Hvor godt ser du egentlig? Test synet ditt her! (blindeforbundet.no)
Oppdager ikke sykdom Øyesykdommen AMD kan gjøre deg blind. Likevel er de færreste klar over symptomene på sykdommen. (mozon.no 24.10.2006) (Helsetips!)
Diett: Inntak av fisk for å motvirke øyesykdommer (nytimes.com 17.3.2011)
Om risiko for hjerneslag Øyner er kjent som sjelens vindu, men en ny studie antyder at de også kan avsløre fremtidig risiko for hjerneslag. (foxnews.com 11.10.2005)
Medel mot "gula fläcken" hjälper (dn.se 21.5.2008)
Glaucoma Linked to Cardiovascular Mortality in Black Patients (medpagetoday.com 11.3.2008)
Vitamin E, Lutein May Fight Cataracts (healthfinder.gov 25.1.2008)
Øyerelaterte sykdommer koster Medicare milliarder av dollar (healthfinder.gov 13.2.2007)
Ophthalmology (Lancet)
Feildiagnose av åpenvinkelglaukom (BMJ 2006;333:1157-1158 (2 December))
Venter ett år på hjelp (aftenposten.no 28.1.2007)
Spar 20.000 på øyeoperasjon (forbruker.no 6.11.2007)
Nose triggers allergic eye symptoms (reuters.com 18.3.2008)
- Gjennombrudd i genterapi, stamceller?
Gjennombrudd i stamcelleforskning
nrk.no 24.1.2012
(...) Kvinnene hadde i utgangspunktet uhelbredelige øyesykdommer, men begge sier til CNN at de har blitt drastisk bedre etter behandling med embryonale stamceller.
Den ene kvinnen, Sue Freeman på 78 år, klarer nå å lage mat, gå turer og handle på egenhånd.
Alt dette var en umulighet før operasjonen hennes på det ene øyet i juli. Hun har en en tørr form for aldersrelatert maculadegenerasjon.
Ikke sikker behandling ennå
– Disse resultatene er veldig lovende.
– Studien må imdlertid gjennomføres på flere pasienter før man kan si om dette er en framtidig behandling for pasienter med betydelig nedsatt skarpsyn, sier Morten Moe til NRK.no.
Han er førsteamanuensis og netthinnekirurg på øyeavdelingen ved Oslo universitetssykehus. (...)
(Anm: Study: Stem Cells May Aid Vision in Blind People. (healthland.time.com 23.1.2012 (Time).)
Sight Seen: Gene Therapy Restores Vision in Both Eyes
scientificamerican.com 8.2.2012
Two doses of gene therapy restore vision to three women who were born nearly blind
Gene therapy has markedly improved vision in both eyes in three women who were born virtually blind. The patients can now avoid obstacles even in dim light, read large print and recognize people's faces. The operation, researchers predict, should work even better in children and adolescents blinded by the same condition.
The advance, reported in the February 8 issue of Science Translational Medicine, extends earlier work by the same group. Between 2008 and 2011, Jean Bennett of the University of Pennsylvania's Mahoney Institute of Neurological Sciences and her colleagues used gene therapy to treat blindness in 12 adults and children with Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA), a rare inherited eye disease that destroys vision by killing photoreceptors—light-sensitive cells in the retina at the back of the eye. Typically, afflicted children start life with poor vision, which worsens as more and more photoreceptors die. (...)
Ødelagt av syre - fikk synet tilbake
vg.no 6.2.2012
(VG Nett) Modellen Katie Piper (29), som ble vansiret av ekskjæresten i 2008, har fått synet tilbake også på det blinde øyet.
En stamcelle-operasjon har gitt Piper synet tilbake på øyet som ble ødelagt da kjæresten vansiret henne med syre for snart fire år siden. Det grusomme overfallet fikk oppmerksomhet verden over. (...)
Anonym donor
Ikke bare har ansiktet blitt gradvis rekonsturert, nå gleder 29-åringen seg over å ha fått rettet på det venstre øyet, som ble nesten blindet.
Avisen Daily Mail skriver at legene ved hjelp av vev fra hornhinnen til en anonym mannlig donor har klart å gi Piper synet tilbake.
- Det er en helt herlig følelse. Da jeg fjernet bandasjen, fikk jeg synet tilbake gradvis, sier Piper. (...)
- Blind mus ser igjen etter celletransplantasjon
Blind mus ser igjen etter celletransplantasjon
orapp.no 9.5.2012
Et London-basert forskerteam har oppdaget en metode for å transplantere celler fra friske til blinde mus.
Cellene vokste og de blinde musenes pupiller trakk seg sammen når de ble eksponert for lys, skriver Boston Globe.
OPPSIKTSVEKKENDE
En liknende metode kan bli brukt for å bytte ut celler som sørger for fargesyn på dagtid, mener forskerne.
Oppdagelsen er visstnok oppsiktsvekkende fordi den viser vei rundt et ødeleggende biologisk faktum: Når øyets lysfølsomme celler dør, slik de gjør i mange tilfeller av blindhet, kan ikke nye celler erstatte de døde.
- LOVENDE
Den nye teknikken kan imidlertid ikke ennå brukes på mennesker, advarte forskerne.
Men på sikt kan den lede til behandling av flere sykdommer som fører til blindhet.
- Dette er lovende og oppmuntrende, sier Thomas A. Reh, øyespesialist og professor i biologi ved University of Washington i Seattle. (...)
Retinal Cell Transplant Restores Vision to Blind Mice (Retinal celletransplantasjon gjenoppretter synet hos blinde mus)
scientificamerican.com 9.5.2012
British scientists have transplanted light-sensitive photoreceptors into the eyes of visually-impaired mice, which has helped them to see again. The researchers hope that a similar procedure can be applied to humans. (...)
(Anm: retinal; vitamin A-aldehyd, en komponent i synspigmentene i øyets netthinne (se syn) Kilde: Store norske leksikon.)
- Databrikke ga tilbake synet
Databrikke ga tilbake synet
forskning.no 5.5.2012
To blinde menn har fått igjen deler av synet, takket være et nytt øyeimplantat. Mennene, som har vært blinde i årevis, er nå i stand til å oppfatte lys, og også noen former. De to pasientene er deltagere i en klinisk studie i regi av Oxford Eye Hospital og King's College i London.
Mennene har begge en sykdom som gjør at fotoreseptorcellene bak netthinnen, cellene som oppfatter lys og mørke, har sluttet å fungere.
Legene har derfor satt inn en tre kvadratmillimeter stor databrikke, som erstatter cellene. Denne brikken har 1500 lysfølsomme piksler, og når lyset treffer den, sendes et signal via en kabel til den optiske nerven. Signalet oppfattes til slutt som lys for de tidligere blinde mennene. (...)
(Anm: Two blind British men have electronic retinas fitted (bbc.co.uk 14.5.2012).)
- Antidepressiva (SSRI-er) linket til økt risiko for glaukom (glaucoma) (AACG), katarakt (cataract) etc.
Antidepressants Linked to Glaucoma in Elderly (Antidepressiva linket til glaukom hos eldre)
medscape.com 26.3.2011
March 21, 2011 (San Antonio, Texas) — Recent use of antidepressants may be linked to the development of acute angle closure glaucoma (AACG) in adults over age 66, new research suggests.
Presenting here at the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) 2011 Annual Meeting, investigators of a case-crossover study of more than 5000 elderly patients with AACG found a significantly increased risk for "any antidepressant exposure" in the time period immediately preceding the condition. They also found a more than 2-fold increased risk for AACG in patients in the mixed serotonergic/noradrenergic treatment subgroup.
"The takeaway is that antidepressant exposure is associated with [AACG], although it's a pretty rare cause," principal investigator Dallas P. Seitz, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry in the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, told Medscape Medical News. (...)
Calling the robustness of this last finding "a bit surprising," Dr. Seitz said that the mixed-action drugs may be hitting multiple receptors on the pupil, which can lead to this condition. (...)
"We also found that the effect wasn't just limited to people who were on other anticholinergic drugs or had other risk factors for [AACG]. So it further strengthens the possible association between the drugs being causative." (...)
(Anm: glaukom (SML-artikkel); Etymologi: av gr. glaukos, 'blågrønn' glaukom, det samme som grønn stær. Kilde: Store norske leksikon.)
(Anm: glaukom grøn stær, ei gruppe tilstandar med auka væsketrykk inne i auget, som ved å skada synsnervepapillen kan gi synsfeltutfall, stundom fullt synstap (amaurose); sjå openvinkelglaukom, trongvinkelglaukom, pigmentglaukom og glaucoma infantile; n.rettskr.: glaukom; EN glaucoma. ET [gr glaukos blågrøn] glaukomforsking: URL http://www.glaucoma.org/ Kilde: Norsk medisinsk ordbok.)
Anti-depressant Use Linked to Higher Risk of Cataracts (Antidepressiva linket til økt risiko for katarakt)
calorielab.com/labnotes 9.3.2010
A statistical relationship between the use of SSRIs and the incidence of cataracts has been shown by researchers at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and McGill University. Researchers, using a database of more than 200,000 people aged 65 and older, found that patients who take SSRIs were about 15 percent more likely to have cataracts than those who did not take them. (...)
(Anm: katarakt; grå stær; cataracta, (av gr. 'foss') øyesykdom der linsen i øyet er fordunklet og ugjennomsiktig. Tidligere trodde man tilstanden skyldtes at grå væske rant ned som en foss foran øyets linse og stivnet der med blindhet til følge. Oftest utvikles grå stær uten kjent årsak hos eldre mennesker, cataracta senilis. I andre tilfeller er grå stær en følge av andre sykdommer, f.eks. sukkersyke, kronisk betennelse i regnbuehinnen, sviktende skjoldbruskkjertelfunksjon og radioaktiv stråling. Grå stær kan også være medfødt, cataracta congenita, f.eks. der moren har hatt røde hunder i løpet av første 3 måneder av svangerskapet.
Grå stær er og har alltid vært en av våre vanligste og mest utbredte øyesykdommer. Tilstanden sees også hos dyr. Tidligere var grå stær fryktet som en hyppig årsak til blindhet. Kilde: Store norske leksikon.)
"SSRI Eyes"? ("Lykkepilleøyner")
psychiatry.jwatch.org 2.7.2010
Newer antidepressants may increase the risk for cataracts, but research into possible confounding factors remains necessary.
Cataracts are common, and their prevalence increases with age. Researchers have reported an elevated rate of cataracts in patients receiving amitriptyline for depression. To examine potential links between cataracts and newer antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs] or the serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor venlafaxine), these investigators used Quebec's health insurance databases to conduct a nested case-control study of patients who had undergone cardiac revascularization (mean age, 73). (...)
Dee Woods: Antidepressants may damage your eyes (Dee Woods: Antidepressiva kan skade øynene dine)
thereporteronline.net 28.8.2010
Doctors will admit that medications have side effects. Unfortunately, very often we don’t realize the degree of side effects until the offending drugs have been on the market for many years.
Even then, there are times when the degree of negative side effects does not become apparent for another few years. (...)
SSRIs, Amantadine May Affect Vision in Elderly (SSRI-er, Amantadine kan påvirke synet hos eldre)
med medscape.com 24.6.2010
June 24, 2010 — Two new papers have raised red flags about visual problems linked to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in elderly patients and to long-term use of amantadine by patients with Parkinson's disease. (...)
Dr. Chang used slit-lamp biomicroscopy, central corneal thickness, endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variation, and hexagonality of corneal endothelial cells to compare the eyes of amantadine-treated Parkinson's patients and age-matched control groups. Endothelial cells work to keep excess water out of the main body of the cornea. When there are too few endothelial cells, corneal edema (swelling) results and vision is impaired, the study authors note.(...)
"Assuming other studies confirm these results, ophthalmologists and neurologists should consider evaluating a patient's corneal endothelium at the beginning of treatment with amantadine and reassess at regular intervals if the drug is used long term," coauthor Won Ryang Wee, MD, PhD, said, "and additional monitoring would be needed for patients with other conditions that reduce ECD — such as recent cataract surgery or ongoing glaucoma, uveitis, or Fuch's dystrophy — because corneal edema could develop during treatment." (...)
Study links antidepressants to cataract risk (Studie linker antidepressiva til risiko for katarakt)
contactlenses.co.uk 7.6.2010
(...) Specialists claim that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants, and amantadine, a Parkinson`s disease treatment, may have a link with cataracts.
The study, led by Mahyar Etminan, of Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Canada, assessed data from almost 19,000 people age 65 or older.
Han forklarte: "Øyets linser har serotoninreseptorer, og dyrestudier har vist at overflod av serotonin kan gjøre linsen uklar og føre til dannelse av katarakt." (...) (He explained: "The eye`s lens has serotonin receptors, and animal studies have shown that excess serotonin can make the lens opaque and lead to cataract formation.")
New Study Suggests Effexor Side Effects May Include Cataracts (Ny studie tyder på at sideeffekter for Effexor kan inkludere katarakt)
lawyersandsettlements.com 3.4.2010
Vancouver, BC: A new study has found that an increased risk of cataracts may be one of many previously unreported Effexor side effects.
Researchers from British Columbia and Quebec examined around 205,700 Quebec residents aged 65 and older, 18,700 with cataracts and 187,000 without cataracts, to draw a statistical analysis of this population. According to the Vancouver Sun, researchers found a substantial link between cataract diagnosis or surgery and the usage of antidepressant medications, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Resultatene av studien tyder på en 34 prosent økning i risiko for utvikling av katarakt for de som tar Effexor; økningen i katarakt for de som tar Seroxat var 23 prosent. Forskerne håper å studere dette fenomenet nærmere i fremtiden. (...) (The results of the study suggests a 34 percent increase in the risk of developing cataracts for those taking Effexor; the increase in cataract risk for those taking Paxil was 23 percent. Researchers hope to study this phenomenon more closely in the future.)
(Anm: Efexor / Effexor (venlafaxine) - Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) (mintankesmie.no).)
(Anm: Seroxat (Paxil) (paroxetine; paroksetin) (SSRI) (mintankesmie.no).)
Cataracts World's Leading Cause of Vision Loss (Katarakt verdens ledende årsak til synstap)
abcnews.go.com 30.8.2008
Age a key factor, but group cites other risks during August disease awareness month.
FRIDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Cataracts -- the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States and the world -- affect more than 22 million Americans aged 40 and older, says Prevent Blindness America.
Each year in the United States, about $6.8 billion is spent on direct medical costs for outpatient, inpatient and prescription drug services for cataracts, according to a study funded by the group, which has designated August as Cataract Awareness Month. It's projected that more than 30.1 million Americans will have cataracts by 2020. (...)
"Cataract is something that most of us will develop at some point in our lives. The key is to understand what we can do now to help protect our vision in the future," Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness America, said in a news release from the organization.
Age is the major risk factor for cataract, but there are several other possible risk factors, such as:
- Intense heat or long-term exposure to UV rays from the sun.
- Certain diseases, such as diabetes.
- Inflammation in the eye.
- Genetics.
- Long-term steroid use.
- Eye injuries and eye diseases.
- Smoking.
- Pre-birth factors, such as German measles in the mother.
Surgery to remove cataracts has a 95 percent success rate and is the most frequently performed surgery in the United States. Each year, about 3 million Americans have cataract surgery, according to Prevent Blindness America. (...)
- Risiko for netthinneavløsning knyttet til bruk av enkelte antibiotika
Author Insights: Retinal Detachment Risk Associated With Use of Some Antibiotics (Forfatters innsikt: Risiko for netthinneavløsning knyttet til bruk av enkelte antibiotika)
JAMA 2011 (April 3)
Use of commonly prescribed fluoroquinolone antibiotics such as Cipro, Floxin, and Noroxin is associated with an increased risk of developing a detached retina, a medical emergency that can lead to irreversible vision loss. The finding appears today in JAMA. (...)
- Legemidler mot benskjørhet kan øke risiko for øyesykdommer senere i livet
Osteoporosis Drugs ‘May Increase Risk Of Eye Disease' Later In Life (Legemidler mot benskjørhet "kan øke risiko for øyesykdommer" senere i livet)
huffingtonpost.com 3.4.2012
Drugs commonly used to help prevent osteoporosis may increase the risk of a serious inflammatory eye disease, Canadian researchers have discovered.
The drug, oral bisphosphonates, which is prescribed to those suffering from osteoporosis, has previously been linked to irregular heartbeat and esophageal and colon cancer.
This time around, to investigate the role of bisphosphonates and the eye disease uveitis (or scleritis), researchers from the Child and Family Research Institute and the University of British Columbia studied data of 934,147 people who had a ophthalmologist between 2000 and 2007.
Of the total, 10,827 were first-time users of bisphosphonates and 923,320 were non-users.
"We found that first-time users of bisphosphonates are at an increased risk of scleritis and uveitis," explains Dr Mahyar Etminan from the study.
"The risk of inflammatory ocular adverse events, including scleritis and uveitis, is not highlighted in most package inserts included with oral bisphosphonates.
"Our study highlights the need for clinicians to inform their patients about the signs and symptoms of scleritis and uveitis, so that prompt treatment may be sought and further complications averted."
Bisphosphonates are drugs that in certain situations can help to protect your bones against some of the effects of cancer, such as pain and weakness. They may also be used to reduce a raised calcium level in the blood.
The findings were published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. (...)
(Anm: Skleritt (se bilde) er en betennelse i sklera, senehinnen, som er det vi ser som det hvite på øyet . Sykdommen kan finnes på begge øynene samtidig eller på bare det ene. (nhi.no).)
(Anm: Uveitt, også kalt revmatisk øyebetennelse eller regnbuhinnebetennelse, er en en såkalt autoimmun sykdom som oppstår når kroppens immunforsvar angriper sitt eget vev som i dette tilfellet er øyets uvea. (no.wikipedia.org).)
- Katarakt kan forårsake søvnløshet hos eldre
Gule øyne gir dårlig søvn
aftenposten.no 16.9.2011
Ny dansk forskning tyder på
at søvnforstyrrelser kan skyldes
cellene i øynene våre som med
alderen er blitt dårligere til å
regulere døgnrytmen vår, og
det blir verre jo eldre man blir,
skriver videnskab.dk. Gul misfarging
av øynene forhindrer at
lyset trenger inn på netthinnen,
og det forstyrrer døgnrytmen.
– Vi målte forbindelsen
mellom gule linser og dårlig
nattesøvn, og det var en tydelig
forbindelse, sier Line Kessel,
seniorforsker ved Øyeavdelingen
på Glostrup Hospital. (...)
(Anm: Søvn (mintankesmie.no).)
Cataracts could cause Insomnia in the Elderly (Katarakt kan forårsake søvnløshet hos eldre)
ivanhoe.com 5.9.2011
(Ivanhoe Newswire)--- If you are a senior citizen and you are finding it hard to get to sleep at night, a new study may have some answers for you. A natural yellowing of the eye lens that absorbs blue light s has been linked to sleep disorders in the elderly.
"The strong link between lens yellowing and age could help explain why sleep disorders become more frequent with increasing age," Line Kessel, M.D., Ph.D., the study's lead author, was quoted saying.
A group of 970 volunteers had their eyes examined by lens autofluorometry; a non-invasive method that determined how much blue light was transmitted into the retina. Blue light influences the sleep cycle by helping initiate the release of the hormone Melatonin, which tells the body when it's time to go to sleep or stay awake. (...)
"The results showed that while age-related lens yellowing is of relatively little importance for visual function, it may be responsible for insomnia in the elderly," Kessel was quoted saying.
Cataract surgery could be the solution to end those sleepless nights. Kessel, who is a senior scientist in the Department of Opthalmology at Glostrup Hospital in Denmark, said that sleep quality has been shown to improve after cataract surgery. (...)
"The transmission of blue light currently cannot be improved by any other method than cataract surgery," She was quoted saying. (...)
- Kataraktoperasjon hjelper pasienter med Alzheimers sykdom
Visual Impairment, Age-Related Eye Diseases, and Cognitive Function (Synssvekkelse, aldersrelaterte sykdoemmer, og kognitiv svekkelse)
Arch Ophthalmol. 2012 (Published online March 12)
Objective To describe the associations of visual impairment and major age-related eye diseases with cognitive function in an older Asian population. (...)
Conclusions Older persons with visual impairment, particularly those with visual impairment due to cataract, were more likely to have cognitive dysfunction. Furthermore, among the major age-related eye diseases, only diabetic retinopathy was associated with cognitive dysfunction. (...)
Cataract Surgery Helps Alzheimer's Patients (Kataraktoperasjon hjelper pasienter med Alzheimers sykdom)
ivanhoe.com 26.10.2011
(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease whose vision improved after a cataract surgery also showed improvement in cognitive ability, mood, sleep patterns and other behaviors.
This is the first study to specifically assess whether cataract surgery could benefit Alzheimer's patients. Thirty-eight patients, average age 85 and all exhibiting mild dementia due to Alzheimer's disease, completed lead researcher Brigitte Girard’s, MD, study. All participants had debilitating cataract in at least one eye and were appropriately treated with standard cataract surgery and implantation of intraocular lenses, which replace the eyes' natural lenses in order to provide vision correction. After surgery, distance and near vision improved dramatically in all but one of the Alzheimer's patients.
A neuropsychologist assessed the Alzheimer's patients for mood and depression, behavior, ability to function independently, and cognitive abilities at one month before and three months after cataract surgery. Cognitive status, the ability to perceive, understand and respond appropriately to one's surroundings, improved in 25 percent of patients. Depression was relieved in many of them, and the level of improvement was similar to what commonly occurs after cataract surgery in elderly people who do not have dementia. No changes were found in patients' level of autonomy, that is, their ability to function independently.
Sleep patterns improved and night time behavior problems decreased in most study patients. Other studies have shown that when cataracts are removed, levels of the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin become normalized. Dr. Girard notes that this may have been a key factor in the Alzheimer's patients' improved sleep patterns. (...)
- Øyner kan være et speil av hjertet
Eyes May Be a Mirror of the Heart (Øyner kan være et speil av hjertet)
medpagetoday.com 22.4.2011
Physical activity -- or lack thereof -- may be related to subclinical signs of cardiovascular risk in 6-year-olds, as indicated by changes in retinal microvasculature, researchers found.
Children who had the most outdoor physical activity -- at least 34 minutes a day -- had a mean retinal arteriolar diameter that was 2.2 µm wider than those who spent only about 8 minutes a day playing outside (P=0.004), according to Paul Mitchell, MD, PhD, of the University of Sydney in Australia, and colleagues.
In contrast, those who spent the most time watching TV -- at least an hour-and-a-half a day -- had a 2.3-µm narrower retinal arteriolar diameter than those who watched the least -- less than 34 minutes a day (P=0.003), the researchers reported online in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. (...)
(Anm: 'Lykkepiller' kan give hjertestop (videnskab.dk 24.11.2011).)
- Skjult organ i våre øyner funnet å kontrollere hjerterytme og følelser
Hidden Organ in Our Eyes Found to Control Circadian Rhythms and Emotions (Skjult organ i våre øyner funnet å kontrollere hjerterytme og følelser)
scientificamerican.com 9.5.2011
Our bodies adjust to the cycle of day and night thanks to specialized neurons in our eyes. Ongoing study of these cells could lead to new treatments for winter depression and other conditions
In the 1920s Harvard University graduate student Clyde E. Keeler discovered two surprising facts about mice he had bred in his rented attic room. One, all the progeny were completely blind. Two, despite the animals’ blindness, their pupils still constricted in response to ambient light, albeit at a slower rate than did the pupils of sighted mice.
