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. (PhysOrg.com) -- University of Cincinnati researchers are reporting on the discovery of a bug with bifocals - such an amazing finding that it initially had the researchers questioning whether they could believe their own eyes. "To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of truly bifocal lenses in the extant animal kingdom," the researchers state in the Aug. 24 cover feature of the premier life-science journal, Current Biology. http://phys.org/news201781902.html Biology Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:40:01 EST news201781902 Bird observatories all over the world may benefit from a newly designed high-resolution imaging system used to study the retinal structure of live birds of prey. In a recently published Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science article, researchers reveal unprecedented three-dimensional information about the retina of four species of raptors — two hawks and two owls — using the non-invasive, powerful imaging tool. http://phys.org/news198937138.html Biology Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:30:01 EST news198937138 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) restore vision in retinitis pigmentosa using an archaebacterial protein. Introducing halorhodopsin into the remaining but nonfunctional cone photoreceptors of the retina of mice not only reactivates the cone cells' ability to interact with the rest of the visual system, it also prompts sophisticating visually guided behavior. http://phys.org/news198350972.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:00:02 EST news198350972 A team of researchers, led by scientists at the University of California, San Diego, have identified a key player in the dramatic loss of neurons in mice and fly models, a discovery that could help illuminate the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in human neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. http://phys.org/news196602566.html Medicine & Health Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:51:17 EST news196602566 June 8, 2010 - A quick, painless eye measurement shows promise as a way to diagnose multiple sclerosis in its very early stages, and to track the effectiveness of treatments, researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a multicenter study. http://phys.org/news195147358.html Medicine & Health Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:00:01 EST news195147358 The eyes may or may not be windows to the soul, as the old adage goes, but scientists are reporting evidence that a peek into the eyes of cattle may become the basis for a long-sought test to detect infection with the agent that causes Mad Cow Disease. That test could help prevent the disease from spreading in the food supply. A study on using the tell-tale glow given off by eyes infected with the Mad Cow agent appears in ACS' journal Analytical Chemistry. http://phys.org/news194695811.html Chemistry Wed, 02 Jun 2010 11:30:01 EST news194695811 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 The eyes are marvelous instruments for converting outside reality into images lodged inside our brains. A new study of the retina, the light-sensitive region at the back of the eye, solves a mystery as to why the images we see are so sharp. http://phys.org/news192634050.html Physics Sun, 09 May 2010 14:27:55 EST news192634050 Veterinary vision scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have safely and successfully used a viral vector in targeting a class of photoreceptors of the retina called rods, a critical first step in developing gene therapies for inherited blindness caused by rod degeneration. http://phys.org/news191760276.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:45:06 EST news191760276 Pioneering a novel microscopy method, neuroscientist Arthur Konnerth and colleagues from the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM, Germany) have shown that individual neurons carry out significant aspects of sensory processing: specifically, in this case, determining which direction an object in the field of view is moving. http://phys.org/news191753357.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:10:13 EST news191753357 An ophthalmologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is implanting radioactive discs in the eyes of children with a rare cancer in an attempt to save their vision and their eyes. http://phys.org/news190469534.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:12:42 EST news190469534 Scientists have shown that through an eye exam, doctors can identify infants who are most likely to benefit from early treatment for a potentially blinding eye condition called retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), resulting in better vision for many children. http://phys.org/news190309252.html Medicine & Health Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:10:01 EST news190309252 What began as research into how diabetics could possibly preserve their eyesight has led to findings that could prolong the vision of children afflicted with retinoblastoma. http://phys.org/news187361353.html Medicine & Health Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:20:02 EST news187361353 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have peered deep into the eye of the chicken and found a masterpiece of biological design. http://phys.org/news185539169.html Biology Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:39:55 EST news185539169 Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder affect tens of millions of individuals around the world. These disorders have a typical onset in the early twenties and in most cases have a chronic or recurring course. Neither disorder has an objective biological marker than can be used to make diagnoses or to guide treatment. http://phys.org/news184498051.html Medicine & Health Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:27:46 EST news184498051 The discovery of an inflammatory mediator key to the blinding effects of diabetic retinopathy is pointing toward a potential