http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org) —A class of water-loving, jelly-like materials with uses ranges ranging from the mundane, such as superabsorbent diaper liners, to the sophisticated, such as soft contact lenses, could be tapped for a new line of serious work: testing the biological effects of nanoparticles now being eyed for a large variety of uses. http://phys.org/news287827727.html Nanotechnology Wed, 15 May 2013 09:08:55 EST news287827727 An air-breathing bio-battery has been constructed by researchers from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. The core element providing the new power source with relatively high voltage and long lifetime is a carefully designed cathode taking up oxygen from air and composed of an enzyme, carbon nanotubes and silicate. http://phys.org/news281876204.html Chemistry Thu, 07 Mar 2013 10:56:52 EST news281876204 The Centre of Microsystems Technology (CMST), Imec's associated laboratory at Ghent University (Belgium), announced today it has developed an innovative spherical curved LCD display, which can be embedded in contact lenses. The first step toward fully pixelated contact lens displays, this achievement has potential wide-spread applications in medical and cosmetic domains. http://phys.org/news273921319.html Technology Wed, 05 Dec 2012 09:15:44 EST news273921319 Nearsightedness, or myopia, affects more than 40 percent of people in the U.S. and up to 90 percent of children in some parts of Asia. The problem begins in childhood and often progresses with age. Standard prescription lenses can correct the defocus but do not cure nearsightedness, and do not slow progression rates as children grow. http://phys.org/news268396058.html Physics Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:28:17 EST news268396058 (Phys.org)—No need to turn to your smartphone to check the time, look at your agenda or the weather forecast, read a text message or map a route in an unfamiliar city. All this information, and much more, will soon be displayed on the lenses of "augmented" glasses via a mini-projector placed on the frames - and on the condition that you're also wearing a specially designed pair of contact lenses. http://phys.org/news268301998.html Technology Mon, 01 Oct 2012 09:20:10 EST news268301998 A team of experts in mechanics, materials science, and tissue engineering at Harvard have created an extremely stretchy and tough gel that may pave the way to replacing damaged cartilage in human joints. http://phys.org/news266078871.html Chemistry Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:48:35 EST news266078871 A biometric security system based on how a user moves their eyes is being developed by technologists in Finland. Writing in the International Journal of Biometrics, the team explains how a person's saccades, their tiny, but rapid, involuntary eye movements, can be measured using a video camera. The pattern of saccades is as unique as an iris or fingerprint scan but easier to record and so could provide an alternative secure biometric identification technology. http://phys.org/news265444932.html Technology Wed, 29 Aug 2012 07:42:55 EST news265444932 (Phys.org) -- A Bellevue, Washington, company specializing in display technology based on eyewear and contact lenses has sealed a deal with DARPA. Innovega, which says its technology can open a “new dimension to virtual and augmented reality applications,” told the BBC earlier this week that it has signed a contract to deliver a prototype of its iOptik display system to DARPA. That system consists of special contact lenses and eyeglasses. The product is touted to be a better solution than bulky heads-up display systems of the past. Screens sit directly on users' eyeballs and work with a pair of special lightweight glasses. http://phys.org/news253678515.html Technology Sun, 15 Apr 2012 05:50:01 EST news253678515 A new kind of flexible, transparent pressure sensor, developed at the University of California, Davis, for use in medical applications, relies on a drop of liquid. http://phys.org/news250187392.html Chemistry Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:30:11 EST news250187392 Currently being developed by DARPA researchers at Washington-based Innovega iOptiks are contact lenses that enhance normal vision by allowing a wearer to view virtual and augmented reality images without the need for bulky apparatus.  http://phys.org/news247320618.html Technology Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:10:54 EST news247320618 Scientists are reporting development of contact lenses that could provide a continuous supply of anesthetic medication to the eyes of patients who undergo laser eye surgery — an advance that could relieve patients of the burden of repeatedly placing drops of medicine into their eyes every few hours for several days. Their report appears in ACS' journal Langmuir. http://phys.org/news246108048.html Chemistry Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:21:03 EST news246108048 Teens, children, and even infants sometimes require corneal transplants, although most such surgeries are performed in adults. Australian researchers led by Keryn A. Williams, PhD, tracked transplant success and visual outcomes in 640 young patients who received new corneas between 1985 and 2009 and report on their work in the March issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. http://phys.org/news218213756.html Medicine & Health Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:58:44 EST news218213756 Acupuncture could potentially become an alternative to patching for treating amblyopia (lazy eye) in some older children, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Ophthalmology. http://phys.org/news211479964.html Medicine & Health Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:26:14 EST news211479964 A new study suggests that older adults who wear multifocal contact lenses to correct problems with near vision, a very common condition that increases with age, may have greater difficulty driving at night than their counterparts who wear glasses. Age-related problems with near vision, medically termed presbyopia, usually occurs after the age of 40 and results in the inability to focus on objects up close. http://phys.org/news208014001.html Other Sciences Wed, 03 Nov 2010 14:50:01 EST news208014001 Bacteria have a natural ability to attach themselves to surfaces, both natural and synthetic. Once attached, they often work cooperatively to form biofilms, thin layers of bacterial colonies that can coat the surface of a medical device and introduce the risk of infection. As a result, orthopedic implants, catheters, and even contact lenses can become vehicles for infection. http://phys.org/news206728417.html Chemistry Tue, 19 Oct 2010 19:10:02 EST news206728417 The Cornea and Laser Eye Institute, with Principal Investigator, Peter S. Hersh M.D., is conducting a research study to study the safety and effectiveness of corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) using Riboflavin/Dextran and Hypotonic Riboflavin in patients with progressive keratoconus and corneal ectasia. http://phys.org/news204220791.html Medicine & Health Mon, 20 Sep 2010 17:20:01 EST news204220791 (AP) -- More than 70,000 children and teens go to the emergency room each year for injuries and complications from medical devices, and contact lenses are the leading culprit, the first detailed national estimate suggests. http://phys.org/news199329762.html Medicine & Health Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:40:01 EST news199329762 A new type of procedure for correcting short-sightedness could be safer than laser eye surgery, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review. The study also shows that patients prefer the new procedure, despite there being little difference between the two in terms of improving vision. http://phys.org/news192825485.html Medicine & Health Tue, 11 May 2010 19:38:17 EST news192825485 A new study reported in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science found that UV-blocking contact lenses can reduce or eliminate the effects of the sun's harmful UV radiation. http://phys.org/news183753343.html Medicine & Health Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:30:01 EST news183753343 Lions, giraffes, tigers, rabbits, bears, rhinos and even owls can go blind from cataracts, but an east German firm has an answer: custom-made "contact lenses". http://phys.org/news166941175.html Biology Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:20:03 EST news166941175 While the majority of patients with common vision problems can find glasses or contact lenses fairly easily, others who suffer from diseases of the eye that affect the focus of light have more limited options and may simply have to learn to live with poor vision. http://phys.org/news161441645.html Medicine & Health Wed, 13 May 2009 13:54:31 EST news161441645 Nocturnal geckos are among the very few living creatures able to see colors at night, and scientists' discovery of series of distinct concentric zones may lead to insight into better cameras and contact lenses. http://phys.org/news160941503.html Biology Thu, 07 May 2009 18:59:15 EST news160941503 Contact lenses are great for sight, but do they have an impact on general eye health? Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Optometry are working to answer that question by analyzing tears. http://phys.org/news160848590.html Medicine & Health Wed, 06 May 2009 17:10:39 EST news160848590 You've probably been there. In a doctor's office, being advised to do what you dread - exercise. You get that feeling in your gut, acknowledging that, indeed, you should exercise but probably won't. Now imagine that the doctor is your optometrist. http://phys.org/news157727040.html Medicine & Health Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:10:21 EST news157727040 (PhysOrg.com) -- Biofilms are everywhere - in dental plaque and ear canals, on contact lenses and in water pipelines - and the bacteria that make them get more resilient with age, finds a new study in FEMS Microbiology Letters. http://phys.org/news156088573.html Biology Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:56:40 EST news156088573 Children wearing contact lenses felt better about how they look, their athletic abilities and acceptance by their friends than did children wearing eyeglasses in a recent study. http://phys.org/news155188309.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:52:24 EST news155188309 Contact lenses increase the risk of infection with pathogenic protozoa that can cause blindness. New research, published in the November issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology, shows that a high percentage of contact lens cases in Tenerife are contaminated with Acanthamoeba that cannot be killed by normal contact lens solution. http://phys.org/news143712703.html Biology Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:11:43 EST news143712703 Even contact lenses are joining the trend to go green. Chemical engineering researchers at McMaster University have shown that a common fluid found in our bodies can be used as a natural moisturizing agent in contact lenses. http://phys.org/news134743060.html Chemistry Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:37:40 EST news134743060