the tumour.

FDC Ltd. has received approval from the FDA for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Timolol Maleate Ophthalmic Solution. Timolol Maleate Ophthalmic Solution is a nonselective beta-blocking drug, used as a primary line of treatment for glaucoma.

According to a report in Archives of Ophthalmology, black patients have a higher risk of death from a cardiac disease if they suffer from high pressure in the eyes or have been diagnosed with glaucoma at some point. The study was conducted by Suh-Yuh Wu, M.A., of Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, and other colleagues, and focused mainly on black patients.

A study published in the April Journal of AAPOS (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Babies) has indicated that babies with an eye-alignment disorder called infantile esotropia have delays in motor development milestones, but development “catches up” after corrective surgery. Before surgery, infants with esotropia had delays in both sensorimotor and gross motor development. However, post-surgery, infants had no delays in developmental milestones and they actually had a faster rate of sensorimotor development, suggesting that correcting their binocular vision helped their development to “catch up” to that of normal infants.

According to the recommendations published in the Journal of Perinatal Medicine, the formula for infant feed should contain DHA omega-3 and AA omega-6 to ensure the proper development of the eyes and brain. Breastfeeding is still the preferred feeding option, since breast milk already contains DHA and AA. The recommendation is for children who are not being breast-fed for some reason.

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Bausch & Lomb, the manufacturer of the crystalens intraocular lens (IOL) for cataracts, has decided to donate 100 pairs of these lenses, which are generally not covered by private insurance or Medicare. This is the only intraocular lens that uses the eye muscles to focus in much the same way as the natural lens does.