new treatment, Medical College of Georgia researchers said. http://phys.org/news182697633.html Medicine & Health Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:30:01 EST news182697633 (PhysOrg.com) -- The findings bolster the claims by some scientists, like Stanford's Brian Wandell, who say certain visual abilities must develop properly in childhood and cannot be learned as an adult. http://phys.org/news182626969.html Medicine & Health Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:10:01 EST news182626969 Scientists in Massachusetts are reporting new evidence that certain high blood pressure drugs may be useful in preventing and treating diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of vision loss in people with diabetes. The study, the largest to date on proteins in the retina, could lead to new ways to prevent or treat the sight-threatening disease, they say. The findings are in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research. http://phys.org/news182000972.html Medicine & Health Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:20:02 EST news182000972 Researchers at University College London say they have gleaned a key insight into the molecular beginnings of age-related macular degeneration, the No. 1 cause of vision loss in the elderly, by determining how two key proteins interact to naturally prevent the onset of the condition. http://phys.org/news181825289.html Chemistry Mon, 04 Jan 2010 11:30:01 EST news181825289 Need a little extra incentive to kick the habit? Just in time for New Year's resolutions, a UCLA study finds that even after age 80, smoking continues to increase one's risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 65. http://phys.org/news181457348.html Medicine & Health Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:50:22 EST news181457348 Researchers led by specialists at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute have found that injecting a corticosteroid, triamcinolone, directly into the eye may slow the progression of proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that frequently leads to blindness. http://phys.org/news181213710.html Medicine & Health Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:30:01 EST news181213710 In a developing animal, stem cells proliferate and differentiate to form the organs needed for life. A new study shows how a crucial step in this process happens and how a reversal of that step contributes to cancer. http://phys.org/news180192279.html Medicine & Health Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:27:15 EST news180192279 Myopia (nearsightedness) may have been more common in Americans from 1999 to 2004 than it was 30 years ago, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Ophthalmology. http://phys.org/news180035969.html Medicine & Health Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:50:03 EST news180035969 Brain and spinal-cord injuries typically leave people with permanent impairment because the injured nerve fibers (axons) cannot regrow. A study from Children's Hospital Boston, published in the December 10 issue of the journal Neuron, shows that axons can regenerate vigorously in a mouse model when a gene that suppresses natural growth factors is deleted. http://phys.org/news179584849.html Medicine & Health Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:50:01 EST news179584849 An international team of scientists has rescued visual function in laboratory rats with eye disease by using cells similar to stem cells. The research shows the potential for stem cell-based therapies to treat age-related macular degeneration in humans. http://phys.org/news179077159.html Biology Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:10:01 EST news179077159 Suddenly seeing floaters or flashes of light may indicate a serious eye problem that - if untreated - could lead to blindness, a new study shows. http://phys.org/news178315342.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:40:05 EST news178315342 (PhysOrg.com) -- The research, led by Wolfgang Fink, will aid both people with visual impairments and scientists involved in planetary exploration. http://phys.org/news177152124.html Electronics Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:10:02 EST news177152124 Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute have found that when the eye is missing a diffusible form of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), i.e. one that when secreted can reach other cells at a distance, the retina shows defects similar to "dry" macular degeneration, also called geographic atrophy (GA). This finding, published in the November 3, 2009 print edition of PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), not only increases the understanding of the causes of this blinding disease, but it may also impact the use of anti-VEGF drugs, such as Lucentis, which are designed to neutralize VEGF in eyes with "wet" macular degeneration. http://phys.org/news176401950.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:50:02 EST news176401950 Like all tissues in the body, the eye needs a healthy blood supply to function properly. Poorly developed blood vessels can lead to visual impairment or even blindness. While many of the molecules involved in guiding the development of the intricate blood vessel architecture are known, only now are we learning how these molecules work and how they might affect sight. http://phys.org/news176131738.html Medicine & Health Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:29:29 EST news176131738 (PhysOrg.com) -- NEC and Brother are both developing wearable prototype devices that use Retinal Imaging Display (RID) technology to project images directly on the wearer's retina. NEC's gadget is designed to interpret foreign languages and project a translation onto the retina, making it possible to have a conversation without an interpreter. Brother's device will project images of documents, allowing the wearer to read them in complete privacy. http://phys.org/news176111763.html Electronics Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:56:53 EST news176111763