Many years later researchers extended Keeler’s observation, showing that mice genetically engineered to lack rods and cones (the light receptors involved in vision) nonetheless reacted to changes in light by adjusting their circadian clock—the internal timer that synchronizes hormone activity, body temperature and sleep. The animals performed the usual daytime activities when in daylight and nighttime activities when in the dark. They could o so even though their retinas lacked the photoreceptor cells that vertebrate eyes use to form images, although surgically removing their eyes abolished this ability. This phenomenon may be common to many mammals, including humans: recent experiments have shown that certain blind people can also adjust their circadian clocks and constrict their pupils in response to light. (...)
- Øyesykdommer linket til nedsatt hukommelse (kognitiv svekkelse)
Retinopathy Tied to Cognitive Decline (Øyesykdommer linket til kognitiv svekkelse)
medpagetoday.com 17.3.2012
The eye of the patient may hold clues to the risk of dementia, researchers found.
In a prospective longitudinal study of older women, retinopathy was associated with poorer performance on a standard measure of cognition, according to Mary Haan, DrPH, of the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues.
Retinopathy was also associated with an increased volume of small ischemic areas in the brain, they reported online in Neurology. (...)
(Anm: Retinopati; sykelig tilstand i øyets netthinne. Betegnelsen brukes oftest i forbindelse med de netthinneforandringer som kan oppstå ved diabetes, retinopathia diabetica, eller forhøyet blodtrykk, retinopathia hypertonica. Kilde: Store norske leksikon.).)
Eye Disease Linked to Memory Decline (Øyesykdommer linket til nedsatt hukommelse)
emedicinehealth.com 14.3.2012
(...) A new study suggests that people with even minimal eye damage involving the blood vessels of the retina, due to vascular disease, have a higher risk for memory and thinking declines.
Researchers say problems with the blood vessels in the eyes may be an important clue that the blood vessels in the brain are not functioning properly.
If this proves to be the case, eye screening to check for damage to the blood vessels of the retina, or retinopathy, could potentially help identify people at risk for dementia.
Eye Health, Brain Health
Retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes and uncontrolled high blood pressure, and it is a leading cause of blindness among adults in the United States.
Diabetes and high blood pressure have also been linked to a higher risk for memory and thinking declines.
To find out whether retinopathy might serve as an early warning sign of vascular-related mental issues, researchers examined data from a large study known as the Women's Health Initiative.
The analysis included just over 500 older women who underwent mental testing annually for up to 10 years to evaluate memory and thinking skills.
The women also had a single eye examination around four years after entering the study and brain scans about eight years after they were enrolled. (...)
Eye Health Linked to Brain Health? (Øyehelse linket til hjernehelse?)
Ivanhoe.com 16.3.2012
(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Look into your brain! A new study reveals people with mild vascular disease are more likely to have problems with memory skills and thinking.
Damage to the retina is called retinopathy. Researchers found people with mild vascular disease with retinopathy are more likely to have problems with thinking and memory skills because they may also have vascular disease in the brain. In the study, the damage was mild enough to not cause significant symptoms.
The study involved 511 women with an average age of 69. The women were tested on their memory and thinking skills every year for up to 10 years, with their eye health being tested four years into the study and scans of their brans taken about eight years into the study.
About 7.6 percent of approximately 39 women had retinopathy and had lower scores on the cognitive tests than women who did not have retinopathy. With 47 percent larger volumes of areas with damage, the women with retinopathy had more areas of small vascular damage within the brain than women who did not have retinopathy. Also in the parietal lobe of the brain, a 68 percent larger volume of damage was prevalent in women with retinopathy. The results were the same even after adjusting for high blood pressure and diabetes (a factor in vascular issues in the eye and brain).
"Problems with the tiny blood vessels in the eye may be a sign that there are also problems with the blood vessels in the brain that can lead to cognitive problems. This could be very useful if a simple eye screening could give us an early indication that people might be at risk of problems with their brain health and functioning," Dr. Mary Haan of the University of California, San Fransisco and lead study author was quoted as saying.
SOURCE: Neurology, March 2012 (...)
Cognitive function and retinal and ischemic brain changes The Women's Health Initiative
Neurology 2012 (Published online before print March 14)
(...) Objective: To examine the association between retinopathy and cognitive decline or brain lesions and volumes in older women.
Methods: This study included 511 women aged 65 and older who were simultaneously enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study and the Sight Examination Study. In this analysis, we examined the link between retinopathy, assessed using fundus photography (2000–2002), cognitive performance over time assessed by the modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MSE) (1996–2007), and white matter hyperintensities and lacunar infarcts in the basal ganglia.
Results: Presence of retinopathy was associated with poorer 3MSE scores (mean difference = 1.01, SE: 0.43) (p = 0.019) over a 10-year follow-up period and greater ischemic volumes in the total brain (47% larger, p = 0.04) and the parietal lobe (68% larger, p = 0.01) but not with measures of regional brain atrophy.
Conclusions: The correspondence we found between retinopathy and cognitive impairment, along with larger ischemic lesion volumes, strengthens existing evidence that retinopathy as a marker of small vessel disease is a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease that may influence cognitive performance and related brain changes. Retinopathy may be useful as a clinical tool if it can be shown to be an early marker related to neurologic outcomes. (...)
- Etter mildt hjerneslag, er mer screening vesentlig for å identifisere depresjon, synstap
After Mild Stroke, More Screening Essential To Identify Depression, Vision Loss (Etter mildt hjerneslag, er mer screening vesentlig for å identifisere depresjon, synstap)
medicalnewstoday.com 4.10.2011
On the surface they appear unaffected, but people who have mild strokes may live with hidden disabilities, including depression, vision problems and difficulty thinking, according to a study released at the Canadian Stroke Congress.
The study calls for new guidelines for the treatment and management of mild strokes, which account for two-thirds of all strokes and usually involve a hospital stay of one to five days. Co-author Annie Rochette, Ph.D, of the University of Montreal, and her research team interviewed 200 people in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta within the first six weeks of their stroke.
"There is no such thing as a mild stroke," says Dr. Rochette, who describes high rates of sleeplessness and depression among study participants - almost a quarter of whom were clinically depressed. "These patients face huge challenges in their daily lives." Study participants reported a significantly poorer perceived quality of life.
Participants in the study were generally younger than people who have severe strokes. The mean age of study participants was 62. Seventy-five per cent of severe strokes occur in people over age 65.
People interviewed worried about returning to work (41 per cent were working before their stroke), taking care of their families and being able to drive. Yet, few were screened for visual or cognitive impairments, which are not as easily detected as impairments in movement, before leaving hospital or provided with post-stroke rehabilitation.
Nearly 25 per cent of mild stroke patients only visited the emergency room. Occupational therapists, neuropsychologists or speech therapists, who typically do these types of screenings, do not usually see mild stroke patients, says Dr. Rochette.
"Patients are told to see their family doctor, but given no other tools or rehabilitation," says Dr. Rochette. "When they go to drive again some people are too afraid to get behind the wheel."
People with mild stroke also faced the fear and increased risk of another stroke and uncertainty about the future. "This study dispels the myth that mild strokes lead to few or no consequences," Dr. Rochette says. (...)
- Synsproblemer ved hjerneslag
Synsproblemer ved hjerneslag
Tidsskr Nor Lægeforen 2005; 125:176-7 (20.1.2005)
Bakgrunn. I Norge får hvert år anslagsvis 13 000 personer hjerneslag. Synsproblemer forekommer ofte etterpå, men er lite påaktet, og det gis i liten grad tilbud om rehabilitering. Hensikten med undersøkelsen var primært å finne ut hvor ofte synsfeltsutfall etter hjerneslag ble påvist under opphold i en medisinsk slagenhet.
Materiale og metode. 20 konsekutive hjerneslagspasienter innlagt i en slagenhet fikk primært undersøkt synsfeltet av lege i avdelingen. 18 av disse var i en slik tilstand at de også kunne undersøkes av personale ved øyeavdelingen. Her undersøkte man dessuten synsstyrke, øyemotilitet, øyebunn og i utvalgte tilfeller også synsoppmerksomhet.
Resultater. Synsstyrken var normal (1, 0) hos åtte av 18 undersøkte, ingen var svaksynte. To personer hadde en homonym synsfeltsdefekt, hos begge ble dette påvist av legen i slagenheten. I øyeavdelingen ble det funnet forstyrrelser i øyemotiliteten hos ti pasienter, de fleste hadde en kombinasjon av eksofori og nedsatt konvergens.
Fortolkning. Synsproblemer er vanlig hos hjerneslagspasienter. Homonyme synsfeltsdefekter kan avdekkes av lege i slagenheten, og synspedagogisk rehabilitering bør kunne tilbys. Det er usikkert hvordan de registrerte øyemotoriske forstyrrelsene skal tolkes. (...)
- Forebygging av blindhet: å se er å tro
Preventing blindness: seeing is believing (Forebygging av blindhet: å se er å tro)
Editorial (Lederartikkel)
CMAJ 2012;184 (January 10)
In Canada, an uncertain and fragmented approach to early detection and care of eye diseases results in preventable blindness. Loss of vision from all causes — especially diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts — may not kill, but it is responsible for profound loss of quality of life. Costs to Canadians were estimated at $15.8 billion in 2009, and in subsequent years they will be substantially higher.1 Challenges worldwide are similar. But what are we going to do?
The uncertainty is owing to the imperfect and occasionally sparse evidence about the overall benefits of screening strategies. Fragmentation of care exists because highly skilled health professionals are in short supply, often not easily accessible and not well organized within our health system. As a result, early manifestations of blinding eye disease in the population go undetected. Indeed, by the time a patient notices that something is wrong, it may be too late.
Glaucoma afflicts 1% to 2% of Canadians over age 40, half of whom only discover it once substantial visual loss and permanent optic nerve damage have occurred.2 But this disease has effective treatments that have been shown to slow the progress of illness.2 For this reason, strategies need to be devised to screen for asymptomatic disease. (...)
- Derfor blir synet dårligere etter 40
Derfor blir synet dårligere etter 40
tu.no 10.2.2012
ØYET ELDES: Øyets "sensor" kan i utgangspunktet takle opp mot 500 megapixler. Men øyet eldes og kvaliteten synker. Foto: Roald, Berit SCANPIX
Slik eldes øyet.
Det er lett å trekke parallellen til vår elektronikkverdenen når vi ser på øyet: Det er et fantastisk instrument, ikke ulikt et moderne kamera.
Lyset fra omverdenen kommer inn og treffer den første linsen – hornhinnen. Her skjer 2/3 av lysbrytningen som trengs for at lyset skal treffe riktig innerst i øyet. Deretter passeres den kontinuerlig regulerbare blenderen – iris (pupillen), som er åpningen i regnbuehinnen, og som sørger for at riktig mengde lys kommer inn i øyet. For mange eller for få fotoner vil gjøre at bildet havner utenfor arbeidsområdet til sensoren.
Etter å ha blitt brutt og lysregulert passerer lyset gjennom zoomlinsen. Det er linselegemet som tar seg av den siste del av lysbrytningen og avstemmer den etter hvor langt det er til motivet objektet som skal være i fokus.
Linselegements oppgave er å få fokus plassert innerst i øyet hvor sensoren – retina (netthinnen) sitter.
Hvor mange megapiksler retina har, er et annet spørsmål. Noen peker på at oppløsningen er svært stor. Et sted mellom 200 og 500 megapiksler. (...)
- Opplevelse av farger og hvordan de påvirker oss
Schrödingers katt: Farger
nrk.no 13.12.2011
Øyet vårt kan skille mellom 2,5 millioner farger. Men hva er farger? Er rødt for meg den samme fargen som den er for deg, eller skapes fargen inne i hodet vårt? Programleder Hanne Kari Fossum tester ut vår opplevelse av farger og hvordan de påvirker oss. (...)
Oxford neuroscience
hneuroscience.ox.ac.uk/directory/russell-foster (13.12.2011)
Circadian and Visual Neuroscience
All life on earth has evolved under a rhythmically changing cycle of light and darkness, and organisms from single-celled bacteria up to man possess an internal representation of time. These 24 hour cycles, termed circadian rhythms, persist in the absence of external cues, and provide a means of anticipating changes in the environment rather than passively responding to them. In mammals, including man, light provides the critical input to the circadian system, synchronising the body clock to prevailing conditions. The photoreceptors providing this input are found in the retina, consisting of the classical rods and cones which enable image-formation, as well as a recently identified subset of photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (pRGCs). The research interests of our group range across the neurosciences but with specific interests in circadian, visual and behavioural neuroscience. This covers such topics as how circadian rhythms are generated, the diverse functions these rhythms serve, how this system is regulated by light, the role of classical and novel photoreceptors in both visual and circadian light perception, and genetic disorders of these systems. This work includes a range of molecular, cellular, anatomical and behavioural aspects, as well as addressing the implications for human performance, productivity and health. Research is divided into three groupings, with a broad overlap and extensive collaborations between each. Circadian Biology Retinal Neurobiology Ocular Genetics
My research interest’s span both visual and circadian neurobiology with the main focus on the mechanisms whereby light regulates vertebrate circadian rhythms. Several of our key findings are listed below, but of these I consider the discovery of non-rod, non-cone retinal photoreceptors to be the most important to date. (...)
Our recent and unpublished work has shown that pRGCs regulate multiple areas of physiology including sleep propensity and cardiac function (work in progress). Finally, novel microarray approaches developed by Stuart Peirson and studies in gene knock-out models by Henrik Oster in the group have identified new and unexpected proteins in the melanopsin phototransduction cascade (15). (...)
(Anm: Photosensitive ganglion cell (en.wikipedia.org).)
- Tørre øyner blir ofte oversett
- Tørre øyne har blitt folkeplage
nrk.no 13.2.2012
Intens bruk av øynene mot en skjerm skaper stadig flere øyeplager og økt fare for nærsynthet. Men dagen vår består av stadig flere skjermer. Lær deg skjermvett av synsekspertene! (...)
'Dry eye' dangers are often missed (Tørre øyner blir ofte oversett)
usatoday.com 25.7.2006
Nancy Frankhouser's eyes itched and became irritated when she traveled to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and London during the past four years. She finally knows why.
"I never knew I suffered from dry eye until my last appointment with my ophthalmologist about six months ago," says the retired health care executive, 70, who travels to New York and London every year.
"I felt the discomfort but just thought it was part of the aging process."
Most of the more than 20 million Americans who have dry eye don't know they have it and blame their eye problems on other factors, says Marguerite McDonald, a surgeon in Long Island, N.Y., who performed the world's first laser eye surgery. The condition afflicts twice as many women as men and is found more commonly in menopausal women, older people, contact lens wearers, computer users and people who are taking medication.
Dry eye occurs when eyes do not produce the right amount or quality of tears.
It can cause blurred vision, sensitivity to light and a sensation that a foreign object is in the eye. It most often occurs in the summer and is aggravated by the environment of many cities. (...)
- An Immune-Mediated Ocular Surface Disorder
Dry Eye Disease
Arch Ophthalmol. 2012;130(1):90-100 (January)
An Immune-Mediated Ocular Surface Disorder
Dry eye disease is a multifactorial disorder of the tears and ocular surface characterized by symptoms of dryness and irritation. Although the pathogenesis of dry eye disease is not fully understood, it is recognized that inflammation has a prominent role in the development and propagation of this debilitating condition. Factors that adversely affect tear film stability and osmolarity can induce ocular surface damage and initiate an inflammatory cascade that generates innate and adaptive immune responses. These immunoinflammatory responses lead to further ocular surface damage and the development of a self-perpetuating inflammatory cycle. Herein, we review the fundamental links between inflammation and dry eye disease and discuss the clinical implications of inflammation in disease management. (...)
- Oppmerksomhet på legemiddelindusert øyetoksisitet ("øyegiftighet") er avgjørende for pasienter, ifølge leger
Selected Sun-Sensitizing Medications and Incident Cataract
Arch Ophthalmol. 2010;128(8):(June 14)
(...) Conclusions Data suggest that the use of sun-sensitizing medications interacts with sun exposure to influence the risk of cortical cataract, a common age-related cataract. If confirmed, this finding may have important implications for medication use. (...)
Awareness of Drug-Induced Eye Toxicity Crucial for Patients, Physicians, Says (Oppmerksomhet på legemiddelindusert øyetoksisitet ("øyegiftighet") er avgjørende for pasienter, ifølge leger)
citizen.org 1.4.2008 (Public Citizen on WorstPills.org)
Article in ‘Drug Safety’ Identifies 62 Drugs That Can Cause Eye Disease
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Physicians and patients should be aware of the slew of drugs that can cause eye disease and be diligent in identifying potential adverse effects, Public Citizen writes in a new March posting on its WorstPills.org Web site.
A recent paper published in Drug Safety identifies 62 drugs that can cause adverse reactions to the eye. Public Citizen summarizes the paper’s findings, highlights these reactions and describes how they relate to structures in the eye and certain eye conditions.
The eye is composed of a plethora of different types of cells, and drugs can affect each type. The 62 drugs can cause a host of different eye diseases, including cataracts, glaucoma, eye surgery complications, eyelid and conjunctival diseases, optic nerve diseases and retinal abnormalities. Loss of color vision, blurred and impaired vision, decreased night vision, skin lesions and blindness are just some of the symptoms people who develop these diseases can experience.
While people are aware of the undesirable effects drugs can have on organs in the body, they often don’t consider the potential risks to their eyes.
“The eye is a crucial organ, and it is important that physicians and patients understand the risks associated with certain drugs,” said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of the Health Research Group at Public Citizen. (...)
Drug-Induced Eye Toxicity: 62 Drugs That Can Cause Eye Disease) (Legemiddelindusert øyetoksisitet: 62 legemidler kan forårsake øyesykdommer)
worstpills.org (April 2008)
Readers of Worst Pills, Best Pills News are well aware that drugs can have undesirable effects on organs throughout the body. In Chapter 3 of our book “Worst Pills, Best Pills,” in many previous issues of Worst Pills, Best Pills News and on our Web site, worstpills.org, we have extensive lists of drugs that can cause depression, sexual dysfunction, parkinsonism, memory loss and many other drug side effects that may not have been recognized as drug-induced. But most readers (and, probably, many physicians) are unaware of the plethora of adverse drug effects manifested in one of our most crucial organs: the eye. In part, this variety of side effects results from the eye being comprised of so many different types of cells, each of which can be affected by drugs (see eye diagram, below). (...)
- Proteiner i tårer kan beskytte mot skadelige bakterier
Proteins in tears use 'jaws' to chew through bacteria, report says (Proteiner i tårer bruker "kjever" til å tygge igjennom bakterier, ifølge rapport)
latimes.com
19.1.2012
Tears play many roles in maintaining our eyes. (Los Angeles Times)
Human tears are thought to be unique in the animal kingdom, in that they're often tied to our emotional state -- but that's not the only special property they possess. Proteins in tears can protect against harmful bacteria, and now a team of UC Irvine researchers has shown how.
Lysozymes are antiseptic proteins found in a number of bodily fluids, including tears. Their anti-bacterial properties were first identified by Nobel laureate Alexander Fleming, discoverer of penicillin, in the 1920s, but it was unclear how these proteins could take out bacteria much bigger than them. The body's defensive army of white blood cells, after all, protects by engulfing and destroying invading bacteria; lysozymes must work by a very different mechanism. (...)
Now, in a paper released online Thursday by the journal Science, researchers have found that these proteins work by using "jaws" to chew through cell walls, destroying the bacteria in the process.
Figuring this out was no easy task: as the protein binds with the molecule it's affecting, it undergoes subtle shape changes that can tell researchers what exactly the protein is doing. The problem is, this process is hard to keep track of. The scientists had to build a tiny transistor and stuck a single protein molecule on its carbon-nanotube live wire, essentially tracking the electronic "noise" the protein gave off as it shifted around.
The technique they used will, they hope, also be useful in detecting cancerous molecules, long before conventional detection methods would pick up signs of the disease. (...)
- Hvorfor noen mennesker blir blinde?
Health Tip: Why Some People Become Blind (Helsetips: hvorfor noen mennesker blir blinde?)
health.yahoo.net 2.7.2010
(HealthDay News) -- Why do people who are born with the ability to see eventually become blind?
The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers this list of common reasons for severe or complete vision loss:
• Having glaucoma.
• Being diabetic.
• Sustaining an eye injury, such as from playing a sport or from a chemical burn.
• Having macular degeneration.
• Having cataracts.
• Having vitamin A deficiency. (...)
- Alzheimers sykdom: Besøk øyelege for å oppdage det tidlig
Eye Test For Alzheimer's? (Øyetest for Alzheimers sykdom?)
ivanhoe.com 24.5.2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) ? The protein that forms plaques in the brain in Alzheimer's disease also accumulates in the eyes of people with Down syndrome.
The new findings show that the toxic protein, known as amyloid-ß, that causes Alzheimer's pathology in the brain also leads to distinctive cataracts in the eyes of people with Down syndrome. The discovery is leading the researchers to develop an innovative eye test for early detection of Alzheimer's pathology in both disorders. (...)
Alzheimer's: Visit Eye Doctor to Catch it Early (Alzheimers sykdom: Besøk øyelege for å ta fatt i det tidlig)
Ivanhoe.com 22.2.2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study gives seniors a reason to visit the ophthalmologist -- those with poor vision who sought help were 64 percent less likely to develop dementia.
University of Michigan researchers suggest poor vision may now be a predictor of dementia and not just a symptom that comes after diagnosis. They looked at Medicare data relating to poor vision, visits to the ophthalmologist and a national study.
“Our results indicate that it is important for elderly individuals with visual problems to seek medical attention so that the causes of the problems can be identified and treated," Mary A.M. Rogers, Ph.D., research assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and research director of the Patient Safety Enhancement Program at the University of Michigan Health System and the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center, was quoted as saying. (...)
- Øyner kan si noe om fremtidig risiko for slag, Alzheimers sykdom etc.
Eye test 'could spot Alzheimer's' (Øyetest "kunne påvise Alzheimers sykdom")
bbc.co.uk 22.7.2006
Tidlig demens vil kunne oppdages med en enkel øyetest, liknende de brukt for å teste høyt blodtrykk og diabetes, tror amerikanske forskere. (...) (Early dementia could be detected with a simple eye test, similar to those used to test for high blood pressure and diabetes, US scientists believe.)
Eyes May Offer Glimpse of Future Stroke Risk (Øyner kan si noe om fremtidig risiko for slag)
foxnews.com 11.10.2005
Øyner er kjent som sjelens vindu, men en ny studie antyder at de også kan avsløre fremtidig risiko for hjerneslag. (Eyes may be known as the window to the soul, but a new study suggests they may also provide a porthole to the brain and reveal future stroke risk.)
Forskerne fant at mennesker med forandringer i de små blodårer var mer sannsynlig å få et slag enn mennesker uten disse forandringer, selv etter å gjøre greie for tradisjonelle risikofaktorer for slag som høyt blodtrykk og røyking. (Researchers found people with changes in the small blood vessels in their eyes were more likely to suffer a stroke than people without these changes, even after accounting for traditional stroke risk factors like high blood pressure and smoking.)
"Blodårene i øynene deler liknende anatomiske medisinske karakteristika og andre karakeristika med blodårene i hjernen," sier forsker Paul Mitchell, MD, PhD, ved University of Sydney i Australia, i en pressemelding. "Mer forskning er nødvendig for å bekrefte disse resultater, men det er spennende å tenke at denne forholdsvis enkle prosedyre kunne hjelpe oss å forutsi hvorvidt noen er mer sannsynlig å få et slag flere år senere." ("The blood vessels in the eyes share similar anatomical characteristics and other characteristics with the blood vessels in the brain," says researcher Paul Mitchell, MD, PhD, of the University of Sydney in Australia, in a news release. "More research needs to be done to confirm these results, but it's exciting to think that this fairly simple procedure could help us predict whether someone will be more likely to have a stroke several years later.")
