Vision at Home Worse Than in a Clinic/Shop

“Adults have better vision in clinics rather than at home, due to poor home lighting, according to a study by Anjali M. Bhorade, M.D., MSCI, of the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, and colleagues,” notes Medical News Today. “Clinicians often assume that vision measured in the clinic is equivalent to vision at home, according to the study background. However, many patients report visual difficulties greater than expected based on their vision testing in the clinic. Between 2005 and 2009, researchers studied 126 patients with and 49 without glaucoma (ages 55 to 90 years old) from the Glaucoma and Comprehensive Eye Clinics at Washington University in St. Louis. Patients underwent clinic and home visits and several aspects of their vision were measured.” Read more.

Cholesterol Lowering Drugs May Fight Macular Degeneration

“A new study raises the intriguing possibility that drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol may be effective against macular degeneration, a blinding eye disease,” according to Science Daily. “Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in Americans over 50, shares a common link with atherosclerosis. Both problems have the same underlying defect: the inability to remove a buildup of fat and cholesterol. The new study is published online in the journal Cell Metabolism.” Read more.
You also can read about the development on Medical News Today.
And even more from the National Eye Institute.

Largest Part of Glaucoma Costs Comes from a Small Group of Patients

"A small subset of patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) account for a large proportion of all glaucoma-related charges in the United States, according to new data published by researchers at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center and Washington University, St. Louis," says Medical Express. "These findings have importance for future evaluations of the cost-effectiveness of screening and treatment for glaucoma." Read more.

Genetic Test Predicts Common Eye Cancer

"Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a genetic test that can accurately predict whether the most common form of eye cancer will spread to other parts of the body, particularly the liver," says a Science Digest post. "In 459 patients with ocular melanoma at 12 centers in the United States and Canada, the researchers found the test could successfully classify tumors more than 97 percent of the time." Read more.

Glaucoma Treatment Using Low-Level Stress

"Working in mice, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have devised a treatment that prevents the optic nerve injury that occurs in glaucoma, a neurodegenerative disease that is a leading cause of blindness," reports Medical News Today. "Researchers increased the resistance of optic nerve cells to damage by repeatedly exposing the mice to low levels of oxygen similar to those found at high altitudes. The stress of the intermittent low-oxygen environment induces a protective response called tolerance that makes nerve cells - including those in the eye - less vulnerable to harm. The study, published online in Molecular Medicine, is the first to show that tolerance induced by preconditioning can protect against a neurodegenerative disease." Read more.

Preventing Optic Nerve Injury during Glaucoma

Working in mice, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have devised a treatment that prevents the optic nerve injury that occurs in glaucoma," according to Science Daily. "Researchers increased the resistance of optic nerve cells to damage by repeatedly exposing the mice to low levels of oxygen similar to those found at high altitudes. The stress of the intermittent low-oxygen environment induces a protective response called tolerance that makes nerve cells -- including those in the eye -- less vulnerable to harm. The study, published online in Molecular Medicine, is the first to show that tolerance induced by preconditioning can protect against a neurodegenerative disease. Read more.