Eye Health Center

News and Features Related to Eye Health

Gene Therapy May Cure Color Blindness

Sept. 16, 2009 -- A rainbow of hope for people who are color-blind: New research suggests that gene therapy could one day give such patients the ability to see in full color. Color blindness, also called color vision deficiency, occurs when photoreceptors in the eye’s retina lack certain light-sensi
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What Your Eyes Say About Your Health

Are the eyes “windows to the soul,” as the ancient proverb has it? Maybe. But they’re also portals through which one can glimpse signs of health problems -- not only eye disorders like cataracts and glaucoma, but also systemic illnesses like diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Sometimes th
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New Implantable Lens Corrects Nearsightedness

July 13, 2009 -- A new type of implantable contact lens may offer an alternative to glasses or regular contacts for people with moderate to severe nearsightedness (myopia). The first long-term study of the implantable lenses made of a collagen-like polymer substance shows they were safe and effectiv
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Wearing Contact Lenses Past Their Prime

June 4, 2009 -- If you wear contact lenses, you might want to check your calendar. A new survey shows that 40% of contact lens wearers don’t replace their lenses in keeping with lens makers' guidelines. The survey -- conducted in February by researchers at the Centre for Contact Lens Research at Can
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Bacterial Conjunctivitis Drug Besivance Approved

May 29, 2009 -- The FDA has approved a new antibacterial eyedrop called Besivance to treat a contagious eye infection called bacterial conjunctivitis, which is commonly called "pinkeye." Symptoms of bacterial conjunctivitis include red eyes, swelling, eyelids sticking together, itching, watering, an
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Mediterranean Diet May Boost Eye Health

May 11, 2009 -- Eating a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fish, nuts, and olive oil may help save your sight as well as your heart. The Mediterranean diet has already been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, but new research suggests that it may also help prevent age-related macular degenerat
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Can B Vitamins Lower Risk of Blindness?

Feb. 23, 2009 -- Taking a combination of B vitamins may offer a rare and inexpensive opportunity to help prevent the most common cause of blindness in older Americans, age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A new study shows that women who took vitamins B6 and B12 along with folic acid had a 34% lo
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Protect Your Eyes When Popping the Cork

Dec. 31, 2008 -- Chilling the bubbly to toast 2009 at the stroke of midnight? Ophthalmologist Andrew Iwach, MD, doesn't mean to be a killjoy, but he also doesn't want to see you head for the hospital with an eye injury from a flying cork. "Believe it or not, there are hundreds of cases in the United
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Is Vision Correction Surgery for You?

If you've thought about vision correction surgery -- also called refractive eye surgery -- and have even begun to do your research, you know by now that there's an alphabet soup of confusing options. There's the well-known, and still vastly popular, LASIK (laser in situ keratomileusis), but also wav
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Newer Contact Lenses Don't Cut Infections

Oct. 3, 2008 -- Neither the newer contact lenses that allow more oxygen into the eye nor daily disposable lenses have reduced the risk of a dangerous eye infection as hoped, according to two new studies. Whatever the type of lens, sleeping with them in is the biggest risk factor for a painful infect
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