Slag oppstår når en blodåre som leder til hjernen brister eller blir blokkert av en blodpropp, som resulterer i skade i det berørte området i hjernen. (Strokes occur when a blood vessel leading to the brain bursts or becomes blocked by a blood clot, resulting in damage to the affected area of the brain.)
(Anm: Retinal microvascular signs and risk of stroke and stroke mortality. Neurology 2005;65:1005-1009.)
- Hjerneslag og immunsystem
Stroke May Trigger Memory Trouble (Slag kan utløse hukommelsesproblemer)
healthfinder.gov 10.4.2006
Decline can happen in the absence of other cognitive problems, such as dementia, researchers note
-- Stroke may harm memory without necessarily causing dementia or other cognitive impairment, researchers report.
Columbia University researchers in New York performed an initial assessment of nearly 1,300 people, averaging just over 76 years of age, with no cognitive impairment or dementia. The evaluations were done between January 1992 and December 1994, and the study volunteers were then re-examined at 18-month intervals until November 1999. (...)
Nya forskningsrön kan hjälpa strokepatienter
gp.se 23.2.2006
Uppdaterad: 2006-02-23 22:42
Samma immunsystem som bidrar till skada efter en stroke hjälper också till att reparera skadan. Upptäckten av denna dubbla roll kan på sikt leda till nya sätt att behandla stroke.
Den del av immunförsvaret det handlar om kallas för komplementsystemet. Det består av ett 20-tal proteiner som snabbt aktiveras när kroppen utsätts för fara i form av bakterier, virus eller skada. Komplementsystemet utgör ett slags förtrupper till de mer specificerade cellerna i immunförsvaret.
Nu har forskare vid Sahlgrenska Akademin studerat hur dessa proteiner beter sig på möss som får stroke. Fram tills nu har man ansett att komplementsystemet bidragit till de vävnadsskador man ser efter en stroke, främst genom den inflammation som uppstår. Men nu har docent Marcela Pekna, professor Milos Pekny och deras medarbetare upptäckt att proteinerna är viktiga aktörer också när det gäller att reparera skadorna.
Forskarna upptäckte till sin förvåning att både nervstamceller och omogna nervceller hade mottagare, receptorer, för komplementproteiner på sina ytor. Det visade sig att komplementsystemet spelar en aktiv roll i reparationsarbetet genom att reglera utmognaden av nya nervceller. En hittills helt okänd roll för vårt äldsta immunförsvarssystem.
- När vi tog bort signaleringen genom receptorerna minskade också nybildningen av de reparerande cellerna, säger Marcela Pekna. Det skedde i såväl den normala som i den strokedrabbade hjärnan.
Nu hoppas man kunna använda denna nya kunskap för att så småningom kunna stimulera tillväxt av nya nervceller efter stroke. Men först återstår det mödosamma arbetet att identifiera vilka mekanismer som ligger bakom den här positiva effekten. Det håller man som bäst på med.
- Hittar vi detta finns det goda möjligheter att både utveckla effektiva metoder att begränsa de negativa följderna av immunsvaret och stimulera de mekanismer som skyddar och reparerar nervcellerna, säger Marcela Pekna.
I ett större perspektiv syftar den här typen av forskning till att klarlägga vilka strategier man kan utnyttja för att ersätta skadade eller sjuka nervceller efter sjukdomar som Alzheimer, multipel skleros och stroke eller efter olyckor där nervsystemet skadats.
Senare i år hoppas man komma igång med en undersökning av strokepatienter i Göteborg. Studien presenteras i den ansedda medicintidskriften EMBO Journal, som ges ut av Nature.
Hemoragisk hjerneslag hos unge voksne skyldes misdannede blodårer eller substansmisbruk
ASA: Blame Hemorrhagic Stroke in Young Adults on Malformed Vessels or Drug Abuse (ASA: Hemoragisk hjerneslag hos unge voksne skyldes misdannede blodårer eller substansmisbruk)
medpagetoday.com 21.2.2006
Forklar pasienter som spør at publiserte studier indikerer at for høyt blodtrykk er den mest vanlige årsak til intracerebrale blødninger, men for unge voksne kan det være aneurismer (utposninger), arteriovenøse misdannelser, eller andre vaskulopatier (sykdom eller feil i årene, oftest brukt om uklare tilstander), eller substansmisbruk. (Explain to patients who ask that published studies indicate that hypertension is the most common cause of intracerebral hemorrhage, but for young adults it may be aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, or other vasculopathies, or drug abuse.)
(Anm: Primary source: American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference. Source reference: Hoffmann, M et al. " Intracranial Hemorrhage in Young People Is Mostly Due to Vascular Abnormality or Drug Abuse and Mortality Rate Is Low' p395.)
- Aldersrelaterte synsproblemer kan være knyttet til hukommelsesproblemer
Age-Related Vision Trouble May Be Tied to Memory Problems (Aldersrelaterte synsproblemer kan være knyttet til hukommelsesproblemer)
healthfinder.gov 10.4.2006
Study finds an association, but no definite proof.
-- A study new suggests a possible link between age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss among the elderly, and problems with thinking, learning and memory.
The study was originally designed to see whether high doses of antioxidants and zinc could help prevent AMD, a disease in which the center of the retina deteriorates with age. (That trial found the supplement therapy worked for people at high risk of AMD.)
But the nearly 3,000 elderly participants in the study also took a battery of tests to measure various mental abilities.
They took those tests periodically between 2000 and 2004, also taking tests to measure visual acuity. The vision tests listed each participant in one of four categories, ranging from no AMD to an advanced stage of AMD.
Those who had more severe AMD also had poorer scores on the mental function tests, even when the researchers adjusted for factors including age, sex, race, education, smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure.
The finding appears in April issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
(Anm: maculadegenerasjon (SML-artikkel); Etymologi: av macula og lat. degener, 'vanslektet'maculadegenerasjon, makuladegenerasjon, aldersforandringer eller forkalkning på netthinnen, forfallstilstand i øyenetthinnens skarpsynområde. Maculadegenerasjon er den hyppigste årsaken til svaksynthet hos eldre mennesker (aldersrelatert eller senil maculadegenerasjon). Nesten 30 % av befolkningen som er eldre enn 75 år, er rammet i større eller mindre grad. Kvinner rammes noe hyppigere enn menn. Det finnes også svært sjeldne former for maculadegenerasjon som kan sees hos yngre personer. Kilde: Store norske leksikon.)
Protect Your Peepers
msnbc.msn.com 6.6.2006 (Newsweek)
Sun exposure can lead to problems far worse than wrinkles from squinting. Here's what you can do to safeguard your eyes.
- Now that the squint season is here, chances are you're pulling on your sunglasses more often. That's a particularly good idea for women—over the course of a lifetime, we are more likely than men to develop diseases like cataracts and age-related macular degeneration because we live longer. If you spend a lot of time in the sun or snow, it’s also possible to get a sunburn or sun blisters on your cornea. They are not only painful, but increase the chance of infection, which in turn can cause nonreversible damage to the eye. (...)
Sunglasses are a must, but some are much better than others. Before you try on a new pair, check to make sure they have 100 percent protection against both types of ultraviolet radiation: UVA and UVB. (...)
- Leger ikke alltid oppmerksom på skjoldbruskkjertelrelaterte øyesykdommer
Thyroid eye disease (Thyroid øyesykdom)
BMJ 2009;338:b560 (6 March)
Thyroid eye disease is a relatively rare condition, with an incidence of 2.9 to 16.0 cases per 100 000 population per year.1 The disease mainly affects women. Many patients experience distressing symptoms, and a few develop sight threatening complications. Patients are often young or middle aged and at the peak of their career. Most patients are very aware of their altered appearance. Sight loss can be prevented by appropriate management, yet it still occurs even in countries with advanced healthcare systems. This problem is largely due to delays in starting treatment, because health professionals are not always aware of the remarkable difference that treatment can make in restoring visual function and appearance.2 For example, treatment can reverse blindness and help a reclusive patient to become socially reintegrated. Referral to specialist centres is appropriate for all but the mildest cases.3 (...)
Makula degenerasjon
Diet: Eating Fish Found to Ward Off Eye Disease (Diett: Inntak av fisk for å motvirke øyesykdommer)
nytimes.com 17.3.2011
A new study reports yet another good reason to eat fish: women whose diet was rich in omega-3 fatty acids found in fish were at significantly lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.
The Harvard Women’s Health Study, which followed 39,876 women in midlife, had participants fill out detailed food-frequency questionnaires at the start of the study in 1993. After an average 10 years of follow-up, 235 of the women had developed macular degeneration, a progressive eye disease that is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in the elderly.
But the analysis, in Archives of Ophthalmology, found that women who had reported eating one or more servings of fish per week were 42 percent less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration than those who ate less than a serving each month. (Researchers adjusted the data to control for other factors linked to the disease, including smoking.) Eating canned tuna and dark-meat fish like mackerel, salmon, sardines, bluefish and swordfish appeared to have the most benefit. (...)
(Anm: Makuladegenerasjon er en skade på skarpsynssenteret, makula, i netthinnen. Tilstanden kan oppstå når vi blir gamle. Det er den ledende årsaken til blindhet og svaksynthet i Norge i dag. (nhi.no).)
(Anm: maculadegenerasjon (SML-artikkel); Etymologi: av macula og lat. degener, 'vanslektet'maculadegenerasjon, makuladegenerasjon, aldersforandringer eller forkalkning på netthinnen, forfallstilstand i øyenetthinnens skarpsynområde. Maculadegenerasjon er den hyppigste årsaken til svaksynthet hos eldre mennesker (aldersrelatert eller senil maculadegenerasjon). Nesten 30 % av befolkningen som er eldre enn 75 år, er rammet i større eller mindre grad. Kvinner rammes noe hyppigere enn menn. Det finnes også svært sjeldne former for maculadegenerasjon som kan sees hos yngre personer. Kilde: Store norske leksikon.)
Slik kan du forhindre øyesykdom
dagbladet.no 2.3.2011
Kosthold, trening og røyking påvirker øynene.
AMD, kjent som forkalkning i netthinna, er vanligste årsak til sterk synshemming blant nordmenn. Nå viser en studie fra Archives of Ophthalmology at livsstilsendring kan redusere risikoen markant. De som ikke røyker, har et sunt kosthold og er fysisk aktive ser ut til å ha tre ganger redusert risiko for å ha AMD.
- Vi trenger ikke å være passive ofre for alderdommens slitasjer. Relativt små ting kan utgjøre forskjellen mellom å utvikle AMD eller ikke, sier Julie Mares fra University of Wisconsin og delforfatter av studien til Reuters.
Maja Gran Erke, lege og forsker ved øyeavdelingen på Universitetssykehuset Nord-Norge, forklarer at man lenge har antatt at kosthold er av betydning. Men røyking er eneste risikofaktor som med sikkerhet har vært koblet til AMD, i tillegg til alder.
- Dette bekrefter det vi lenge har antatt har vært av betydning. Det er vanskelig å isolere effekten av de ulike faktorene, men det viser effekten av en sunnhetspakke, sier Erke. (...)
Skarpsynsvekkelse
nhi.no 9.3.2010
Hva er makuladegenerasjon?
Makuladegenerasjon er en tilstand som medfører varig skade i skarpsynområdet i øyet (makula). De første forandringene merkes ved at synet blir uklart, rette linjer får gjerne "en bulk" på seg og enkelte bokstaver faller ut når du forsøker å lese. Fargene synes ofte mindre klare enn vanlig. Det er synet i sentrum som svekkes (skarpsynet), mens synet i periferien blir bevart.
Makuladegenerasjon er den hyppigste årsaken til blindhet eller alvorlig synssvekkelse i den vestlige verden. Dersom sykdommen får gå sin gang mister mann skarpsynet, men beholder noe sidesyn. (...)
Makula degenerasjon
Professor Johan Seland intervjuet av Gudrun Vinsrygg
helsenytt.no (Publisert: 2005)
Makula degenerasjon (forkalkning på netthinnen) er den vanligste årsaken til varig svekket syn i eldre alder i vårt land. Årsakene er ukjente bortsett fra at der synes å være en arvelig disposisjon. Det finnes to typer, en ”tørr” og en ”våt” degenerasjon. Den ”tørre” er vanligst, utvikler seg langsomst og det finnes ikke behandling for den. Den ”våte” utvikler seg raskere og kan behandles med laser. I dag skjer det en massiv forskingsinnsats på makula degenerasjon både innen genetikk og når det gjelder nye og bedre behandlingsformer. (...)
I nær fremtid vil en del nye og spennende medikamenter bli tilgjenglige mot ”våt” makula degenerasjon. Men alle må sprøytes inn i eller bak øyet med jevne mellomrom. Samtlige hemmer utvikling av syke blodårer, men de har litt forskjelling virkningsmekanisme. Kenacort (Bristo-Mayers Squibb) er allerede i bruk i dag, men Macugen (Pfizer), Retane (Alcon) og Lucentis (Novartis) er nye lovende medikamenter som snart kommer på markedet. Disse medikamentene ser også ut til å ha en gunstig virkning på øyeforandringer som skyldes diabetes. (...)
(Anm: makuladegenerasjon; aldersrelatert («senil») delvis arveleg tap av synet med åra, pga «våt» eller «tørr» degenerasjon av macula retinae utan klarlagde årsaker; er den vanlegaste årsak til blindskap hos eldre folk; lesesynet blir tidleg skadd men gangsynet held seg lenge; i makula finst druser (s d) på basalmembranen til pigmentepitelet og åreforandringar, ev eksudasjon; jf Amslergitter EN age-related macular degeneration. Kilde: Norsk medisinsk ordbok.)
Øyesykdommen AMD (aldersrelatert makuladegenerasjon) kan gjøre deg blind
Ny behandling kan give synet tilbage
netdoktor.com 7.3.2007
Patienter med våde forkalkninger i øjnene, kaldet våd AMD, har nu chancen for at få synet gradvist tilbage ved hjælp af en ny behandlingsmetode.
Der var indtil for nylig ikke meget at stille op mod sygdommen, der gør, at folk mister næsten hele deres syn på få måneder, men efter at man er begyndt at behandle med stoffet ranibizumab, ser prognoserene dog helt anderledes ud. I ni ud af ti tilfælde stopper den tiltagende blindhed og i flere tilfælde forbedres synet.
Behandlingen foregår ved, at stoffet sprøjtes ind i øjenæblet. Patienterne skal mindst behandles tre gange, og i gennsmsnit får patienter med våd AMD ni behandlinger. (...)
(Anm: maculadegenerasjon (SML-artikkel); Etymologi: av macula og lat. degener, 'vanslektet'maculadegenerasjon, makuladegenerasjon, aldersforandringer eller forkalkning på netthinnen, forfallstilstand i øyenetthinnens skarpsynområde. Maculadegenerasjon er den hyppigste årsaken til svaksynthet hos eldre mennesker (aldersrelatert eller senil maculadegenerasjon). Nesten 30 % av befolkningen som er eldre enn 75 år, er rammet i større eller mindre grad. Kvinner rammes noe hyppigere enn menn. Det finnes også svært sjeldne former for maculadegenerasjon som kan sees hos yngre personer. Kilde: Store norske leksikon.)
Oppdager ikke sykdom
mozon.no 24.10.2006
Øyesykdommen AMD kan gjøre deg blind. Likevel er de færreste klar over symptomene på sykdommen.
Aldersrelatert macula degenerasjon (AMD) er den vanligste øyesykdommen blant eldre og er en vanlig årsak til varig nedsatt syn blant eldre i Norge. Sykdommen tar lesesynet fra 2500 nordmenn hvert år. Opp mot halvparten av nordmenn over 70 år har sykdommen. (...)
(Anm: maculadegenerasjon (SML-artikkel); Etymologi: av macula og lat. degener, 'vanslektet'maculadegenerasjon, makuladegenerasjon, aldersforandringer eller forkalkning på netthinnen, forfallstilstand i øyenetthinnens skarpsynområde. Maculadegenerasjon er den hyppigste årsaken til svaksynthet hos eldre mennesker (aldersrelatert eller senil maculadegenerasjon). Nesten 30 % av befolkningen som er eldre enn 75 år, er rammet i større eller mindre grad. Kvinner rammes noe hyppigere enn menn. Det finnes også svært sjeldne former for maculadegenerasjon som kan sees hos yngre personer. Kilde: Store norske leksikon.)
Kan bremse øyesykdom
mozon.no 25.4.2006
En helt ny behandling kan hjelpe eldre pasienter med øyesykdommen AMD
AMD står for aldersrelatert makuladegenerasjon og er den viktigste årsak til blindhet og svaksynthet i i-land. AMD påvirker den gule flekken i øyet. Sykdommen påvirker netthinnen og skarpsynet reduseres.
Men nå finnes det håp for dem som rammes. Ved å sprøyte inn stoffet, macugen, i øyet hver sjette uke i minst to år, kan sykdommen bremses opp.
- Det er et gjennombrudd, og det er helt nytt at man kan angripe helt direkte med et legemiddel, sier Anders Kvanta, øyelege og dosent ved St. Eriks øyesykehus i Stockholm til svenske Aftonbladet.
Det finnes to typer AMD -våt og tørr. Den nye behandlingen, hjelper mot våt AMD, hemmer blodgjennomstrømmingen.
- Flere kommer til å bli tilbudt behandling. Det er det første steget på veien, sier Kvanta
Behandlingen er likevel ikke risikofri. Mindre enn én prosent har fått bivirkninger. I enkelte tilfeller kan injeksjonen forårsake øyeinflammasjon og i verste fall blindhet som resultat.
Fakta om AMD
-AMD er en netthinnesykdom hvor skarpsynet reduseres
- Opptrer i en tørr variant og en mer alvorlig, våt variant som på uker/måneder kan føre til tap av lesesynet.
- AMD gir dårlig fargesyn og svekket skarpsyn og gjør det vanskelig å lese, kjenne igjen folk og helle kaffe i koppen.
- Hver 10. person over 70 år er praktisk blinde av AMD
- Som det går an å leve et aktivt liv ved hjelp av riktig opplæring og gode hjelpemidler.
Millions in US have uncorrected poor eyesight
Millions in US have uncorrected poor eyesight
BMJ 2006;332:1205-1206 (20 May)
What's new in the other general journals
An estimated 14 million US adults have poor eyesight that is left untreated, a national survey has found. Uncorrected refractive error seems to be the biggest problem, affecting about 11 million adults. (...)
(Anm: JAMA 2006;295: 2158-63[Abstract/Full Text].)
Lucentis (ranibizumab)
Eye Drug Might Raise Risk of Stroke, Genentech Says
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 26 — Use of Genentech’s new eye drug, Lucentis, might raise the risk of stroke, the company said Friday.
The company posted on its Web site a letter it sent to retina specialists this week. According to the letter, 1.2 percent of patients treated with a high dose of Lucentis in a clinical trial suffered a stroke, compared with only 0.3 percent of those treated with a low dose. The difference was statistically significant. (...)
Dr. Philip J. Rosenfeld, a retina specialist, said the preliminary data would not influence him because it could later change.
“Right now, it will have no impact on my use of Lucentis,” Dr. Rosenfeld, who is at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami, said in an e-mail message. “When given a choice between a high likelihood of blindness or a 1 percent risk of stroke, I think most patients will choose their vision.” (...)
Effekter av alkoholinntak før fødselen på spedbarns synsskarphet
Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Infant Visual Acuity (Effekter av alkoholinntak før fødselen på spedbarns synsskarphet)
Journal of Pediatrics 2005;147:473-479 (October 2005)
Konklusjoner (Conclusions)
Denne studie linket prenatalt alkoholinntak konstatert prospektivt til dårligere synsskarphet hos barn. Resultatene er i overensstemmelse med kliniske bevis og dyreforsøk for alkoholrelaterte synsforstyrrelser. (This study linked prenatal alcohol exposure ascertained prospectively to poorer visual acuity in infancy. The results are consistent with clinical and animal evidence of alcohol-related disruption of the visual system.)
REM
Neuroscientist Finds Possible Explanation of Near-Death Experiences
abcnews.go.com 10.4.2006
Mysterious Phenomenon May Be Related to Sleep Disorder
- It's an unusual area of science, but after a patient described mysterious experiences and feelings during a close brush with death, Dr. Kevin Nelson knew he wanted to learn more.
"It was so vivid to him. I was struck by the intensity of the report he gave me," Nelson said of the patient's near-death experience, which occurred when Nelson was a medical intern.
Nelson, now a neurophysiologist at the University of Kentucky, published one of the few studies on the subject in today's issue of the journal Neurology. The study compares the sleep patterns of 55 people who have reported unusual sensations during a during near-death experience to 55 people who haven't. (...)
Øynene kan avsløre epileptiske eller psykogene anfall
Øynene kan avsløre epilepsi
vg.no 16.6.2006
Mange av de som får epileptiske anfall har ikke epilepsi. De epileptiske anfallene er ikke-epileptiske eller såkalte psykogene anfall.
Opptil 20 prosent av de som får diagnosen epilepsi, har faktisk ikke sykdommen. Anfallene som denne gruppen får, skyldes ikke den elektriske aktiviteten i hjernen som forårsaker et epileptisk anfall. (...)
The Eyes May Reveal Epileptic or Psychogenic Seizures (Øynene kan avsløre epileptiske eller psykogene anfall)
medpagetoday.com 15.6.2006
PHOENIX, Ariz., June 15 — A simple but reliable way to distinguish psychogenic nonepileptic seizures from epilepsy is to determine whether the patient's eyes are closed or open, researchers here reported.
In nearly every one of more than 200 patients studied, the eyes of those with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures closed during seizures, while the eyes of those with epilepsy remained open, said neurologist Steve S. Chung, M.D., and colleagues, at the St. Joseph's Medical Center here in the June 13 issue of Neurology.
In an editorial, W. Curt LaFrance, Jr., M.D., of Brown Medical School in Providence, R.I., and Selim R. Benbadis, M.D., of the University of South Florida in Tampa said a quick and accurate way to distinguish psychogenic nonepileptic seizures from epilepsy is crucial. (...)
Cataract Surgery: A Bargain, Despite the Price
healthfinder.gov 23.9.2007
Experts say lens replacement is a cost-effective treatment for aging eyes. (SOURCES: Marco Zarbin, M.D., professor and chairman of the Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Newark, N.J.; David B. Rein, Ph.D., researcher with RTI International, Research Triangle Park, N.C.; U.S. National Eye Institute)
SUNDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Everyone, if they live long enough, will suffer from a cataract that clouds the vision in one or both eyes. (...)
To learn more about cataracts, visit the U.S. National Eye Institute.
Former BMJ artist demonstrates the effect of cataract
BMJ 2007;334:177 (27 January)
The former BMJ illustrator, artist Yvonne Fuller, decided to chronicle the changes in her vision when she had a recent cataract operation at a hospital in Truro.
Like many people, Yvonne, who is 66 years old, had been struggling for several years with deteriorating vision. After the cataract on the first eye was replaced Yvonne was delighted and decided to make a record of the changes in her sight.
"Even on the day of the operation I could see better," she said. "It was nothing short of miraculous. In fact, when I walked home I realised I could see everything, including car number plates, without glasses. I cried with joy."
