British Health Services Paying for 10 Bionic Eyes

"The NHS [British version of the NIH] will pay for 10 blind patients to have 'bionic eyes' to help treat an inherited form of blindness," reports the BBC."The bionic eye is a retinal implant which interprets images captured by a miniature video camera worn on a pair of glasses. Five patients will be treated at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and five at Moorfields Eye Hospital in 2017.They will be monitored for a year afterwards to see how they get on in everyday life.

"'I'm delighted,' said Prof Paulo Stanga from the Manchester hospital. He has been involved in earlier trials of the Argus II Bionic Eye, made by the company Second Sight, in retinitis pigmentosa. He added: 'It surpassed all of our expectations when we realised that one of the retinitis pigmentosa patients using the bionic eye could identify large letters for the first time in his adult life.'
This disease, which is often passed down through families, destroys the light-sensing cells in the retina. It leads to vision loss and eventually blindness." Read more.

New Test Detects First Signs of Macular Degeneration (AMD)

"Researchers based at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) at Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, received funding from Fight for Sight and the Special Trustees of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust which has resulted in the design of a new test that can spot the first stages of sight loss in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The test could lead to earlier diagnosis for millions of people worldwide. Professor Roger Anderson led the research team." That's the beginning of a post on Medical News Today.

Acanthamoeba Infections on the Rise

"Cases of eye infection with a type of amoeba called Acanthamoeba – which can irreparably damage the corneas – have doubled since 2010, said Professor John Dart, of Moorfields Eye Hospital in London," writes the Daily Mail. "He said the trend towards internet purchasing had contributed to the rise, because people do not undergo ‘vital’ eye checks so frequently. These are essential for spotting early signs of infection and to make sure people know about contact lens hygiene, explained Prof Dart." Read more.

One Step Closer to Curing Blindness? Just Maybe

“Scientists are one step closer to curing blindness, after they carried out the first successful transplant of light-sensitive photoreceptor cells from a synthetic retina that was grown from embryonic stem cells,” reports Medical News Today. “Researchers from University College London (UCL) and Moorfields Eye Hospital in the UK, transplanted the photoreceptor cells in to night-blind mice and found that the cells developed normally. The cells integrated into the existing retina in the mice and formed the required nerve connections that transmit visual information to the brain. The study, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, shows embryonic stem cells could potentially be used to provide an ‘unlimited supply of healthy photoreceptors for retinal cell transplantations to treat blindness in humans.’” Read more.