The other eye was operated on two months later. (...)
Kan statiner forebygge katarakt?
Tidsskr Nor Lægeforen 2006 (24.8.2006)
Ettersom oksidativt stress trolig spiller en rolle ved utviklingen av katarakt, har man nå undersøkt om statinbruk kan påvirke forekomsten av sykdommen. I en fem års oppfølgingsstudie undersøkte man insidensen av katarakt blant drøyt 1 000 middelaldrende og eldre amerikanere (JAMA 2006; 295: 2752 - 8).
Det var en klar assosiasjon mellom statinbruk og redusert risiko for kjernekatarakt (12 % versus 17 %; oddsratio 0,55; 95 % KI 0,36 - 0,84). Funnet sto seg også når man kontrollerte for en rekke bakgrunnsfaktorer. Det var imidlertid ingen sammenheng mellom statinbruk og kortikal og subkapsulær katarakt.
How to manage cataract
BMJ 2006;333 (15 July)
Every five seconds someone in the world goes blind—about 40% of those people do so because of cataract, say Allen and Vasavada on page 128. This clinical review revisits the aetiology and symptoms of cataract, and looks at surgery for cataract—the commonest surgical procedure in the developed world. The authors discuss decisions for surgery in the developed and developing world and describe techniques, outcomes, and complications of different types of cataract surgery. Tips for non-specialists, a patient's story, unanswered research questions, and useful links for patients complement the article. (...)
Glaukom (Glaucoma)
Normaltrykksglaukom
no.wikipedia.org (2.2.2011)
Glaukom med trykk mellom 10 og 22 mmHg.
Dette er en tilstand hvor man ved å se på papillen (der hvor optikusnerven går ut av øyet) kan se at det er svinn av nervetråder, men ikke kan måle forhøyet trykk i øyet. Årsaken til at nervetrådene svinner hen er ukjent.
Symptomer
Symptomene er svært ulike fra den akutte til den kroniske formen:.
Akutt vinkelblokkglaukom innebærer ofte rødt øye, smerter og kvalme. Hvis det får stå lenge nok vil det oppstå en varig skade på synsnerven med synstap som følge.
Kronisk og Normaltrykksglaukom innebærer ikke så fremtredende symptomer. Her er det en gradvis progresjon av synsfeltsutfall fra periferien mot sentrum. (...)
A New Understanding of Glaucoma (En ny forståelse av glaukom)
health.nytimes.com 15.7.2009
I årevis ble glaukom definert som forhøyet trykk i øyet som fører til synstap. Og i årevis kjente forskere til at der var store huller i denne definisjonen. Mange mennesker med unormalt høyt intraokulært trykk utvikler aldri glaukom. Så mange som en av tre mennesker som får sykdommen har normalt eller til og med lavt trykk. (For years, glaucoma was defined as elevated pressure within the eye that leads to vision loss. And for years experts knew there were glaring gaps in that definition. Many people with abnormally high intraocular pressure never develop glaucoma. As many as one in three people who do get the disease have normal or even low pressure.)
Idet forskerne har forsøkt å finne ut av disse selvmotsigelsene, er det oppstått en ny forståelse. Glaukom er ikke bare en enkel øyesykdom, men snarere en degenerativ nervesykdom, ikke ulik Alzheimers og Parkinsons sykdom. (As researchers have tried to resolve those contradictions, a new paradigm for understanding glaucoma has emerged. Glaucoma isn’t simply an eye disease, experts now say, but rather a degenerative nerve disorder, not unlike Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.)
“All three of these diseases affect aging populations and involve selective loss of certain populations of neurons,” said Dr. Neeru Gupta, a professor of ophthalmology and director of the glaucoma unit at the University of Toronto. “Parkinson’s affects motor control. Alzheimer’s affects cognition. Glaucoma disrupts vision. But the closer we look, the more they seem to have in common.”
Even the official definition of glaucoma, a disease that accounts for more than eight million cases of blindness worldwide, has changed. Today, diagnosis is based on just two features: visible damage to the optic nerve, which leads from the retina at the back of the eye to the brain, and loss of peripheral vision, which can be measured by a simple test in an eye doctor’s office.
“Intraocular pressure is nowhere to be found in the definition, which shows you how the field has changed,” said Dr. Stuart McKinnon, an associate professor of ophthalmology and neurobiology at Duke University School of Medicine.
Researchers still recognize high pressure within the eye as a leading risk factor for glaucoma. And ophthalmologists still use the familiar screening test that shoots a puff of air at the front of the eye to measure pressure and screen for the disease. But since about 30 percent of people with the disease have normal or low pressure, there’s obviously something else at work. (...)
(Anm: glaukom (SML-artikkel); Etymologi: av gr. glaukos, 'blågrønn' glaukom, det samme som grønn stær. Kilde: Store norske leksikon.)
(Anm: glaukom grøn stær, ei gruppe tilstandar med auka væsketrykk inne i auget, som ved å skada synsnervepapillen kan gi synsfeltutfall, stundom fullt synstap (amaurose); sjå openvinkelglaukom, trongvinkelglaukom, pigmentglaukom og glaucoma infantile; n.rettskr.: glaukom; EN glaucoma. ET [gr glaukos blågrøn] glaukomforsking: URL http://www.glaucoma.org/ Kilde: Norsk medisinsk ordbok.)
Fewer Medicare Dollars for More Glaucoma Surgeries
medpagetoday.com 15.7.2009
LITTLE FALLS, N.J., July 15 -- The number of glaucoma surgeries is on the rise, but Medicare reimbursement for the procedures has been decreasing, researchers found. (...)
Misdiagnosis of angle closure glaucoma (Feildiagnose av åpenvinkelglaukom)
BMJ 2006;333:1157-1158 (2 December)
Vær oppmerksom på åpenvinkelglaukom hos pasienter med tåkesyn, eller røde øyne (Be suspicious for angle closure glaucoma in patients with headache, blurred vision, or red eye)
Åpenvinkelglaukom er en uventet synstruende hendelse. Pasienter får klassiske symptomer som røde smertefulle øyne og periokulær hodepine, synstap, kvalme, og oppkast, men er noen ganger mindre dramatisk eller mer systemisk (omfatter hele kroppen) enn okulær. Diagnosen kan bli oversett i slike tilfeller, hvilket fører til unødvendige undersøkelser, forsinket behandling, og blindhet. Vi beskriver tre tilfeller av åpenvinkelglaukom med usikkerhet angående innledende diagnoser og som belyser behovet for større oppmerksomhet om tilstanden. (...) (Angle closure glaucoma is a sight threatening ophthalmic emergency. Patients classically present with an acutely painful red eye and periocular headache, loss of vision, nausea, and vomiting, but sometimes the presentation is less dramatic or more systemic than ocular. The diagnosis may be missed in such cases, leading to unnecessary investigations, delayed treatment, and blindness. We describe three cases of angle closure glaucoma in which initial diagnostic uncertainty led to a delay in treatment and which highlight the need for a wider awareness of this condition.)
(Anm: glaukom grøn stær, ei gruppe tilstandar med auka væsketrykk inne i auget, som ved å skada synsnervepapillen kan gi synsfeltutfall, stundom fullt synstap (amaurose); sjå openvinkelglaukom, trongvinkelglaukom, pigmentglaukom og glaucoma infantile; n.rettskr.: glaukom; EN glaucoma. ET [gr glaukos blågrøn] glaukomforsking: URL http://www.glaucoma.org/ Kilde: Norsk medisinsk ordbok.)
Diabetes a Major Risk Factor for Glaucoma
healthfinder.gov 18.7.2006
In study, two-thirds of cases show links to the blood-sugar disorder
-- About two-thirds of all cases of the most common form of glaucoma are linked to type 2 diabetes, U.S. researchers report.
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States, with "primary open angle glaucoma" (POAG) the most common form of the disease.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 76,000 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study from 1980 to 2000. The women did not have POAG at the start of the study. (...)
Vision Test Can Help Spot 'Lazy Eye'
Vision Test Can Help Spot 'Lazy Eye'
healthfinder.gov 28.7.2006
The condition can go undetected in children for years, experts warn • E-mail this article
-- Any back-to-school checklist should include a vision test, since eye problems can seriously impair a child's ability to learn.
So say experts at Prevent Blindness America, who point out that an eye exam or vision screening may be the only way to detect amblyopia (lazy eye), the most common cause of visual impairment in children, according to the U.S. National Eye Institute.
Amblyopia occurs when the brain and an eye don't work together effectively. As the child's brain develops and receives diminished images from the affected eye, the brain begins to suppress the images from the affected eye and favors the unaffected eye. If amblyopia goes untreated, the weaker eye may become useless.
"The most frightening aspect of amblyopia is that your child may have it and not even know it. The child grows up believing that how he or she sees is how everyone else sees," Daniel D. Garrett, senior vice president of Prevent Blindness America, said in a prepared statement.
"We can't emphasize enough how important it is to have your children's vision checked early on. When detected early, treatment of amblyopia can be highly successful," Garrett said.
The organization has declared August as Children's Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month and offers parents and children resources to learn about amblyopia and ways to manage the condition.
More information
To learn more about amblyopia and other children's vision problems, go to Prevent Blindness America.
(SOURCE: Prevent Blindness America, news release, July 20, 2006)
Autoimmunitet mot øyemuskel-antigen kan forklare thyroid-assosiert oftalmologi
Autoimmunity against eye-muscle antigens may explain thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (Autoimmunitet mot øyemuskel-antigen kan forklare thyroid-assosiert oftalmologi)
CMAJ 2006;175(3) (August 1)
The ophthalmopathy associated with Graves' hyperthyroidism and Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune disorder of the extraocular muscle and the surrounding orbital connective tissue (OCT) and fat (Box 1). Its most appropriate name is thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). (...)
Ophthalmologists welcome one or possibly two new treatments for age related macular degeneration
Ophthalmologists welcome one or possibly two new treatments for age related macular degeneration
BMJ 2006;333:799-800 (14 October)
After searching for more than two decades researchers have finally found an effective treatment for the severe form of age related macular degeneration. (...)
De vanligste øyesykdommene
De vanligste øyesykdommene
Professor dr. med. Henry Aasved intervjuet av Gudrun Vinsrygg
helsenytt.no 15.9.2002
Mange av de vanligste øyesykdommene rammer de eldre, noen av dem er så alminnelige at de nærmest regnes som et aldersfenomen. Søk lege hvis synet forandrer seg, og sjekk øynene regelmessig hvis det er arvelige øyesykdommer i slekten. Mange øyesykdommer utvikler seg langsomt, og det kan være viktig at de blir oppdaget og behandlet i tide. (...)
Studie på fettstoffer øyner menneskelige tårer
Lipid Study Eyes Human Tears (Studie på fettstoffer øyner menneskelige tårer)
healthfinder.gov 28.1.2007
SUNDAY, Jan. 28 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. scientists are getting a better understanding of human tears.
A team from Ohio State University say they've identified a new class of lipids (a type of fat) that makes up part of the tear film.
These new lipids, including a specific kind called oleamide, are contained in a layer of tear film called meibum, which is the outermost of the three distinct layers in tear film. There is also a middle, watery layer and an inner layer of mucus.
The meibum, which includes fatty, oily substances, is spread over the surface of the eyes each time we blink. The meibum keeps the watery middle layer in place, ensuring the eyes stay moist.
Identifying the lipids contained in the meibum may help researchers learn more about the causes of eye problems such as dry eye disease, which affects about 12 million to 14 million Americans, said study author Kelly Nichols, an assistant professor of optometry at Ohio State. (...)
Kostnader
Illness Linked to Eye Trouble Costs Medicare Billions (Øyerelaterte sykdommer koster Medicare milliarder av dollar)
healthfinder.gov 13.2.2007
Rates of depression, injury rise as eyesight declines, study finds
-- Vision loss costs the U.S. Medicare program more than $2 billion a year for the care of non-eye related medical problems, such as depression and disability, a new study finds.
The study was conducted by researchers affiliated with the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University, and Pfizer Inc. (...)
More information
Prevent Blindness America outlines signs of vision problems in adults.
(SOURCE: American Academy of Ophthalmology, news release, February 2007) (...)
Convergence insufficiency
Not Autistic or Hyperactive. Just Seeing Double at Times
nytimes.com 11.9.2007
As an infant, Raea Gragg was withdrawn and could not make eye contact. By preschool she needed to smell and squeeze every object she saw.
Within minutes he had the diagnosis: convergence insufficiency, in which the patient sees double because the eyes cannot work together at close range.
Experts estimate that 5 percent of school-age children have convergence insufficiency. They can suffer headaches, dizziness and nausea, which can lead to irritability, low self-esteem and inability to concentrate.
Doctors and teachers often attribute the behavior to attention disorders or seek other medical explanations. Mrs. Gragg said her pediatrician had never heard of convergence insufficiency. (...)
- Laseroperasjoner kan ødelegge synet
Operasjon ble mareritt
ta.no 12.5.2012
FIKK DÅRLIGERE SYN: Gunn Olsen på Stathelle satset på at en øyeoperasjon skulle gi henne bedre syn. Det motsatte skjedde.
BAMBLE: Flere hundre tar synskorrigerende behandling i Telemark hvert år. Gunn Olsen fra Stathelle var en av dem. Resultatet: Dårligere syn, utallige undersøkelser og lang klagebehandling. (...)
AVSLAG
Olsen klaget til Norsk pasientskadeerstatning, men fikk avslag: Hun har ikke rett til erstatning.
I begrunnelsen heter det at det reduserte synet på høyre øye skyldes behandlingen, men vilkåret for å få erstatning er at skaden skyldes svikt. Det er ikke påvist, mener pasientskadeerstatningen.
Plagene på venstre øye skyldes ikke operasjonen, slår pasientskadeerstatningen fast.
Olsen klaget til Pasientskadenemda, men fikk også avslag her. (...)
Overlæge advarer: Laseroperationer giver ikke brillefrit liv
politiken.dk 24.4.2012
SYNSBEDRAG. At få opereret øjenene bliver solgt som en succesgaranti - men er det langt fra, fortæller DR's forbrugermagasin Kontant i aften.
Tusindvis af danskere bliver hvert år opereret hos private øjenlæger. Men ofte følger der gener med – og mange må fortsat bruge briller.
Reklamerne fortæller, at det er både nemt og risikofrit, men øjenoperationer er langt fra så simple og ufarlige, som reklamerne lover.
Det fortæller DR's forbrugermagasin Kontant i aften
Flere øjeneksperter advarer mod at stole blindt på, at operationen ender med et brillefrit liv.
»Der findes nu om dage ikke nogen perfekt metode til at få ungdomssynet tilbage igen. Det eksisterer ikke, det er alt sammen nogle kompromisser«, siger overlæge Jesper Hjortdal fra Århus Sygehus til Kontant.
LÆS OGSÅ Dennis' øjenoperation gik galt: Nu har han nyt syn hver dag
Han mener, at mange private øjenklinikker afgiver for flotte løfter i forhold til, hvad man i dag kan gøre for personer med såkaldt gammelmandssyn.
Man kan blive opereret for tre typer af skavanker: Nærsynethed, langsynethed eller såkaldt gammelmandssyn, hvor det lige pludselig bliver svært at læse. De seneste år er antallet af operationer, som bliver udført på private klinikker, steget markant.
Samtidig viser en undersøgelse, at hele 70 procent af dem, der bruger enten briller eller kontaktlinser, overvejer at få lavet en operation. (...)
– Markedsføres for aggressivt
nrk.no 19.9.2011
Laseroperasjoner markedsføres som den enkleste ting i verden. Men mellom 2 og 4 prosent får komplikasjoner, som kan gi varige synsforstyrrelser.
– Jeg vil ikke utsette meg selv for farene ved laseroperasjon, sier øyelege.
– Det er stor suksessrate på laseroperasjoner, men jeg synes likevel markedsføringen er vel aggressiv. Det er ikke som å gå til tannlegen, sier øyelege ved Ullevål Universitetssykehus Hilde Heger til NRK.no.
– Mellom 2 og 4 prosent får komplikasjoner som kan gi varige synsforstyrrelser, som plagsomt gjenskinn når man ser på lyskilder, dobbeltkontur og «skyggebilder» – eller rett og slett nedsatt syn selv med briller.
Slike komplikasjoner vil oppleves som mye mer plagsomme enn å være litt nærsynt eller langsynt, påpeker Heger.
Hun har selv dårlig syn, men har valgt å ikke la seg operere.
Les også: Sjekkliste før laseroperasjonen (...)
Spar tusener på å droppe linsene
dagbladet.no 24.11.2010
.Laseroperasjon kan lønne seg i det lange løp. (...)
Som å se gjennom et matpapir
nrk.no 8.3.2010
- Etter to laseroperasjoner har jeg fått langt dårligere syn, sier Johnny Christiansen. Han er også blitt 30 000 kroner fattigere. Pasientskadeerstatningen har fått flere klagesaker.
I 2007 fikk Johnny Christiansen utført en laseroperasjon på den private øyeklinikken Argus. (...)
Ingen oversikt over laser-klager
nrk.no 8.3.2010
Åtte pasienter har klaget etter å ha gjennomgått en laseroperasjon ved en av de private øyeklinikkene i fjor. Ingen av sakene er ferdigbehandlet ennå. (...)
Friske øyne ni år etter
forskning.no 10.11.2009
Laseropererte synspasienter ble fulgt opp i ni år etter inngrepet. Studien tyder ikke på at hornhinnen får skader i årene etter operasjon. (...)
Ser sjelden langtidsskader
Stojanovic anslår at minst 20 000 mennesker årlig i Norge kaster briller og linser, og får utført en laseroperasjon.
Han sier ettervirkningen man oftest ser, i omtrent to prosent av tilfellene, er en nedgang i optisk kvalitet på synet, som for eksempel at man dårligere ser kontraster, og at man ser glorier rundt lys.
- Dette ser man hos mange rett etter operasjon, det er ikke uvanlig, men hos noen vedvarer plagene også, sier han til forskning.no. (...)
Øyelaser-operasjon gir sjelden senskader
vg.no 10.11.2009
(VG Nett) Hornhinnen synes å være like frisk ni år etter laseroperasjon på øynene, viser en ny studie. (...)
Laserkirurg Alesandar Stojanovic mener dette er gode nyheter for alle som har gjennomgått eller planslegger å laseroperere øynene, skriver forskning.no.
Fordi laseroperasjon av øyet er en relativt ny behandlingmetode, var hensikten med studien å studere senvirkningene av inngrepet.
Studien, som ble gjennomført og publisert i tidsskriftet Archives of Ophtalmology, viser at operasjonen på sikt ikke skader cellene på innsiden av hornhinnen, endotelcellene. (...)
Klinikker skjuler risiko
dinside.no 29.3.2009
Vurderer du laseroperasjon mot nærsynthet?
DinSide Folk vet ikke nok om risikoen ved ta laseroperasjon av øyene, og de ender også ofte opp med å betale mer for operasjonen enn de hadde regnet med. (...)
Dårlig informasjon Mer enn halvparten av de 18 konsultasjonene testpersonene gikk til ble vurdert som utilfredsstillende av et ekspertpanel magasinet hadde hyret inn. Panelet besto av en øyekirurg og to kliniske forskere.
Sjekkliste før laseroperasjonen
nrk.no 9.6.2008
Vurderer du å legge deg under laseren for å slippe briller eller kontaktlinser? Her er tipsene øynene dine vil sette pris på. (...)
Laseroperasjonar øydelegg synet
nrk.no 6.6.2008
Ei rekkje nordmenn får redusert synet etter laseroperasjonar kvart år. Dei private augeklinikkane får krass kritikk for at dei ikkje informerer om risikoen. (...)
Aggressiv annonsering
På nettsidene og i annonsane til klinikkane finst det lite informasjon om at laseroperasjonar kan føre til skadar, meiner han.
- Dei private klinikkane annonserer aggressivt for å lokke til seg pasientane. Ofte er annonsane misvisande, og det same gjeld nettsidene til klinikkane, seier Helland til nrknyheter.no
Ifylgje den norske pasientlova har pasientane krav på å bli informerte om moglege risikoar ved kirurgiske inngrep.
- Eg håpar klinikkane gjev tilstrekkeleg informasjon når pasienten tek direkte kontakt. Dersom dei ikkje gjer det, er det alvorleg, meiner Helland. (...)
Laseroperation kan ødelægge synet
netdoktor.com/dk 14.5.2008
Omkring 80 danskere får ødelagt synet af de populære laserøjenoperationer, som cirka 8.000 danskere i år forventes at få foretaget. De private klinikker oplyser dog ikke om den risiko.
"Vi ved, at der er én ud af hundrede, som får et dårligere syn efter operationen. Man kommer simpelthen til at se mindre klart. Det er permanent og kan ikke opereres væk. Det er meget vigtigt, at patienterne får dette at vide inden operationen. Ellers tager man beslutningen om operationen på et forkert grundlag," siger Jesper Hjortdal, ekspert i diagnostik og behandling af hornhinde-lidelser fra øjenafdelingen på Århus Sygehus, der er specialist i specielle laseroperationer. (...)
Øyeoperasjoner under lupen
dinside.no 4.5.2008
Laseroperasjoner er ikke så uskyldige som mange kanskje tror. Klinikkene må gi bedre informasjon, mener norsk ekspert. (...)
Flere misfornøyde LASIK-pasienter samlet seg i forrige uke for å fortelle FDA-ansatte om alvorlige smerter, tåkete syn, tørre øyne og natteblinde som følge av synskirurgi. De hevdet at legene ikke hadde advart dem tilstrekkelig om at nedsatt syn eller øyetørrhet kunne være bivirkninger som kunne vare i opptil flere år. (...)
Dagens Medisin: - Det rene visvas
Øyelaserdebatt ut av fokus
Jan Guldahl, øyekirurg ved Trondheim Øyelegesenter
dagensmedisin.no 29.8.2008
- Kritisk? Ja, selvsagt! Uavhengig? Ja takk! Men med en annen tyngde og seriøsitet enn Puls-redaksjonen presterte i sommer, krever Jan Guldahl.
SIDEN 1990 HAR det blitt utført laserkorreksjon av synsfeil her i landet. Mange tusen har kunnet kvitte seg med briller og kontaktlinser i løpet av disse 18 årene. Men skal man evaluere behandlingsformen, må det gjøres langt grundigere og mer saklig enn NRK Puls presterte den 9. juni.
Alt tyder på at stadig flere velger å korrigere nærsynthet, langsynthet og skjeve hornhinner med laser. Fordelen er at man slipper briller og linser, noe som udiskutabelt gir økt frihet i hverdagen. (...)
Det rene visvas
Mandag 9. juni pirket NRK Puls i denne materien. Og det ble med pirket. Dessverre var innslaget preget av voldsomme generaliseringer og unøyaktigheter, og med en totalt ukritisk holdning til en person som nærmest får fremstå med forskerpondus. Som vitenskapelig ballast henter NRK frem optiker Bente Monica Aakre. Hun har etter sigende drevet en studie på 20 (!) pasienter som har blitt laserbehandlet. Av dem måtte fire begynne med briller etter to år, opplyste hun.
For det første skjønner de fleste med et minimum av vitenskapelig skolering at en studie av 20 pasienter - unnskyld uttrykket - blir det rene visvas. Skal man nærme seg noe representativt, må man naturligvis mangedoble antallet kasus. Dernest får vi ikke vite ett ord om hvordan de 20 har blitt utvalgt, hvilket også er helt essensielt. Til slutt «konkluderer» optikeren med at nesten hver fjerde pasient må begynne med briller igjen etter laserbehandlingen, noe som er så langt unna den kliniske hverdagen som det kan få blitt.
Dette er mildt sagt direkte uriktig. (...)
Antidepressiva (SSRI-er) mer enn fordobler risiko for øyesykdom
For Men Over 50, Odds of Eye Discomfort Increases (Ubehag i øye øker for menn over 50)
healthfinder.gov 12.6.2009
Use of antidepressants and other medications raise risk, study says.
FRIDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Here's more bad news for men turning 50: After their half-century mark, about 4 percent of males develop dry eye disease, making it one of the most common eye conditions and reasons for seeing an eye doctor in the United States, researchers say.
Dry eye disease causes a persistent dryness, itching or burning sensation in the eyes, according to the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society. Some people with dry eye disease also say that it feels like they have sand or grit in their eye.
While research has shown the condition is more common among women, about 1.68 million men over age 50 in the United States have it, Debra A. Schaumberg of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and colleagues noted in the June issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
Among men, increasing age, high blood pressure, benign prostatic hyperplasia (a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate) and the use of antidepressants increase the chances of developing dry eye disease, the study authors explained.
"It is an important public health problem, causing increased risk of ocular infections and bothersome symptoms of ocular discomfort, fatigue and visual disturbance that interfere with crucial activities, such as reading, working on a computer and driving a car," Schaumberg and colleagues wrote. (...)
(Anm: Prevalence of Dry Eye Disease Among US Men. Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127(6):763-768. (June).)
Prevalence of Dry Eye Disease Among US Men. (Forekomst av tørre øyne hos amerikanske menn)
Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127(6):763-768. (June)
Objective To estimate the prevalence and risk factors for dry eye disease (DED) among US men. (...)
Conclusions Dry eye disease is prevalent and increases with age, hypertension, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and antidepressant use. (...)
Thus, in this subgroup, we further evaluated possible associations with reported use of medications for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and hypertension, as well as reported use of antidepressants and statin medications. Finally, we also had information on diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis in this subgroup and evaluated its association with DED. (...)
Thus, in this subgroup, we further evaluated possible associations with reported use of medications for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and hypertension, as well as reported use of antidepressants and statin medications. Finally, we also had information on diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis in this subgroup and evaluated its association with DED. (...)
In addition, men who used antidepressants had a nearly 2-fold higher risk of DED compared with men who did not use these drugs (OR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.39-2.61). (...)
Hypertension and benign prostatic hyperplasia are associated with an increase in the prevalence of DED in this population. Medications associated with DED included drugs to treat hypertension and benign prostatic hyperplasia and antidepressants. (...)
We observed a strong association between the use of antidepressant medications and risk of DED, a finding consistent with data from at least 2 other epidemiological studies.30 31 In contrast, dry eye is not common in the reporting of clinical trials of antidepressant drugs, whereas dry mouth is prevalent.32 33 However, this may be a methodological issue, as adverse effects in such trials are often assessed by spontaneous reporting by patients or by closed-ended lists that do not include dry eye.34 For example, a recent study presented patients with a list of 17 common adverse effects reported by patients taking antidepressants. The only ocular symptom on the list was blurred vision, which was reported by 11% of patients. In light of the knowledge that DED is known to cause fluctuating visual blur, one wonders whether the blurred vision reported by patients could have been due at least in part to DED. (...)
Diverse artikler
Avastin is as effective as Lucentis for wet AMD and could save NHS £84m a year, study shows
BMJ 2012;344:e3275 (9 May)
New trial results have confirmed that bevacizumab (Avastin) and ranibizumab (Lucentis) perform very similarly in the treatment of wet age related macular degeneration.
Using bevacizumab, which is much cheaper but is unlicensed for the condition, could save the NHS £84m a year, say the British researchers responsible for one of the trials.
The new data come from the second year of the comparison of age related macular degeneration treatment trials (CATT) and the interim analysis of one year’s results from the inhibit VEGF in age related choroidal neovascularisation (IVAN) trial. Both were presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology at Fort Lauderdale in Florida and published in Ophthalmology.1 2 (...)
Europe patient group demands action on off-label safety
pharmatimes.com 11.5.2012
As the debate over off-label use is reignited following the publication of data on Roche's cancer blockbuster Avastin as a treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration, the European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines is calling for urgent action to clarify when drugs can be used outside their approved status.
The patient group's concerns follow the publication a week ago of data from the two-year CATT study funded by the US government which revealed that Avastin (bevacizumab) and Roche/Novartis' eye drug Lucentis (ranibizumab) are equivalent in treating wet AMD, though the former is not approved for that indication. That was followed by a second, UK-based study, called IVAN, which also found that the drugs were comparably effective and claimed that the National Health Service could save more than £84 million per year if Avastin was used instead of Lucentis.
However, the EAASM notes comments from the chief executive of the UK's Macular Disease Society, Helen Jackman who welcomed the studies but noted that "they cannot provide definitive safety information and the overall question of the safety of Avastin is, unfortunately, not answered to everyone's satisfaction by these trials". She adds that the use of Avastin "will remain a matter of judgement for clinicians, with some satisfied with the evidence and others not". (...)
Avastin och Lucentis lika bra vid makuladegeneration enligt NIH
lakemedelsvarlden.se 3.5.2012
Enligt en ny studie finansierad av National Eye Institute (NEI), som är en del av amerikanska NIH, National Institutes of Health, fungerar Avastin och Lucentis lika bra för behandling av åldersrelaterad makuladegeneration. Däremot ses vissa skillnader i biverkningar mellan preparaten.
I maj 2011 publicerades Catt-studien i NEJM, som visade att bevacizumab (Avastin) och ranibizumab (Lucentis) efter ett års behandling hade lika god effekt på synskärpa när de administrerades enligt samma behandlingsschema. Effekten på synen var också likvärdig oavsett om ranibizumab gavs vid behov eller regelbundet varje månad.
Enligt en tvåårsuppföljning som i dagarna publicerades online i tidskriften Ophthalmology är effekten på synskärpa efter två år fortfarande likvärdig mellan preparaten om behandling gavs en gång per månad. Vid behov-behandling gav sämre synskärpa, oavsett om den inleddes direkt vid studiestart eller efter ett års behandling, jämfört med behandling en gång per månad.
Det fanns inga skillnader mellan läkemedlen i andelen dödsfall eller arteriotrombotiska händelser. Däremot skiljer sig de allvarliga biverkningarna åt när de grupperas ihop. Till allvarliga biverkningar räknas då en kombination av arteriotrombotiska händelser, systemisk blödning, hjärtsvikt, venösa tromboser, hypertoni och vaskulär död.
I en kommentar från Novartis, som tillverkar och marknadsför Lucentis, framförs Lucentis bättre biverkningsprofil, framför allt den lägre förekomsten av allvarliga biverkningar.
Enligt författarna till studien är tolkningen av den högre andelen allvarliga biverkningar med bevacizumab dock fortfarande osäker på grund av bristen på specificitet av tillstånd förknippade med VEGF-hämning. (...)
Studier gjør deg nærsynt
dagbladet.no 4.5.2012
ARV OG MILJØ: Både arv og miljø har sin innvirkning på om man blir nærsynt eller ikke.
Men sollys kan hjelpe, ifølge ny undersøkelse. (...)
Nærsynthet oppstår ofte som følge av en forlengelse av øyeeplet som inntreffer hos unge mennesker. Ifølge synseksperter er man nærsynt dersom man ser uklart på mer enn 2 meters hold.
- Våre data tyder på at noe ekstraordinært har skjedd i Øst-Asia gjennom de siste to generasjonene, sier professor Morgan. (...)
- Dagslys hjelper
Forskerne mener at dersom øynene eksponeres for om lag tre timers dagslys om dagen motvirker nærsynthet.
De hevder nemlig at sollyset øker nivået av dopamin i øyet, noe som igjen skal motvirke forlengelsen av øyeeplet.
- Vi snakker bare om å utsette seg for vanlig dagslys i to til tre timer daglig. Det er ikke snakk om mye, det lyset som finnes på overskyede dager er godt nok, sier Morgan. (...)
Forskere fastholder: Avastin er lige så effektivt som Lucentis til behandling af øjensygdom
dagensmedicin.dk 3.5.2012
Kræftlægemidlet Avastin er lige så effektivt som Lucentis til behandling af øjensygdommen våd AMD, viser nye resultater fra kontroversielt studie. (...)
Avastin versus Lucentis
BMJ2012;344:e3162 (2 May)
Drug treatment for age related macular degeneration is one of medicine’s success stories. As Ning Cheung and colleagues explain (doi:10.1136/bmj.e2970), anti-vascular endothelial growth factors are preserving and restoring vision to millions around the world. But a related and less edifying story is stealing the limelight: ranibuzimab (Lucentis) versus bevacizumab (Avastin). It casts a shadow over this great medical advance and puts the world’s drug development and licensing systems under the spotlight.
In its anti-cancer drug, bevacizumab, drug developer Genentech has created what may be the world’s first “not me” (as opposed to “me too”) drug, say Robert Campbell and colleagues (doi:10.1136/bmj.e2941). Despite evidence that it works in macular degeneration, the manufacturers and marketers (Roche in the US, Novartis in the UK and elsewhere) are actively discouraging its use for this condition, even going so far as taking legal action to prevent such off-label use. Why? Because they want people to use their other drug, ranibuzimab, which is licensed for treating macular degeneration. (...)
Eye Drugs
Why using Avastin for eye disease is so difficult
BMJ2012;344:e3012 (1 May)
Use of bevacizumab rather than ranibizumab for wet age related macular degeneration has the potential to save substantial sums. But, as Ingrid Torjesen reports, the drug company is fighting to protect its profits
Ranibizumab (Lucentis) and bevacizumab (Avastin) are both commonly used to treat wet age related macular degeneration (AMD) in the United Kingdom. Many primary care trusts, which pay for treatments in England, see little difference between them, other than the price: ranibizumab costs around 12 times more than bevacizumab.1
But Novartis insists there are subtle and important differences between them in terms of effectiveness and safety, and, most importantly, ranibizumab is licensed for wet AMD and is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), whereas bevacizumab is not. Some cynics might describe it as clever marketing. (...)
Acute headache and visual field defect (Akutt hodepine og synsfeltsdefekt)
BMJ2012;344:e2229 (4 April)
A 79 year old woman developed a sudden onset severe bifrontal headache accompanied by an acute loss of peripheral vision, which she described as tunnel vision, and a subsequent transient reduction in her level of consciousness six days after an elective right total hip arthroplasty. Postoperatively she had experienced mild generalised headaches and erratic blood pressure control, with a tendency to marked hypertension.
Her medical history included type 2 diabetes, poorly controlled hypertension, and osteoarthritis, for which she regularly took co-codamol 30/500, metformin, and bisoprolol; no recent changes had been made to these drugs.
On initial examination, her blood pressure was 105/68 mm Hg, pulse 85 beats/min, and temperature 37.8°C. Her Glasgow coma scale score was 10/15 (E3, M5, V2) but rapidly improved to 14/15 (E4, M6, V4) over about 15 minutes. Further neurological examination showed visual acuities of 6/9 bilaterally and a marked bitemporal hemianopia, which was confirmed on formal visual fields assessment. Notably, fundoscopy was normal and she had no signs of meningism. (...)
Laser- versus kontaktlinseoperasjon ved nærsynthet
nhi.no 7.2.2012
Stadig flere nærsynte velger operasjon for å normalisere synet. Laserkirurgi har vært den dominerende metoden, men et alternativ er å operere inn kontaktlinser i øynene. Hvilken metode er best?
Synsinntrykk oppstår ved at lysstrålene fra det vi ser på, passerer gjennom øyets hornhinne og linse hvor de brytes slik at brennpunktet - der alle strålene samles - treffer nøyaktig på netthinnen slik at synet er normalt og skarpt. Ved nærsynthet befinner brennpunktet seg foran netthinnen ("øyet er for stort"). Ved langsynthet befinner brennpunktet seg bak netthinnen ("øyet er for lite").
Nærsynthet, myopi, er altså en tilstand der øyets evne til å fokusere er større enn det som kreves for å kunne se fjerne objekter klart. Nærsynthet er en vanlig årsak til svekket syn over hele verden. I følge Verdens Helseorganisasjon er nærsynthet og ukorrigerte brytningsfeil blant de vanligste årsakene til synssvekkelse i verden. (...)
Ultralyd ved temporalisarteritt
Tidsskr Nor Legeforen 2012; -1868:159 (24.1.2012)
En 87 år gammel kvinne med kjent bilateral carotisstenose, hypertensjon og hjertesvikt hadde i flere uker smerter over begge tinninger, spesielt mens hun spiste. Utover dette hadde hun ikke hodepine. Hun ble henvist øyeavdeling med mistanke om netthinneløsning etter at hun akutt mistet synet på venstre øye. Undersøkelse viste papillødem, peripapillær blødning og iskemisk preg langs arkadene nedenfor macula på venstre side (forenlig med mulig temporalisarteritt) (bildet til venstre) (piler) og velavgrenset papill på høyre side (bilde kun i Tidsskriftets nettutgave).
Pasienten ble innlagt i Nevrologisk avdeling med mistanke om sentralarterieokklusjon eller temporalisarteritt. Nevrologisk undersøkelse var upåfallende, med unntak av visustap venstre side. Pasienten hadde ikke hodepine. Temporalisarterien var verken hoven eller trykkøm, CRP var 19 mg/l (referanseverdi < 5 mg/l) og senkningsreaksjonen var 25 mm/t (referanseverdi < 30 mm/t). Ultralydundersøkelse av temporalarterien viste hypoekkoisk halo i arterieveggen som tegn på veggødem (bildet til høyre). Biopsi viste kjempeceller samt inflammatoriske forandringer i og rundt arterieveggen (bilde kun i Tidsskriftets nettutgave) og bekreftet diagnosen temporalisarteritt.
Pasienten ble behandlet med prednisolon. CRP sank til 3,3 mg/l og senkningsreaksjonen til 10 mm/t. Smertene forsvant, og synet på høyre side kunne bevares. Nytteverdien av ultralydundersøkelse ved spørsmål om temporalisarteritt er omdiskutert, men den var nyttig i dette tilfellet, da det var uvanlige kliniske tegn med lav CRP, lav senkning samt fravær av hodepine.
Pasienten har gitt tillatelse til at artikkelen blir publisert. (...)
(Anm: Temporalisarteritt (no.wikipedia.org).)
Retinal Vascular Geometry Predicts Incident Renal Dysfunction in Young People With Type 1 Diabetes
Diabetes Care 2012 (Published online before print January 16)
OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between retinal vascular geometry parameters and development of incident renal dysfunction in young people with type 1 diabetes. (...)
CONCLUSIONS Retinal venular geometry independently predicted incident renal dysfunction in young people with type 1 diabetes. These noninvasive retinal measures may help to elucidate early mechanistic pathways for microvascular complications. Retinal venular geometry may be a useful tool to identify individuals at high risk of renal disease early in the course of diabetes. (...)
Christoffer (19) fikk skader på øyet etter slurv med kontaktlinsene
journalisten.no 11.12.2011
Over halvparten av alle nordmenn som kjøper kontaktlinser på internett, dropper synskontroll. – Man sløves ned og begynner å slurve med linsene, sier Christoffer Opdal som fikk skader på hornhinna. Nå slår ekspertene alarm.
– Det var ekstremt smertefullt. Jeg fikk vondt i hodet og tålte ikke å se på skarpt lys, forteller Christoffer Opdal som fikk sår på hornhinnen og måtte oppsøke legevakten etter å ha slurvet med kontaktlinsene.
Han sitter nå hos optiker for å sjekke at ikke øynene har fått alvorlige skader.
– Jeg har vært uforsiktig og sløv. Jeg sov med dagslinser over flere netter. Det er så normalt å ha på linser, at jeg glemmer at de er der, sier han til NRK.no. (...)
Lösning kan ha orsakat ögoninfektioner
dagensmedicin.se 28.11.2011
Ett preparat som används vid operationer av grå starr har återkallats i Danmark sedan flera patienter drabbats av allvarliga ögoninfektioner. Det är fortfarande oklart om medlet finns i Sverige.
Visco Supreme klassas som medicinteknisk produkt och används i ögat vid operationer av grå starr. Lösningen finns inte till försäljning i Danmark men har skickats ut till olika kliniker i provförpackningar. Flera av dem tros ha varit förorenade.
Enligt information från Lægemiddelstyrelsen, den danska motsvarigheten till Läkemedelsverket, har minst fem patienter drabbats av ögoninfektioner. Den danska distributören Disop Aps har gått ut med instruktioner om att lösningen inte får användas och börjat samla in de prover som redan har skickats ut.
Svenska Läkemedelsverket följer utvecklingen men har ännu inte vidtagit några åtgärder gällande Visco Supreme. (...)
Ble skjeløyd av 3D-kino
nrk.no 17.11.2011
Kinobesøket trigget en latent skjeling hos Julian (6)
Seks år gamle Julian ble akutt skjeløyd og fikk dobbeltsyn etter at han så kinofilm i 3D.
Et kinobesøk med gode kompiser fikk et uventet utfall for seks år gamle Julian Mathisen fra Honningsvåg. Da han kom hjem fra kinoen var han plutselig skjeløyd, og hadde dobbeltsyn.
Pappa Jul Henriksen ble sjokkert da han så sønnen etter kinobesøket.
– Etter at han kom hjem fra filmen så jeg at det var noe rart med øynene hans. Det ene øyet skjelte, og han klagde over at han så dobbelt. Det var selvfølgelig rart at han kom hjem med øynene i kryss, sier faren. (...)
Pasienter kan bli blinde
nrk.no 3.11.2011
John Harr er nesten blind på høyre øye og har siden 2008 gjevnlig vært på kontroll på øyeavdelingen.
Planlagte kutt ved øyeavdelingen på Oslo Universitetssykehus, kan ramme pasientene. I verste fall kan flere miste synet.
Både ansatte og pasienter ved mange avdelinger på Oslo Universitetssykehus må forberede seg på kutt neste år.
Les også: Ulovlige køer på Oslo universitetssykehus
Sykehuset må spare flere hundre millioner kroner. Følgene kan bli dramatiske for pasientene som er avhengige av jevnlige behandlinger.
– Det vil innebære at pasienter ikke vil få den behandlingen de trenger for å beholde synet, sier Ragnheidur Bragadottir, seksjonsoverlege ved netthinneseksjonen på øyeavdelingen ved Oslo Universitetssykehus.
– Mange av disse pasientene er allerede blinde på det ene øyet og får behandling på det andre øyet. Hvis behandlingen blir avbrutt da, så kan de miste synet på kort tid.
Hun mener bastant at det ikke går ann å sette øyepasientene på ventelister. (...)
Giver varsel om blodprop og hjerte-kar-sygdomme
bt.dk 21.9.2011
Dine øjne sladrer om risiko for tidlig død
Mange sygdomme kan faktisk afsløres i folks øjne (Foto: iStockphoto) Se stort billede
Kig nøje på dine øje. De kan afsløre, om du har en særlig høj risiko for at blive ramt af en hjertesygdom og for tidlig død.
Danske forskerne har fundet ud af, at små gule mærker - koncentrationer af stoffet kolesterol - på øjenlågene kan være et meget tidligt varsel om blodpropper og andre former for hjerte-karsygdom.
Xanthelasmata kalder man på lægesprog de små gule kolesterol-pletter over og under øjnene, som lægerne i mange år blot har troet var et kosmetisk problem. Knap fem procent af alle danskere har den slags pletter på øjenlågene.
LÆS OGSÅ: Dine negle afslører din sygdom - se om du er i farezonen
LÆS OGSÅ: Dit udseende afslører sygdomme - se om du er i farezonen
De danske forskere, hvis studie med 13.000 forsøgspersoner nu præsenteres i det ansete lægetidsskrift British Medical Journal, konkluderer, at personer med disse pletter har op til 12 procent større risiko end andre for at få alvorlige problemer med hjertet. (...)
(Anm: Xanthelasma (en.wikipedia.org).)
The Eyes Have It
scientificamerican.com 13.9.2011
Eye gaze is critically important to social primates such as humans. Maybe that is why illusions involving eyes are so compelling
The eyes are the window to the soul. That is why we ask people to look us in the eye and tell us the truth. Or why we get worried when someone gives us the evil eye or has a wandering eye. Our language is full of expressions that refer to where people are looking—particularly if they happen to be looking in our direction. (...)
Genetic Defects Linked to Blindness
ivanhoe.com 12.9.2011
America), an estimated 47,000 people become blind each year; that means one person goes blind every 11 minutes. There are many aspects that can contribute to blindness and researchers have discovered genetic defects that could cause you to go blind.
Using next generation DNA sequencing, researchers from the University of Leeds have discovered what causes rare forms of inherited eye disorders, such as cataracts and glaucoma, in children. The study that was co-led with colleagues from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, analyzed DNA from three unrelated families, which all had members with poor vision from birth linked to problems with the eye’s lens and cornea.
Dr. Manir Ali and colleagues found that all of the family members with impaired vision had defects in an antioxidant called peroxidasin, which makes up part of the lens and cornea and is responsible for protecting the eye.
“We know that in healthy eyes, peroxidasin acts as a first line of defense against the damage that ultraviolet radiation and sunlight does to our skin. It may also help protect against cataracts in older people,” Dr. Ali was quoted saying. “Our findings imply that this same protein is essential for the normal development of the lens and surrounding structures at the front of the eye.”
The study, which was published in the latest issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, concluded that these defects are responsible for causing cataracts and glaucoma in children who have inherited this rare form of eye disorder. (...)
Flera blinda i USA efter behandling med Avastin
lakemedelsvarlden.se 2.9.2011
Flera personer i USA har blivit blinda och andra har drabbats av svåra infektioner efter att ha behandlats med Avastin, som används mot våt makuladegeneration.
Minst tolv personer i Miami-området i USA har fått allvarliga ögoninfektioner på grund av streptokocker efter att ha behandlats med Avastin, skriver Reuters. Alla patienter hade dålig syn före behandlingen, men många förlorade synen helt efteråt. Tidningen New York Times uppger att fem personer blivit blinda i Los Angeles efter Avastin-injektioner.
FDA har härlett smittan till ett apotek i Florida. Man avråder inte från injektioner, men uppmanar behandlare att vara uppmärksamma på smittorisken.
Avastin (bevacizumab) är ett cancerläkemedel, men eftersom det är mycket billigare än till exempel Lucentis (ranibizumab) används det för att behandla åldersrelaterad makuladegeneration. Lucentis kommer i engångsförpackningar medan Avastindosen måste fördelas. Det är vid omfördelningen av doser som läkemedlet kontaminerats. (...)
Off-label Avastin use linked to eye infections (Forskrivning av Avastin utenfor preparatomtale linket til øyeinfeksjoner)
pharmatimes.com 1.9.2011
The US Food and Drug Administration is looking into cases of serious eye infections in patients who have been treated with Avastin, Roche's blockbuster which is often prescribed off-label to treat wet age-related macular degeneration.
The agency is alerting healthcare professionals that repackaged intravitreal injections of Avastin (bevacizumab) "have caused a cluster of serious eye infections" in Miami, and investigators traced the tainted injections to a single pharmacy. The latter then distributed the Avastin to multiple eye clinics.
To date, FDA is aware of at least 12 patients in at least three of these clinics who had Streptococcus endophthalmitis eye infection. While all of them "had visual deficits prior to their injections with Avastin, some of these patients lost all remaining vision in that eye due to the endophthalmitis", the agency said. There have also been reports of four patients in Tennessee who were injected with Avastin that was supposedly contaminated by bacteria. (...)
Five More Reports of Avastin Injections Causing Blindness (Fem nye rapporter om at injeksjoner av Avastin forårsaker blindhet)
nytimes.com 1.9.2011
LOS ANGELES — Five more patients who were being treated with the drug Avastin for eye disease have been blinded, according to one of the patients and medical professionals.
The latest cases occurred last month at the Veterans Affairs medical center in Los Angeles. Late Thursday, the Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed that the problem had occurred and said that an investigation into the matter was continuing.
“Our deepest sympathy goes out to the veterans affected by the Avastin eye injections,” it said in a statement.
Avastin, made by Genentech, is a cancer drug but is commonly used to treat the wet form of age-related macular degeneration and other eye diseases because it costs only about $50 an injection. (...)
Ask an Expert About Macular Degeneration
consults.blogs.nytimes.com 12.7.2011
In the latest Patient Voices series, patients talk about living with macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss among older people, and Stargardt’s disease, a similar condition that arises in late childhood.
This week, Stephen Rose, chief research officer for the Foundation Fighting Blindness, joins the Consults blog to answer reader questions about macular degeneration, Stargardt’s disease and other retinal degenerative diseases. They include retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited condition that can cause night blindness and pinhole vision, and Usher’s syndrome, the largest reason for deaf-blindness.
Promising treatments now undergoing testing for these conditions include gene therapy, which restored functional vision in children and young adults with retinal disorders who were previously blind, and therapies using retinal cells derived from embryonic stem cells for Stargardt’s and age-related macular degeneration.
“Macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss in people over 55 and affects over 10 million Americans,” Dr. Rose said. “With the baby boomers getting older, that number is expected to double over the next 20 years.”
Do you have questions about macular degeneration and related disorders? Please post your comments and questions in the Comments box below. Dr. Rose will begin responding to select questions later this week. (...)
Perfekt syn 23.000 kroner billigere
na24.no 23.6.2011
Sol og eksotiske opplevelser er ikke eneste grunnen til at nordmenn valfarter til Thailand.
BANGKOK/PATTAYA (NA24): Kostnadsnivået i Thailand er på de fleste områder langt lavere enn i vesten og i Norge. Det gjelder også for spesialisthelsetjenester, selv om differansen ikke er like stor som på en del andre områder. (...)
Study: Could Diet Help Prevent Vision Loss? (Studie: kan diett hjelpe å forebygge synstap?)
healthland.time.com 20.6.2011 (Time)
Here's another reason to get your daily recommended allowances of vitamins and minerals: to lower the odds of vision loss in midlife.
Researchers from several universities in the Netherlands, including Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, found that people who got the highest amounts of several nutrients, including zinc and omega-3 fatty acids, in their diet had a lower risk of developing a condition known as macular degeneration.
The common condition erodes the retina and causes vision loss in more than 6% of Americans age 40 and older. It is treatable with drugs or surgery, but the treatments do not reverse the condition. Age-related macular degeneration accounts for half of all cases of blindness in developed countries. (...)
The researchers found that among those with the CFH gene variation, people who got the most zinc, beta carotene, omega-3 fatty acids or lutein/zeaxanthin in their diets were less likely to develop macular degeneration than those who got the lowest amounts. For example, the rate of vision loss in those getting the lowest amount of omega-3s (about 22 mg per day) was 39 cases out of every 100 people; in people who consumed the most omega-3s (268 mg per day), the rate was 28 cases out of every 100.
Among people with the LOC387715S variation, only two nutrients, zinc and omega-3, were associated with a lower risk of vision loss. But in all cases, the authors found that it wasn't necessary to eat excessive amounts of the nutrients to see a benefit — getting the government-recommended daily allowances of healthy foods was sufficient. (...)
Optikerne blingser
na24.no 21.6.2011
Se opp når du går til optikeren. Vi dro til tre forskjellige - og fikk tre ulike diagnoser! (...)
Resultatet var ikke særlig oppklarende: Alle tre stilte forskjellige diagnoser.
Vel å merke var det bred enighet om at jeg er nærsynt. Men der stopper også konsensus.
Brilleland konkluderer med -1,50 på venstre øye. Dagen etter var jeg blitt 50 prosent mer nærsynt på samme øye, -2,25 hos Specsavers.
Ingen av optikerne falt ned på samme resultat for hvor nærsynt jeg er - verken på høyre eller venstre øye.
I synstesten blir det også sjekket om hornhinnen er skjev. Også her var optikerne uenige.
Ingen fikk samme resultat etter synstesten. (...)
Så kan kontaktlinser skada din syn
svt.se 21.5.2011
Att använda kontaktlinser blir allt lättare. Men fel använda kan kontaktlinser ge skador för livet.
Läs mer "Många borde slänga linserna för gott" Ögonläkare varnar för partylinser
Det är ganska banala saker som kan få långtgående följder. Att råka somna utan att ta ur linserna. Att inte rengöra linsburkarna ordentligt. Att strunta i att gå på kontroll hos en optiker.
-Det värsta som vi får in är infektioner i hornhinnan. I vissa fall kan det leda till ett hål i hornhinnan och då är risken stor för att synen påverkas för livet, säger Eva Karlsson, överläkare och verksamhetschef Ögonkliniken, Universitetssjukhuset i Örebro.
Även Thiemo Rudolph, ögonspecialist på Sahlgrenska universitetssjukhuset i Göteborg, ser många problem orsakade av kontaktlinser.
-Det är jättevanligt med mindre allvarliga problem. De mer allvarliga, som infektioner i hornhinnan ser vi några fall av per år, problemet är när man kommer för sent eller om det handlar om en väldigt aggressiv infektion.
Alltid påfrestande
Att använda kontaktlinser innebär alltid en påfrestning för hornhinnan. Huruvida det blir allvarliga problem handlar om flera faktorer.
-Dels kan det handla om ren otur, att man har dåliga linser, dels kan det handla om dålig linshygien. Den individuella känsligheten spelar också in, vissa kan använda linser i 20-30 år utan problem andra inte alls, säger Thiemo Rudolph.
Att behandla sin synnedsättning med laser är ett sätt att slippa sina linser. Men Thiemo Rudolph vill inte ge någon generell rekommendation om varken det ena eller andra.
-Laserbehandling kan också ge allvarliga infektioner. Det ena är inte mindre riskabelt än det andra. (...)
Läkare varnar för partylinser
svt.se 18.5.2011
Ögonläkare i Västmanland varnar för de så kallade partylinserna. Linserna används främst av ungdomar och kan vid sidan av katt- eller zombieögon, ge livslånga ögonskador. (...)
I juli förra året ändrades Hälso- och sjukvårdslagen så att vem som helst kan sälja kontaktlinser utan föregående ögonundersökning. Den som säljer behöver inte heller ha kunskap i hur linserna ska användas och rengöras.
- Den som köper linser får med ett informationshäfte. Sedan är det upp till kunden att följa instruktionerna, säger Johanna Susi, butiksbiträde Västerås.
Sprider ögoninfektioner
Även om partylinserna inte är farligare än andra linser är de inte utprovade efter ögat och det är just okunskapen om hur se ska användas som oroar läkare.
- Det förekommer att man tappar den kosmetiska linsen på golvet och sätter in den igen. Man byter linser med varandra och sprider väldigt lätt en infektion, säger Bengt Svensson, överläkare ögonsjukvård. (...)
Sjögren's Syndrome and MALT Lymphoma
N Engl J Med 2011; 364:e41 (May 12)
A 73-year-old woman with a history of symptomatic xerostomia and xerophthalmia was hospitalized for evaluation of a neck mass and progressive symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea that had developed during the previous 12 months. The physical examination revealed a nontender enlargement of the lacrimal glands and submandibular salivary glands (Panel A, arrows). The results of Schirmer's test for tear production were abnormal, and serologic analysis showed positive results for anti-SSA autoantibodies, which supported a diagnosis of primary Sjögren's syndrome. Computed tomographic imaging revealed nodular masses in both submandibular glands (Panel B, arrows, axial view) and a 4-cm polypoid mass extending from the root of the tongue to the right epiglottic vallecula (Panel C, arrows, sagittal view). A biopsy sample obtained from the tongue lesion revealed an extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type. Patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome have an increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. For this patient, combination chemotherapy with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) resulted in the disappearance of the masses in the tongue and submandibular glands. During the subsequent 24 months, there was complete resolution of the obstructive sleep apnea, xerostomia, and xerophthalmia. (...)
Human Brains Are Optimally Tuned for the Visual Hunt
scientificamerican.com 8.5.2011
(...) "Target detection involves integrating information from multiple locations," Ma said. "It is a cognitive judgment as well as a visual one," he said—"the brain has to weigh different pieces of visual information."
For the new study, subjects were asked to quickly find a line of a particular orientation on a computer screen that displayed a whole set of helter-skelter lines with different levels of visual contrast. Subjects had less than a second to make this judgment—and the target line didn't even appear on every screen.
"We found that even in this complex task, people came close to being optimal in detecting the target," Ma said. "The visual system is automatically and subconsciously doing complex tasks." Ma and his team suggest that in the hunt for the target line, people were using specific groups of neurons that are keyed into identifying that specific line orientation.
"Our eyes are the camera, but the process of interpreting the image in our brains is seeing," he said.
The new research was published online May 8 in Nature Neuroscience. (Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group.) (...)
Test of Eye Drug Is Said to Show Success in Elderly
prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com 27.4.2011
A far less expensive alternative proved roughly as effective as Genentech’s costly drug Lucentis in preserving or improving vision in elderly people with a common eye disease, according to two people familiar with the results of a closely watched clinical trial.
A clear showing of equivalence between the two drugs could lead to greater use of the less expensive drug, Avastin, which is also made by Genentech, saving Medicare hundreds of millions of dollars a year or more. However, some researchers said, there are some complicating factors, both in the trial data and in other studies, that would favor Lucentis.
“The data is going to be interpreted many different ways,’’ said one investigator in the trial, who spoke under condition of anonymity but would not provide any trial results. Revealing trial results before they are published or presented at a conference is considered a violation of scientific protocol.
Genentech developed Lucentis to treat the wet form of age-related macular degeneration, the most common cause of severe vision loss in the elderly. While Avastin, which is a cancer drug, has not been approved for use in treating macular degeneration, it has the same mechanism of action as Lucentis. And Avastin costs only about $50 per injection into the eye, compared to roughly $2,000 for Lucentis.
Many eye doctors already are using Avastin off-label to treat macular degeneration, and many say it appears to work just as well as Lucentis. But there has never been a definitive trial to compare the two drugs. (...)
Har solbrillene dine riktig merke?
dinside.no 23.4.2011
Og nei, vi snakker ikke om Dolce&Gabbana, Gucci eller Ray-Ban. (...)
Se etter CE-merket
Solbriller som har UV-beskyttelse, har merket UV 400 eller CE. Alle solbriller som selges i Norge, skal ha dette merket. Men dersom du har kjøpt brillene dine i utlandet, kan det lønne seg å ta en ekstra sjekk.
– Du bør alltid kjøpe briller som er CE-merket. Disse oppfyller en europeisk standard og beskytter effektivt mot UV-stråler, mellom 99.5-100 prosent. Siden pupillen utvider seg i mørket, vil mørke solbriller av dårlig kvalitet føre til at mer UV-lys slipper inn i øyet, har Rigmor C. Baraas, forsker ved Høgskolen i Buskerud, avdeling for optometri og synsvitenskap, tidligere uttalt til DinSide. (...)
Cataract: The unseen scourge
sunstar.com.ph 12.4.2011
AROUND the world, cataract is the leading cause of blindness, according to the Geneva-based World Health Organization. An estimated 42 million people are affected by severe loss of vision, and cataract causes 17 million of these losses. In the Philippines, 400,000 Filipinos get blind because of cataract.
Cloudy or blurry vision is the first symptom. The person will also have some problems with light, including headlights that seem too bright at night; glare from lamps or very bright sunlight; or a halo around lights. At night, poor vision is more likely. As cataract becomes worse, double or multiple visions may be experienced. To keep up, the person has to keep on changing the eyeglasses.
Cataract – whose global cost of blindness is approximately 25 billion dollars annually in lost productivity – may also cause change in color vision. “Vision can be yellow-tinged,” informs Dr. Victor L. Caparas, founding partner of the Associated Eye Specialists. (...)
Visual Impairment, Optical Correction, and Their Impact on Activity Limitations in Elderly Persons: The POLA Study
Arch Intern Med. 2011 (Published online April 11)
The loss of autonomy among older persons is a major public health issue. In the disablement process model,1 chronic and acute conditions lead to psychological and physical deficiencies and ultimately to difficulty in performing activities of daily life. In elderly persons, visual impairment is one of the major deficiencies leading to activity limitations and can be caused by either eye trauma or ocular diseases (affecting the ability to receive or process visual information), or by refractive errors (a failure of the eye to focus images sharply on the retina). Refractive errors affect approximately a third of the US and Western European populations.2
We estimated the proportion of uncorrected refractive errors and the potential improvement in daily life functioning that could be brought about by optimal visual correction. (...)
Dyrker øyne i prøverør
nrk.no 8.4.2011
Dette er resultatet av 3000 stamceller som har fått gjøre det de har lyst til.
Forskere nærmer seg kur mot blindhet etter å ha dyrka ei netthinne av stamceller for første gang.
Menneskelige organer skapt på laboratorium kan virke som en fremtidsvisjon, men i et laboraturium i Japan er dette i ferd med å bli virkelighet.
– Netthinnevevet i prøverøret er utvilsomt ekte vare. Det etterligna den komplekse strukturen til netthinna på øyet, sier Yoshiki Sasai i rapporten som er publisert i Nature. (...)
Brains of People with Autism Focus More on Visual Skills
news.yahoo.com 4.4.2011
MONDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- The brains of people with autism concentrate more resources in areas devoted to visual perception, resulting in less activity in areas used to plan and control thoughts and actions, says a new study.
The findings may explain why people with autism have exceptional visual abilities, said the researchers at the University of Montreal.
They analyzed data from 26 brain imaging studies that were conducted over 15 years and included a total of 357 autistic and 370 non-autistic participants.
"Through this meta-analysis, we were able to observe that autistics exhibit more activity in the temporal and occipital regions and less activity in frontal cortex than non-autistics," first author Fabienne Samson said in a university news release. (...)
Derfor svekkes synet ditt
dagbladet.no 28.3.2011
Eldre mødre, leseglede og høyere utdanning er blant årsakene til at stadig flere blir nærsynte, mener forskere. (...)
Nærsynthet
- 35 prosent av norske 20-25-åringer er nærsynte.
- Andelen blant 40-45-åringer er 30 prosent.
- I USA økte andelen med 66 prosent fra 1972 til 2004.
- Blant danske vernepliktige har ikke andelen økt, men de med høy utdanning er oftere nærsynt.
- Omtrent 30 prosent av nærsynte har såkalt høy myopi, en korreksjon på -6 eller mer. De med høy myopi har økt risiko for rift i netthinnen, netthinneløsning og grønn stær.
Kilde: HUNT/Wikipedia/«Increased Prevalence of Myopia in the United States Between 1971-1972 and 1999-2004»/«Prevalence of myopia
in Danish conscripts (...)
Diet: Eating Fish Found to Ward Off Eye Disease (Diett: Inntak av fisk for å motvirke øyesykdommer)
nytimes.com 17.3.2011
A new study reports yet another good reason to eat fish: women whose diet was rich in omega-3 fatty acids found in fish were at significantly lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.
The Harvard Women’s Health Study, which followed 39,876 women in midlife, had participants fill out detailed food-frequency questionnaires at the start of the study in 1993. After an average 10 years of follow-up, 235 of the women had developed macular degeneration, a progressive eye disease that is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in the elderly.
But the analysis, in Archives of Ophthalmology, found that women who had reported eating one or more servings of fish per week were 42 percent less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration than those who ate less than a serving each month. (Researchers adjusted the data to control for other factors linked to the disease, including smoking.) Eating canned tuna and dark-meat fish like mackerel, salmon, sardines, bluefish and swordfish appeared to have the most benefit. (...)
(Anm: Makuladegenerasjon er en skade på skarpsynssenteret, makula, i netthinnen. Tilstanden kan oppstå når vi blir gamle. Det er den ledende årsaken til blindhet og svaksynthet i Norge i dag. (nhi.no).)
Grå stær? Da må du vente lenge!
nrk.no 14.3.2011
Grå stær blir fjernet under en poliklinisk operasjon, og pasienten får en kunstig linse.
Opp til et ett års ventetid på øyeoperasjon.
Personalet på øyeavdelingen ved Drammen sykehus gjør klart til operasjon sammen med avdelingsoverlege Nils Petter Dalaker. Her må pasientene med grå stær vente lenge på operasjon. Det er ikke uvanlig at det tar nesten et år før de får behandling.
Dalaker viser fram en del av operasjonsutstyret.
– Denne spissen putter vi inn i øyet. I tuppen er det ultralydutstyr som knuser den grå stæren slik at den kan suges ut av øyet. (...)
Hornhinnesår som årsak til blindhet
Tidsskr Nor Legeforen 2011; 131:436 (4.3.2011)
Forsinket og ufullstendig behandling av sår på hornhinnen kan føre til alvorlig synstap og blindhet.
Det viser en retrospektiv studie av pasienter innlagt på grunn av hornhinnesår i 2008 ved Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Teaching Hospital i Nigeria. Av 82 skadede, 38 menn og 44 kvinner, hadde 55 en synsstyrke på under 3/60 ved innleggelse. Bare hos 21 pasienter ga behandling bedring av synet, og seks øyne måtte fjernes etter hornhinnesår (1). (...)
Researchers claim millimeter-scale computing system
edn.com 23.2.2011
Researchers from the University of Michigan at ISSCC discuss a prototype implantable eye pressure monitor for glaucoma patients that is believed to contain the first complete millimeter-scale computing system
The researchers this week at ISSCC (International Solid-State Circuits Conference) discussed a prototype implantable eye pressure monitor for glaucoma patients that is believed to contain the first complete millimeter-scale computing system. The researchers also discussed a compact radio that needs no tuning to find the right frequency and that they say could be a key enabler to organizing millimeter-scale systems into wireless sensor networks. (...)
Normaltrykksglaukom
no.wikipedia.org (2.2.2011)
Glaukom med trykk mellom 10 og 22 mmHg.
Dette er en tilstand hvor man ved å se på papillen (der hvor optikusnerven går ut av øyet) kan se at det er svinn av nervetråder, men ikke kan måle forhøyet trykk i øyet. Årsaken til at nervetrådene svinner hen er ukjent.
Symptomer
Symptomene er svært ulike fra den akutte til den kroniske formen:.
Akutt vinkelblokkglaukom innebærer ofte rødt øye, smerter og kvalme. Hvis det får stå lenge nok vil det oppstå en varig skade på synsnerven med synstap som følge.
Kronisk og Normaltrykksglaukom innebærer ikke så fremtredende symptomer. Her er det en gradvis progresjon av synsfeltsutfall fra periferien mot sentrum. (...)
Hadde farlig øyesykdom uten å vite det
nrk.no 31.1.2011
Ingen fant ut hvorfor Marit Bjerk slet med kraftig hodepine, før en optiker konstaterte akutt grønn stær. En time etter lå hun på operasjonsbordet. – Alle over 40 år bør sjekke trykket i øynene, sier øyelege.
Marit Bjerk fra Bodø ble laseroperert bare en time etter at sykdommen var oppdaget i fjor høst.
40.000 nordmenn har allerede øyesykdommen «grønn stær» eller glaucom som sykdommen også kalles. Ytterligere 20.000 nordmenn antas å ha sykdommen uten å vite det. I de fleste tilfellene er det en snikende sykdom som i verste fall kan føre til blindhet.
– Heldigvis var det en optiker i Bodø som oppdaget det. Jeg anbefaler alle å få sjekket øynene, sier Marit Bjerk.
Da hadde hun vært til utredning hos andre leger, uten at de fant årsaken til hodepinen. Bjerk hadde et akutt tilfelle, og ble sendt til øyeavdelingen ved Nordlandssykehuset i Bodø og laseroperert med en gang. (...)
Antall øyeskader nesten doblet
vg.no 1.1.2011
(VG Nett) 17 personer pådro seg alvorlige øyeskader under gårsdagens nyttårsfeiring. Det er flere enn året før.
Antallet alvorlig øyeskader har ikke gått dramatisk ned etter at man førbød fyrverkeri med styrepinner. Med 17 alvorlige skader har tallet gått opp fra 2009/2010, og ligger på nivå med antallet skader før forbudet ble iverksatt.
- Vi ser at også bakkefyrverkeri er svært farlig for øynene. Ingen av de som er skadet rapporterer å ha brukt vernebriller, sier lege Erlend Ulltang ved Øyeavdelingen på Haukeland universitetssykehus. Tall over hvor mange som er behandlet for øyeskader samler han inn fra kolleger ved andre sykehus i landet i løpet av noen timer første nyttårsdag. (...)
Øyeskader på landsbasis de siste årene:
2010/11: 17 skader - 6 alvorlige og 11 moderat alvorlige
2009/10: 10 skader - 3 alvorlige og 7 moderat alvorlige
2008/09: 10 skader - 5 alvorlige og 5 moderat alvorlige
2007/08: 21 skader - 6 alvorlige og 15 moderat alvorlig
2006/07: 20 skader - 3 alvorlige og 17 moderat alvorlige (...)
People Look to Eyes for Signs of Life, Study Finds
sciencemagnews.com 27.12.2010
How do people recognize an image of a face as belonging to a living human being and not a replica such as a doll or mannequin? A new study suggests that the eyes have it: they are crucial to helping people distinguish real faces from those that are not.
"There's something fundamentally important about seeing a face and knowing that the lights are on and someone is home," study co-author Thalia Wheatley of Dartmouth College explained in a news release from the Association for Psychological Science.
In the study, published online and in the December issue of the journal Psychological Science, the researchers took photos of doll faces, then used software to morph the doll faces with faces of real people who looked similar. The end product was a continuum of faces from real to fake.
Volunteers looked at the photos and tried to figure out which ones were images of live humans. The tipping point -- the point where the volunteers realized that they were looking at an image of a person -- came about two-thirds along the continuum toward the human side. (...)
Autistic Children Lack Visual Skills Needed for Independence
Ivanhoe.com 24.12.2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Being able to find shoes in a bedroom, apples in a grocery store, or a favorite animal at the zoo is impaired in children with autism, according to this study.
Previous studies have shown that children with autism usually demonstrate outstanding visual search skills, but this new research shows that autistic children are unable to search for objects in real-life situation- a necessary life skill.
Previous studies have tested search skills using table-top tasks or computers but none, until now, has tested how children with autism fare in a more true-to-life setting.
In a unique test room, 20 children with autism and 20 typical children of the same age and ability were instructed to press buttons on the floor to find a hidden target among multiple illuminated locations. Critically, these targets appeared more on one side of the room than the other. (...)
Blind på ett øye – fikk erstatning
aftenposten.no 9.12.2010
Seyed Mousavi ble tilnærmet blind på ett øye etter 13 operasjoner. Nå er han blitt tilkjent erstatning fra Norsk Pasientskadeerstatning (NPE).
BENDIK BJERKNES I oktober skrev Aftenposten om Seyed Akbar Mousavi som ble nesten blind etter 13 laseroperasjoner. Forliksrådet dømte Memira synskirurgi til å betale tilbake utgiftene til behandlingen. I vedtaket heter det at «Mousavi har krav på erstatning etter pasientskadeloven for følgene av mislykket laserbehandling ». Mousavis advokat, Per Danielsen er fornøyd med vedtaket. (...)
Health Tip Signs of Corneal Damage
nlm.nih.gov 8.11.2010
Here are common symptoms
(HealthDay News) -- The cornea is the transparent film that covers the front of the eye, helping to focus on the retina what you see.
Injuries to the cornea are common. The University of Maryland Medical Center says these warning signs may indicate an injured cornea that requires a doctor's care:
- Your eyes are unusually sensitive to light.
- Your vision is blurry.
- You have pain in your eye.
- Your eye feels like there is something in it.
- Your eye is red.
- Your eyelid is swollen. (...)
Med denne i øyet kan blinde se
nrk.no 8.11.2010
Bildebrikke under netthinna gir blinde muligheten til å se verden i gråtoner.
1500 bildepunkter gir et ganske grovt og uskarpt bilde, og når bildet også har bare sju gråtoner, blir synsintrykket mer som en uklar mosaikk.
Men dette er likevel den største skarpheten som er oppnådd i slike forsøk. Og for de tre forsøkspersonene i førtiårene betød den kunstige netthinnen forskjellen mellom å se og ikke se.
Les: Stamcellelagring hjelper blinde (...)
Laserpenn ødela synet til to gutter
nrk.no 3.11.2010
Det de trodde var en uskyldig lek, endte tragisk for to unge gutter fra Hedmark. Begge har fått varige øyeskader etter lek med laserpenn.
Overlege ved øyeavdelingen ved sykehuset i Elverum, Albrecht Gerstenberger, retter nå en kraftig advarsel mot lek med laserpenner.
– Disse guttene har fått varige skader på øynene. De er ikke blinde, men kan for eksempel ikke lese. Sentralsynet er ødelagt, sier Gerstenberger til NRK.
Skaden på øynene skjer på et tredelssekund. (...)
Party 'Popper' Drugs Damage Eyes
medpagetoday.com 26.10.2010
Experimenting with "poppers" -- inhaled alkyl nitrates used as recreational drugs -- can cause lasting retinal damage, ophthalmologists warned.
Four cases over a three-month period in France were reported in a letter to the editors appearing in the Oct. 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The prolonged visual loss likely resulted from damage to foveal photoreceptors by the acute, massive release of nitric oxide from the drugs, Michel Paques, MD, PhD, of the Quinze-Vingts Hospital in Paris, and colleagues wrote. (...)
New Treatment Poor Vision In Old Age (Ny behandling for dårlig syn hos eldre)
Ivanhoe.com 25.10.2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Presbyopia is an inevitable eye disorder. It occurs mostly in people over 40. It is characterized by blurred vision, where the lenses gradually lose their ability to focus on close-up objects. There is a new and effective way to permanently treat presbyopia that is currently being used in Europe, and soon in the U.S.
Almost everyone by the age of 50 or 60 experiences blurry close-up vision, but their ability to see distance remains good. More than 60 million people in the U.S., and 400 million people worldwide, are presbyotic. Reading glasses are a solution, but many people are interested in a glasses-free solution. Options now available include a form of LASIK that improves near vision in one eye, called monovision, and intraocular lenses (IOLs) that replace the eyes' natural lenses. Within a few years, several new presbyopia treatments described in today's Scientific Program will likely be available in the U.S.
A new type of micro-lens, the Flexivue, was implanted in the corneas of 15 patients. The patients were followed for 12 months after the surgery. The procedure lasted only 10 minutes. (...)
Pasient nesten blind etter operasjoner
aftenposten.no 22.10.2010
Du har forbrukerrettigheter ved kjøp av helsetjenester
Seyed Akbar Mousavi
ble nesten blind etter
tretten laseroperasjoner.
Forliksrådet
tilkjente ham 75 000
kroner i erstatning. (…)
Viktig dom. – Dommen er viktig fordi den slår fast at forbrukere også har rettigheter overfor private helseforetak, sier Per Danielsen til Aftenposten.
– Dette betyr at å kjøpe helsetjenester, prinsipielt er det samme som å levere bilen til reparasjon, forklarer Danielsen.
– Har du vært borti lignende saker tidligere?
– Nei, dette er den eneste saken jeg kjenner til som gjelder et privat helseforetak. Det er nettopp det som gjør dommen så viktig, den skaper presedens, hevder Danielsen.
Mousavi fikk i dommen medhold i at han hadde krav på å få refundert de 75 000 kronene han hadde betalt. Retten menteat kjøpet kunne anses som hevet da Mousavi ikke hadde fått det han betalte for. (…)
– Hva med erstatning for svekket syn, er det noe dere vurderer?
– Ja, men etter en lovendring i fjor, er det staten gjennom Norsk Pasientskadeerstatning som tar ansvaret ved feil foretatt hos private eller offentlige helseforetak, forklarer Danielsen.
– Det positive med det er jo at er enklere å fremme krav, menpå den annen side er det lettere å slippe unna for de ansvarlige. Dessuten er det nok mange som ikke føler noe personlig ansvar når de ikke blir ansvarliggjort i erstatningssaker, avslutter Danielsen. (...)
Fem av seks vet ikke at de er syke
nrk.no 14.10.2010
Fem av seks kjenner ikke ett eneste symptom på øyesykdom. (...)
- Trodde bare 70-åringer fikk grønn stær
dagbladet.no 14.10.2010
Men Anita (45) fikk diagnosen for tre år siden. Se vår oversikt over øyesykdommer. (...)
Vet det ikke selv
Norges Blindeforbund anslår at 20 000 nordmenn har grønn stær uten å vite det. Tidlig oppdagelse og behandling kan bety forskjellen mellom å bli blind eller beholde synet.
- AMD og grønn stær er de to sykdommene som hyppigst forårsaker blindhet i Norge, sier Liv Drolsum, øyelege ved Ullevål universitetssykehus.
- Dette fordi vi per i dag bare kan stoppe sykdomsprosessen, ikke reversere skadene. Det er derfor det er så viktig å undersøke synet hos lege, sier Drolsum.
At så mange kan gå med grønn stær uten å vite det, forklarer Drolsum med at man gjerne ikke opplever symptomer før det er gått for langt. (...)
Non-Prescription 'Fashion' Contacts Can Harm Your Eyes
medicinenet.com 12.10.2010
Eye Diseases and Conditions Slideshow Pictures
Pink Eye Slideshow Pictures
TUESDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Halloween is a popular time to buy over-the-counter decorative contact lenses, but they pose a number of potential risks to your eyes, including pain, inflammation, serious infection and permanent vision loss, warns the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
"Many people believe that decorative lenses don't require the same level of care or consideration because they can be purchased over-the-counter or on the Internet," Dr. Thomas Steinemann, a professor of ophthalmology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and a clinical correspondent for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said in an academy news release. (...)
Eye Exercises Might Boost Fine Depth Perception
msn.com 14.10.2010
Eye Exercises Might Boost Fine Depth Perception
Push-pull training method could also be used for 'lazy eye,' researchers say
THURSDAY, Oct. 14 (HealthDay News) -- A new study says a push-pull training method is a good way to correct a condition called sensory eye dominance, in which an imbalance between the vision strength of the eyes impairs fine depth perception.
This method -- which involves making the weaker eye work while the stronger eye is suppressed -- could be especially important for people who depend on fine depth perception for their work, such as dentists, surgeons, machinists and athletes.
It's also likely that the method can be adapted for treating children with amblyopia (also known as lazy eye), which affects 2 to 3 percent of children in the United States, said the authors of the study published in the Oct. 14 online edition of the journal Current Biology. (...)
Få perfekt syn med en ny linse
fpn.dk 1.10.2010
Øjenlæge: RLE-metoden giver nye og bedre muligheder til personer med store synsfejl.
Mange kender muligheden for at få korrigeret for nærsynethed med laser-operationer, men nu er brillebrugere også begyndt at få øjnene op for en type øjenkirurgi, der går ud på at skifte øjets egen slidte linse ud med en kunstig linse. Det hælper nemlig også langsynede. (...)
'Lazy Eye' Screening Program Found Cost-Effective
medpagetoday.com 1.10.2010
Photoscreening can be a cost-effective way to detect amblyopia in preschool children, researchers affirmed.
A photoscreening program in Iowa using trained lay volunteers in cooperation with a dedicated coordinator and professional interpretation of photographs screened children at a cost of $8.89 per child, Susannah Q. Longmuir, MD, of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa, and colleagues found.
Taking out the cost of personnel, photoscreening cost just $3.33 per child, they reported in the October issue of Ophthalmology. (...)
(Anm: amblyopia; skjeling (nmi.no).)
Fant orm i Johns øye
dagbladet.no 22.9.2010
Ormen brukte øyet som inngangsdør til kroppen. (...)
- Det var egentlig bare flaks. Vi så ormen på det første bildet vi tok av netthinnen, sier doktor James Folk.
Mikroskopbildet av Mattews øye viste en liten orm som svømte rundt.
Ifølge den amerikanske TV-stasjonen KCRG er det bare registrert 15 tilsvarende tilfeller i verden.
Se videoen øverst i saken av hvordan legene løste orm-problemet. (...)
Kan sjå langt etter brillene
forskning.no 14.9.2010
NRKEit gen som forklarar kvifor folk blir nærsynte, kan gjere briller overflødige om få år (...)
Kan hjelpe blinde å se
nrk.no 2.9.2010
Norske forskere har utvikla ny metode for å transportere laboratoriedyrka hornhinner.
Transplantasjon av dyrka hornhinnevev har de siste åra gitt flere blinde og svaksynte synet tilbake.
Problemet er bare at denne dyrkinga må foregå ved spesialiserte laboratorier, og at det ikke har eksistert gode måter å lagre og transportere de nødvendige stamcellene på. (...)
Scientists use synthetic corneas to restore vision
reuters.com 25.8.2010
(Reuters) - Scientists in Canada and Sweden have used laboratory-made biosynthetic corneas to restore vision to patients in a small human trial, and shown for the first time that they can help to repair damaged eye tissue.
The scientists, whose work was published Wednesday in the Science Translational Medicine journal, said their findings offered hope for the millions of people who go blind each year because of a worldwide shortage of corneas for donation. "This study ... is the first to show that an artificially fabricated cornea can integrate with the human eye and stimulate regeneration," said May Griffith of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, who led the study.
"With further research, this approach could help restore sight to millions of people who are waiting for a donated human cornea for transplantation." (...)
How to relieve serious dry eye problems
seattletimes.nwsource.com 18.8.2010
Susan Laszlo was working at her computer one day when her eyes began to flicker. She couldn't keep the lids open. Taking out her contact lenses didn't help.
"I literally had to force my eyes open with my fingers," says the 51-year-old office manager. For the next nine months she was completely dependent on family and friends for everything that required eyesight.
"I don't know how a blind person does it," she said. "Your eyes are your everything."
Unable to drive, go to work or even do household chores, Laszlo was stranded at home, in physical and emotional pain. Six doctors couldn't figure out what was happening; one even told her it had nothing to do with her eyes and was all in her head.
Then a computer search led her 24-year-old daughter, Krystle Laszlo, to Dr. Steven Maskin, an ophthalmologist and eye surgeon in Tampa, Fla. He specializes in treating severe cases of chronic dry eye, a condition that few people had ever heard of before the advertising blitz for Restasis, the first FDA-approved prescription eye drops for dry eye.
Dry eye may sound benign — after all, who hasn't had dry, itchy eyes from time to time?
But a medical diagnosis of dry eye means that there is a chronic problem with natural tear production. The eyes don't produce enough tears, or there's an imbalance in the water, mucus and oils that make up tears. Symptoms include stinging, burning, itching, redness, a gritty feeling under the lids, eye pain, sensitivity to light, eye fatigue, blurred vision and difficulty opening the eyes in the morning because of glue-like mucus.
As the population ages, chronic dry eye is becoming more common. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, 4.3 million Americans have the condition, about three-fourths of them women over 50. (...)
Øjendråber kan måske erstatte laseroperationer
diabetes.dk 23.7.2010
En dansk forsker tester øjendråber til at forhindre skader på blodkarrene i øjnene. De nye øjendråber kan måske erstatte laseroperationer mod blindhed, som rammer nogle diabetikere. (...)
Håbet er, at dråberne, der forøger blodgennemstrømningen i øjets nethinde, kan bruges også til at modvirke de diabetiske øjenforandringer og dermed overflødiggøre mange laseroperationer.
- Det er fantastisk. Udover, at det kan hjælpe danske diabetikere, vil øjendråberne også give mulighed for at hjælpe flere mennesker i den tredje verden, hvor der ikke er så let adgang til laseroperationer, siger Diabetesforeningens formand, Allan Flyvbjerg, som til daglig er diabetes-professor i Århus.
Toke Bek forventer, at hans undersøgelser om hvordan øjendråberne virker på mennesker vil tage omkring fem år. (...)
Glaucoma patients struggle with applying eyedrops
reuters.com 22.7.2010
(Reuters Health) - People in most need of sight-preserving eyedrops may be the least successful in landing the therapy in their eyes, suggests a new study.
Buildup of internal eye pressure is one of the main causes of the vision damage associated with glaucoma, a potentially blinding disease that affects more than 4 million Americans, according to the Glaucoma Research Foundation. Standard treatment relies on self-administering pressure-lowering eyedrops.
But based on observations of a large number of people with glaucoma, researchers found that more than half struggled to apply these eyedrops properly -- including many patients who thought their technique was perfect. (...)
Health Tip: Why Are My Eyes Red? (Helsetips: Hvorfor er mine øyne røde?)
abcnews.go.com (20.7.2010)
Some common reasons
(HealthDay News) -- Eye redness occurs when blood vessels on the surface of the eye become dilated.
Here are some common causes of red eyes, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:
Straining the eyes.
Persistent or severe coughing.
An eye infection.
A cold or allergy.
Damage to the eye.
Acute glaucoma.
Scratches on the cornea, commonly caused by wearing contact lenses too long, or sand or dust in the eyes.
Bleeding problems, often caused by taking blood-thinning drugs. (...)
(Anm: Eye redness (nlm.nih.gov (U.S. National Library of Medicine) (20.7.2010).)
Bekymrer seg over 3D
dagbladet.no 18.7.2010
En britisk øyeekspert mener 3D-effekter er uheldig for øynene. (...)
Sutton er bekymret over at folk skal bruke flere timer på underholdningsmedier med 3D-effekter, og tror flere kommer til å melde om problemer som svimmelhet, øyebelastning og migrene når 3D blir brukt over lengre perioder.
10 prosent
—Jeg vet ikke hvor mange som vil oppleve dette ubehaget, men jeg vil gjette rundt ti prosent, sier Sutton. Trolig vil problemene bli verre hvis man spiller spill med 3D-effekter over en lengre periode.
Stutton forklarer at belastningen på øynene blir så store fordi man tvinges til å se noe komme mot deg, som egentlig ikke gjør det. (...)
Evidence of Corneal Lymphangiogenesis in Dry Eye Disease
Arch Ophthalmol. 2010;128(7):819-824 (July)
A Potential Link to Adaptive Immunity?
Objective To determine the effect of desiccating stress on corneal angiogenic responses in dry eye disease (DED) using a murine model. (...)
Conclusion Low-grade inflammation associated with DED is an inducer of lymphangiogenesis without accompanying hemangiogenesis. (...)
COMMENTS AND OPINIONS
Contact Lens Solutions Revisited
Arch Ophthalmol. 2010;128(7):944-945 (July)
The Fusarium keratitis outbreak of 2004 and 2006 associated with ReNu with MoistureLoc (Bausch & Lomb, Rochester, New York) was reportedly due to failure of the solution to disinfect at point of contact. (...)
After a Food and Drug Administration inspection of the Greenville plant, Bausch & Lomb was cited for inadequacies in temperature control in the production, storage, and transportation of their products.4 Our findings demonstrated a loss of fungistatic efficacy of ReNu with MoistureLoc when exposed to elevated storage temperature. (...)
FDA OKs Implantable Miniature Telescope to Improve Vision
foxnews.com 7.7.2010
U.S. health officials have approved a first-of-its-kind technology to counter a leading cause of blindness in older adults — a tiny telescope implanted inside the eye.
The Implantable Miniature Telescope aims to help in the end stages of incurable age-related macular degeneration, a creeping loss of central vision that blocks reading, watching TV, eventually even recognizing faces.
The idea: Surgically insert the Implantable Miniature Telescope into one eye for better central vision, while leaving the other eye alone to provide peripheral vision. The brain must fuse two views into a single image, and the Food and Drug Administration warned Tuesday that patients need post-surgery rehabilitation to make it work. (...)
Blåbär mot ögats dåliga blodkärl
sverigesradio.se 28.6.2010
Resveratrol, en antioxidant som finns i röda vindruvor, jordnötter och blåbär, är både cancerhämmande, virushämmande och antiinflammatoriskt, om man får tro tidigare forskning. Nya studier stärker nu bevisen för att resveratrol skulle kunna användas vid behandling av vissa ögonsjukdomar också. (...)
Defining Bruxism
presssubmission.com 26.6.2010
(...) Bruxism саn bе induced due tο stress bυt аƖѕο mіɡht bе a spontaneous response due tο misalignment οf teeth. Bruxism саn аƖѕο bе a sign οf ѕοmе οf thе rare neuromuscular diseases thаt involves thе face. In сеrtаіn rare cases, bruxism саn bе аn аftеr effect οf сеrtаіn medicines used fοr treating depression, such аѕ Prozac, Paxil аnԁ Zoloft. People having habitual bruxism саn even ɡο through a breakage іn fillings іn restored teeth. Whеn thе teeth аrе rubbed together іt causes thе outer mοѕt enamel layers tο erode thus, exposing thе dentin, аnԁ causing tooth sensitivity. Severe bruxism саn аƖѕο bе a common cause οf dysfunction οf thе jaws, unexplained morning headaches аnԁ frustrating facial pain. (...)
(Anm: paroksetin (paroxetine); markesføres i Norge under handelsnavn som bl.a. Seroxat; Paxil i USA.)
Red Wine Compound Could Point to Treatment for Eye Diseases (Substanser i rødvin peker på behandling for øyesykdommer)
news.yahoo.com 25.6.2010
FRIDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- A compound found in red wine and grapes inhibits the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) associated with eye diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, researchers have found.
Resveratrol, which is produced by a variety of plants to fight bacterial and fungal infections, is found in particularly high levels in grape skin and at lower levels in blueberries, peanuts and other plant-based foods. (...)
The study appears in the July issue of the American Journal of Pathology. (...)
Stamceller kan laga trasiga ögon
sverigesradio.se 24.6.2010
Forskare har med hjälp av stamceller lyckats återställa synen hos patienter som skadat ögonen med frätande kemikalier.
I 82 av 107 genomförda behandlingar lyckades återställningen helt och i 14 andra fall lyckades forskarna återställa synen delvis. Resultaten av studien presenteras i New England Journal of Medicine.
Genom att ta vävnad från en patients friska öga lyckades forskarna reparera det skadade ögat.
Enligt nyhetsbyrån AP lyckades forskarna bland annat återställa en nära normal synförmåga för en patient som haft allvarliga skador på sina ögon i 60 år. (...)
Stem Cells Return Sight to Burn-Damaged Eyes (Stamceller gir synet tilbake for brannskadde øyner)
medpagetoday.com 23.6.2010
Autologous stem cells can restore sight when ocular burns have destroyed the limbal cell layer that keeps the cornea clear, Italian researchers found.
This procedure permanently restored a transparent, self-renewing corneal epithelium of limbal cells in 76.6% of treated eyes, reported Graziella Pellegrini, PhD, of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Modena, Italy, and colleagues.
Success was maintained long-term in all cases, some with follow-up out to 10 years and, in one case, when the patient was treated 30 years after the initial injury, they wrote online in the New England Journal of Medicine. (...)
Potential Exists to Modify Some AMD Risk
medpagetoday.com 14.6.2010
Early manifestations of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) may involve modifiable risk factors, including smoking and HDL cholesterol, data from a prospective cohort study suggest.
Eleven or more pack-years of smoking increased the risk of early AMD by two-thirds, and every 5 mg/dL increase in HDL lowered the risk by almost 10%.
Early AMD occurs infrequently before age 55 but increases with age thereafter, suggesting a possible window for intervention against modifiable risk factors, according to an article published in the June issue of Archives of Ophthalmology. (...)
Healthy Diet May Reduce Cataracts in Women
medpagetoday.com 14.6.2010
Women who eat foods rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals appear to have a lower risk of developing cataracts, according to a large population study.
The study looked at dietary intakes for more than 1,800 postmenopausal women and found that those who ate the overall healthiest diets had a 37% lower risk of nuclear cataracts, the most common type of age-related eye lens opacity, said Julie A. Mares, PhD, of the department of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Wisconsin Madison, and colleagues.
Higher prevalence of cataracts in women was also associated with other modifiable factors such as smoking and obesity, and with nonmodifiable factors such as brown eyes, myopia, and high pulse pressure, Mares and colleagues wrote in the June issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology. (...)
Selected Sun-Sensitizing Medications and Incident Cataract
Arch Ophthalmol. 2010;128(8):(June 14)
(...) Conclusions Data suggest that the use of sun-sensitizing medications interacts with sun exposure to influence the risk of cortical cataract, a common age-related cataract. If confirmed, this finding may have important implications for medication use. (...)
Fountain of Youth For Eyes
Ivanhoe.com 2.6.2010
(...) After age 40, our eyes start to have trouble focusing up close on words in books, newspapers, and other tiny objects. But some doctors say an experimental eye surgery could be the fountain of youth for our eyes. (...)
As we age, the lens inside our eye ball grows, but the eyeball doesn't. A tighter quarter around the lens makes it harder to focus. In a new procedure, surgeons implant four curved plastic spacers the size of a grain of rice within the wall of the eye ball, giving the lens space to change shape and focus. (...)
Grå og grønn stær
nhi.no 11.6.2010
Dette er forvirrende navn. Når øyelegen snakker om stær tenker hun på noe helt annet enn det de snakker om i ornitologiske kretser... Vi lar fuglene ligge, og konsentrerer oss om de to vanlige øyelidelsene grønn og grå stær.(...)
Grønn stær, eller glaukom, er en vanlig årsak til blindhet, men det er en tilstand som er mindre vanlig enn grå stær. Grønn stær skyldes forstyrrelser i dreneringen av øyevæsken, noe som fører til økt trykk inne i øyet. Det finnes flere typer og årsaker til grønn stær. Ofte oppstår grønn stær enten når det svampliknende nettverket som filtrerer øyevæsken blir tett og hindrer at væsken blir drenert, eller når regnbuehinnen i øyet dekker over dreneringskanalen. Denne animasjonen demonstrerer sykdomsprosessen ved grønn stær. (...)
(Anm: Undersøkelse, diagnose og behandling. Grønn stær (Glaukom) (helse-bergen.no) (11.6.2010).)
Parkinson's Drug Impacts Vision (Legemiddel mor Parkinsons påvirker synet)
ivanhoe.com 4.6.2010
Praktiserende læger ordinerer forkert medicin til patienter, der er udskrevet fra hospitalte. Og så bliver de syge igen, viser en ny undersøgelse.
Har du været indlagt, kan du ikke regne med, at din læge ikke efterfølgende udstyrer dig med medicin, der sender dig lige tilbage på operationsbordet. (...)
SSRIs Linked to Cataracts (SSRIer linket til katarakt)
medpagetoday.com 2.6.2010
Use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants may be associated with cataract risk among older adults, a large population study from Canada found.
In a nested case-control study involving more than 200,000 residents of Quebec, current users of SSRIs ages 65 and older carried a 15% greater relative risk of cataracts (95% CI 0.08 to 1.23) compared with nonusers -- even after adjustment for blood pressure, other medication use, and gender, reported Mahyar Etminan, PharmD, MSc, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and colleagues.
These findings are the first to support the ocular risk seen with SSRIs in an animal model, the researchers wrote in the June issue of Ophthalmology. (...)
Inopererade linser fungerar bra för närsynta
sverigesradio.se 12.5.2010
De senaste åren har det kommit en ny kirurgisk metod att behandla synfel, där man lite förenklat opererar in en kontaktlins i ögat. Nu visar en ny forskningsgenomgång att den nyare metoden är lite bättre än laserbehandling för dem som är rejält närsynta. (...)
Båda typerna av ingrepp görs i huvudsak inom den privata vården där lasermetoden generellt är billigare och linsmetoden dyrare. (...)
Forskarnas slutsats, med utgångspunkt i tre studier, är att metoden att sätta in en lins ger en lite större chans att få ett optimalt synresultat jämfört med lasermetoden. Patienterna som helhet tycks också vara nöjdare. (...)
50.000 kjører bil «i blinde»
aftenposten.no 11.5.2010
(...) Mange tusen nordmenn kjører bil nærmest i blinde. Flere ser så dårlig at de ikke skulle hatt førerkort.
I de aller flest tilfellene er årsaken til synsproblemene at sjåførene har for dårlige briller eller kontaktlinser. Det er helt typisk at en sjåfør fortsatt bruker et par gamle briller, uten å ha tatt hensyn til at synet er blitt svekket, eller har forandret seg på andre måter.
Noen er også farlige trafikanter fordi de kjører med altfor mørke solbriller, eller har kontaktlinser som ikke sitter riktig. (...)
Store mørketall
Det antas at svekket syn er årsak til mange trafikkulykker, men sjåførens synsevner er sjelden gjenstand for etterforskning etter ulykker. (...)
Egna stamceller räddar synen
svd.se 17.4.2010
Tre av fyra patienter som har fått sina skadade hornhinnor reparerade med hjälp av egna stamceller har synen kvar tio år senare.
Metoden att laga med egna stamceller har utvecklats vid universitetet i Modena och Reggio Emilia, skriver Dagens Nyheter. Cellerna tas från patientens friska ögat och ersätter celler som slagits ut av kemikalieskador eller infektioner.
Enligt en ännu inte publicerad studie har 84 av 112 opererade fått behålla synen. (...)
Incidence and Clinical Characteristics of Childhood Glaucoma
Arch Ophthalmol. 2010;128(4):478-482 (April)
Objective To describe the incidence and clinical characteristics of childhood glaucoma in a defined population of the United States. (...)
Conclusion The incidence of childhood glaucoma in this population was 2.29 per 100 000 residents younger than 20 years or 1 per 43 575 residents younger than 20 years. Acquired and secondary forms of glaucoma were the most common, whereas congenital and juvenile glaucoma were rare. (...)
Lutein May Slow Retinitis Pigmentosa
medpagetoday.com 13.4.2010
Supplementation with the carotenoid lutein slowed the progression of visual field loss in patients with retinitis pigmentosa who are treated with vitamin A, data from a randomized clinical trial showed.
Although lutein failed to improve the primary outcome measure, several secondary measures involving the Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA) improved significantly, investigators reported in the April issue of Archives of Ophthalmology. (...)
(Anm: Hva er retinitis pigmentosa? Begrepet retinitis pigmentosa dekker en gruppe arvelige sykdommer i øyets netthinne. Retinitis pigmentosa er knyttet til mer enn 30 forskjellige tilstander (syndromer). Felles for dem alle er at de medfører en langsom, økende og vedvarende ødeleggelse av netthinnen og dermed synet. (nhi.no).)
Ser ikke de svaksynte
nrk.no 31.3.2010
I Norge er det ikke et sentralt register over hvor mange det er som har synshemming. Mange får ikke den hjelpa de har krav på. (...)
Smarte hjelpemidler må til når synet forsvinner. Men mange får ikke den hjelpen de har krav på. I Norge vet man nemlig ikke hvor mange det er som trenger hjelp. (...)
Politikerene har lovet bedre tilrettelegging og opplæring for alle funksjonshemmede. Men selv om det er endringer på gang, føler de synshemmede at de fortsatt ikke blir tatt på alvor. (...)
Ny teknik hjälper blinda att se
svt.se 17.3.2010
En ny teknik har gjort det möjligt för blinda att se igen. En brittisk soldat som miste sin syn i Irakkriget kan se igen, om än suddigt. En videokamera, fäst på mannens glasögon, är kopplad till en rad elektroder i mannens mun. (...)
När elektroderna stimulerar tungan, återskapar mannens hjärna konturer av vad som är framför honom. I tester har soldaten till och med kunnat läsa enstaka ord genom att känna formen av bokstäver i munnen, rapporterar nyhetsbyrån Reuters. (...)
Antidepressants May Increase Risk of Cataracts
depression.about.com 8.3.2010
Certain antidepressants have been statistically linked with an increased risk of developing cataracts, according to a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and McGill University.
The study was based upon a database of more than 200,000 Quebec residents aged 65 and older and showed a link between the diagnosis of cataracts or cataract surgery and a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Those patients who were taking an SSRI were overall 15% more likely to be diagnosed with cataracts or to have cataract surgery. (...)
This study is the first to identify a statistical link between these antidepressants and cataracts in humans, although previous animal studies had shown that SSRIs could increase cataract risk. (...)
Anti-depressant Use Linked to Higher Risk of Cataracts
calorielab.com/labnotes 9.3.2010
A statistical relationship between the use of SSRIs and the incidence of cataracts has been shown by researchers at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and McGill University. Researchers, using a database of more than 200,000 people aged 65 and older, found that patients who take SSRIs were about 15 percent more likely to have cataracts than those who did not take them. (...)
Blindness may Start in the Brain (Blindhet starter i hjernen)
ivanhoe.com 3.3.2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, but now researchers are one step closer to understanding the disease.
Glaucoma is a disease of the eye in which the retina and optic nerve are damaged. The damage begins in the peripheral visual field and progresses toward the center, causing complete blindness if it's not detected early.
The National Eye Institute predicts 80 million people will suffer from glaucoma in the next 10 years. People over the age of 55 with glaucoma are seven times more likely to develop vision loss as a result of the condition. (...)
Age related macular degeneration
BMJ 2010;340:c981 (26 February)
(...) Summary points
The late stage manifestations of age related macular degeneration, neovascularisation and geographic atrophy, cause severe loss of central vision
Standard care for neovascular age related macular degeneration is treatment with monoclonal antibodies that inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor. A fifth of those treated do not respond to treatment and a further quarter may lose the initial gains in visual acuity over time.
No proven treatments exist for geographic atrophy. The preventive effects of supplementation with macular carotenoids (lutein/zeaxanthin) and omega-3 fatty acids are under investigation. (...)
Glaucoma medications may reduce risk of death
reuters.com 8.2.2010
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Glaucoma drugs appear to reduce the likelihood of death among patients using them compared with those patients receiving no treatment but it is not clear why, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
A four-year study involving more than 21,000 Americans found an association between all types of glaucoma medications and a lower death rate, the researchers wrote in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology.
"Our main finding were that people who filled at least one 30-day prescription for a medication had a 74 percent reduced hazard of death as compared to those who received no medications," Dr. Joshua Stein of the University of Michigan, who led the study, said in a telephone interview. (...)
Say Goodbye to Reading Glasses!
Ivanhoe.com 4.1.2010
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- By the time most of us hit our mid-40's we're reaching for reading glasses to make out that fine print. There's no cure for the common condition called presbyopia, loss of near vision caused by aging. But doctors may have found something that may help you put down those specs for good. (...)
In a 10-minute surgery, a surgeon uses a laser to make a flap in the cornea. A donut-shaped lens -- thinner than a human hair -- is placed underneath the flap.
While LASIK surgery can restore a person's distance vision, this procedure restores sight up-close. The implant blocks unfocused light, and a small opening allows focused light to enter, improving the range of vision and making it easier to see clearly up close. (...)
Nearsightedness on the Rise in U.S.
webmd.com 17.12.2009
Researchers Say 47 Million Americans Age 20 and Over Are Myopic
Dec. 17, 2009 -- Nearsightedness has been increasing dramatically in the U.S. in recent years, but the reasons are blurry, new research indicates.
In nearsightedness (myopia), light that enters the eye is focused in front of the retina rather than directly on it, so that distant objects appear blurred. Nearsightedness can be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or surgery.
Susan Vitale, PhD, MHS, and colleagues at the National Eye Institute compared myopia statistics gathered in government surveys from 1971-1972 and 1999-2004.
Nearsightedness was much more common from 1999 to 2004 than it was 30 years ago, researchers report in the December issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology. (...)
What Is Double Vision? What Is Diplopia? What Causes Double Vision? (Hva er dobbeltsyn? Hva er diplopi? Hva forårsaker dobbeltsyn?)
medicalnewstoday.com 11.11.2009
Double vision, also known as Diplopia, is the simultaneous perception of two images of a single object - the patient sees two images of a single thing either all the time, or some of the time. The displacement may be horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Diagonal double displacement (double vision) means both the horizontal lines and vertical lines are being perceived as doubled - also known as oblique separation. (...)
The most common reason for eyes not being completely aligned is a squint (strabismus). This is due to a weakened or paralyzed eye muscle. Not all squints cause double vision, but most cases of double vision are caused by squints. Squints are common among young children.
- The following conditions can cause binocular double vision:
A thyroid disease, which results in weakened external eye muscles. - An arterial disease. Especially one involving an artery which feeds the brain with blood and essential oxygen. (...)
Ser du hvilket tall det er?
sol.no (11.11.2009)
Ta fargeblind-testen. (...)
What Is Exophthalmos? What Causes Exophthalmos?
medicalnewstoday.com 5.11.2009
Exophthalmos, or exophthalmia, is a protruding eyeball anteriorly out of the orbit (eye socket). The Greek word ophthalmos means "eye" and the Greek word ex means "out". Exophthalmos can be either bilateral (both eyes bulge out) or unilateral (just one eye bulges out). Doctors use an exophthalmometer to measure the degree of exophthalmos. (...)
What are the causes of exophthalmos?
Graves disease, an autoimmune disease that causes hyperthyroidism (thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone) is the most common cause of exophthalmos. Thyroid problems generally are common causes.
The thyroid gland - the thyroid gland is in the neck, below the Adam's apple. It produces hormones which help to regulate growth and the rate of chemical reactions (metabolism) by which the body uses energy. The thyroid gland produces thyroxine and triiodothyronine. (...)
Incidence of Retinopathy of Prematurity in Infants Born Before 27 Weeks' Gestation in Sweden
Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127(10):1315-1319 (October)
Objective To determine the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in extremely preterm infants born before 27 weeks' gestation in Sweden during a 3-year period. (...)
Results During the study, 506 of 707 live-born infants survived until the first eye examination. Of these, 368 (72.7%) had ROP: 37.9% had mild ROP and 34.8% had severe ROP. Ninety-nine infants (19.6%) were treated. Gestational age at birth was a stronger predictor of ROP than was birth weight. A log-linear relationship between severe ROP and gestational age at birth was found in the present cohort, and the risk of ROP was reduced by 50% for each week of increase in gestational age at birth.
Conclusions Today, extremely preterm infants are surviving, and this population-based study with ROP as a primary outcome shows a higher incidence of this condition than in previously reported national cohorts. (...)
Behandling kan bremse utvikling av grønn stær
kunnskapssenteret.no 28.10.2009
Øyedråper, laser eller kirurgi kan trolig bremse utviklingen av grønn stær (glaukom). Slik konkluderer The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence” (NICE) etter å ha gått systematisk gjennom relevant forskningslitteratur.
Flere typer øyedråper kan muligens motvirke forhøyet øyetrykk, men bivirkningene varierer.
- Kirurgi er muligens noe mer effektivt enn laseroperasjoner, men grunnet lite forskning er det knyttet stor usikkerhet til disse resultatene, sier forsker Kjetil G. Brurberg ved Kunnskapssenteret.
Ubehandlet grønn stær vil gradvis forverre seg, og kan til slutt medføre at pasienten blir blind.
Kunnskapssenteret har på oppdrag fra Norsk Forening for Allmennmedisin besvart spørsmål rundt behandling og diagnostikk av pasienter med mistanke om grønn stær (glaukom). (...)
(Anm: glaukom (SML-artikkel); Etymologi: av gr. glaukos, 'blågrønn' glaukom, det samme som grønn stær. Kilde: Store norske leksikon.)
(Anm: glaukom grøn stær, ei gruppe tilstandar med auka væsketrykk inne i auget, som ved å skada synsnervepapillen kan gi synsfeltutfall, stundom fullt synstap (amaurose); sjå openvinkelglaukom, trongvinkelglaukom, pigmentglaukom og glaucoma infantile; n.rettskr.: glaukom; EN glaucoma. ET [gr glaukos blågrøn] glaukomforsking: URL http://www.glaucoma.org/ Kilde: Norsk medisinsk ordbok.)
Treatment for macular degeneration may cause glaucoma
hearingreview.com/reuters 26.10.2009
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Some patients with the neovascular ("wet") form of age-related macular degeneration develop high intraocular pressure in response to treatment with inhibitors of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).
In San Francisco today at the 2009 joint meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (AAO-PAAO), the research team reported that 4 (3.45%) of 116 patients treated with intravitreal ranibizumab (Lucentis) 0.5 mg/0.05 mL or bevacizumab (Avastin) 1.5 mg/0.06 mL, or both, developed persistent ocular hypertension." (...)
Study Shows Hope for Type of Blindness
online.wsj.com 25.10.2009
A small but provocative study showed that a form of gene therapy significantly improved the vision of patients left legally blind by a rare genetic eye disease. The benefit was especially striking among children.
Researchers said the findings amount to an important advance toward medicine's ambitious but generally unrealized dream of replacing disease-causing mutant or missing genes with normal DNA to treat and cure debilitating illnesses. (...)
The study is also being published online Saturday by the medical journal the Lancet. (...)
New FDA Study Seeks Feedback on Lasik Surgery
news.yahoo.com 16.10.2009
FRIDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) -- The percentage of patients who experience serious quality-of-life problems after Lasik eye surgery is being studied by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has also issued warning letters to a number of Lasik facilities that weren't properly reporting problems with the procedure. (...)
Impaired Vision May Shorten Life Span (Svekket syn kan avkorte livslengde)
healthfinder.gov 13.10.2009
Non-correctable problems linked to injury, illness and death, study shows. (...)
According to the findings, published in the October issue of the journal Archives of Ophthalmology, 1,273 study participants died in the 13 years after the study began. The researchers noted that people with non-correctable impaired vision had a higher risk for dying in that time period, and the association was strongest for those younger than 75. (...)
Bad Vision May Be Risky for Older Adults (Dårlig syn kan være risikabelt for eldre)
medpagetoday.com 12.10.2009
Older adults with uncorrectable poor vision are at increased risk of death, possibly because their limited sight translates into difficulty walking, a new Australian study found.
Adults between 49 and 74 with noncorrectable vision problems were 35% more likely to die than people with unimpaired vision (95% CI 1.04 to 1.75), according to a study published Oct. 12 in the Archives of Ophthalmology. (...)
New Treatments Hold Hope for Failing Eyes
healthfinder.gov 27.9.2009
As the U.S. ages, macular degeneration rates are expected to swell (...)
Macular degeneration comes in two forms, wet and dry. Current treatments for the wet form of the disease -- in which abnormal new blood vessels in the eye cause leakage and bleeding -- have proven quite successful. The wet form is more rare but can cause rapid vision loss if not caught early.
Researchers have discovered a combination therapy of vitamins and antioxidants that reduces the risk of progressive vision loss by more than 20 percent, said Dr. David W. Parke II, executive vice president and chief executive of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. (...)
Doctor flies around the world to restore sight
kentucky.com 20.9.2009
Dr. Woodford Van Meter's patients come to him for sight, and they find it in an airplane outfitted with an operating room.
For the past 23 years, Van Meter, a University of Kentucky professor of opthalmology, has been volunteering his services aboard Orbis International's Flying Eye Hospital. (...)
Genterapi gav färgblinda apor bättre syn
sr.se 17.9.2009
Amerikanska forskare har lyckats få apor som varit färgblinda sedan födseln att kunna se färger. Aporna har sedan lärt sig att använda och dra nytta av sin nya synförmåga. Det som gjort detta möjligt är en typ av behandling som kallas genterapi, som forskarna hoppas ska kunna användas på människor med synproblem. (...)
Det gick till genom att forskarna framställde ett ofarligt virus som bär med sig den här genen som är hämtad från DNA från färgseende apor, berättar Finn Hallböök, professor i utvecklingsbiologisk neurovetenskap vid Uppsala universitet.
– Viruset sprutas in strax under näthinnan och infekterar nervcellerna. Genen är sedan är konstruerade på det viset att den bara är påslagen i ljusreceptorerna eller fotoreceptorerna, säger han. (...)
Ser med tungen
aftenposten.no 27.8.2009
En amerikansk oppfinnelse gjør det mulig for blinde og svaksynte å se med tungen.
Neuroforskeren Paul Bach-y-Rita sa i 1960-årene at vi ser med hjernen, ikke med øynene. Hjernen tolker de signalene den får og danner bilder.
Denne hypotesen ligger bak et revolusjonerende hjelpemiddel for blinde og svaksynte som etter planen gjøres tilgjengelig for det amerikanske markedet i slutten av dette året, ifølge magasinet Scientific American. (...)
- Tilgjengelighet på nett
kampanje.no 25.8.2009
Interaksjonsdesigner i Gazette, Cecilie Tveter, skriver om den nye diskrimineringsloven på nett. - Det er en svært stor andel brukere vi ekskluderer ved å lage nettsteder som ikke er universelt utformet.
1. januar 2009 trådte diskriminerings- og tilgjengelighetsloven i kraft. Den krever at både nye og private nettesteder skal gjøres tilgjengelig for alle fra 2011. Det er på tide, siden nesten en million nordmenn har ulike funksjonshemminger. Dessuten viser det seg at nettsteder som oppfyller tilgjengelighetskravene gir en bedre brukeropplevelse for alle. (...)
•Mer enn 1000 nordmenn er helt blinde.
•Mer enn 130 000 nordmenn er svaksynte.
•600 000 nordmenn er hørselshemmede.
•Omtrent 800 000 nordmenn har ulike funksjonshemminger.
•Flere hundre tusen lider av dysleksi.
•14% av Norges befolkning har passert 67 år.
•Andre grupper som kan ha behov for tilgjengelighet er fremmedspråklige, brukere av palm, ipod etc, brukere av gamle nettlesere eller de med lav båndbredde. (...)
Veldig mørke solbriller kan være skadelig
dinside.no 22.8.2009
Øker risikoen for øyesykdom. (...)
- Kunnskapsnivået om skader på øynene som følge av UV-stråler er nok ikke veldig høy, sier Tone Garaas Maurdalen, generalsekretær i Norges Optikerforbund, til DinSide.no.
For mye eksponering for UV-stråler kan nemlig over tid føre til grå stær og forkalkning på netthinna (makuladegenerasjon).
- Mange bruker nok først og fremst solbriller fordi de synes det ser tøft ut. De færreste tenker nok over at de samtidig kan beskytte øynene mot varige mén. (...)
Gene Therapy Improves Vision in Leber's Amaurosis
medpagetoday.com 12.8.2009
Gene therapy for Leber's congenital amaurosis led to unexpected late improvement in vision, apparently by inducing development of a pseudofovea, investigators in an ongoing study reported.
A year after treatment, one of three patients reported that, for the first time, she could read a numerical clock display on the dashboard of the family vehicle, according to a letter in the Aug. 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Examination of the treated eye revealed a gradual shift in fixation of the patient's gaze from the untreated foveal area to the treated region of the retina. (...)
Ny lovande behandling mot glaukom
sr.se 4.8.2009
Ögonsjukdomen glaukom, som också kallas grön starr, drabbar miljontals människor världen över och kan i värsta fall leda till blindhet. Vid glaukom skadas synnerverna, så att de förtvinar. Nu har italienska forskare hittat ett möjligt sätt att hindra sjukdomen, med hjälp av ögondroppar med nervtillväxthormon.
Nervtillväxtfaktor möjlig behandling
Glaukom beskrivs ofta som en smygande sjukdom, där synnerven skadas med tiden så att synen blir sämre och sämre, ofta utan att den drabbade märker det själv. (...)
– Det är en av de vanligaste ögonsjukdomarna som orsakar blndhet, eftersom sjukdomemn har ett smygande förlopp. Många som har glaukom märker inte att de har sjukdomen, säger Enping Chen, överläkare vid St Eriks Ögonsjukhus i Stockholm. (...)
Learning to See With Macular Degeneration
ivanhoe.com 3.8.2009
ATLANTA (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Thirteen-million Americans have AMD -- age related macular degeneration, the leading cause of irreversible blindness and vision impairment in people over 50. Now, researchers are studying a new kind of therapy for the condition. It can’t reverse the damage, but it’s helping patients get the most out of the vision they have left.
For Russell DeLong, this would have been impossible four years ago. Macular degeneration made his world go black.
“To start with, I was totally blind," DeLong told Ivanhoe. "I couldn’t see nothin'.”
He had surgery but his world remained a blur. (...)
Common Cataract Surgery Accelerates Diabetic Retina Deterioration
medpagetoday.com 31.8.2009
PRINCETON, N.J., July 31 -- Diabetics who undergo phacoemulsification cataract surgery risk doubling the rate at which their vision deteriorates because of damage to the capillaries that nourish the retina, a new study shows. (...)
Researchers Discover Genetic Link to Cataracts (Forskere oppdager genetisk link til katarakt)
ivanhoe.com 31.7.2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Millions of Americans suffer from Age-Related Cataract (ARC) and an estimated $4 billion are spent in the U.S. each year to treat the disease. By age 80, more than half of Americans will have a cataract or have had cataract surgery. Researchers say as the population ages, delaying the development of ARC could have a huge medical impact, both by alleviating the suffering of affected individuals and by saving health care costs. (...)
Eye Surgery Without Stitches (Øyekirurgi uten sting)
Ivanhoe.com 27.7.2009
LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Every year about 40,000 Americans undergo corneal transplant surgery to clear their vision. It's the most common transplant in the United States, where doctors replace the damaged cornea with donor tissue. One of the challenges -- it can take years for results. A different technique is bringing back vision faster.
The first sign came while practicing -- 81-year-old Leroy Geer struggled to see the chords on the page. Soon he cut back on driving and stopped reading when even large print turned fuzzy.
“It was just so unnerving," Geer told Ivanhoe. "You finally got to the point that you just say, it’s just not worth trying to figure out what that is.” (...)
Fish may Save your Vision (Fisk kan redde synet ditt)
Ivanhoe.com 27.7.2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Eat your fish and you may save your sight. A new study finds
a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids may help the 10 percent of people 66 to 74 years old who suffer from age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Omega-3 fatty acids have already been shown to protect against a plethora of diseases, including atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Chi-Chao Chan at the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, Md., studied how omega-3 directly affected a mouse model of AMD. The diet high in omega-3 resulted in slower lesion progression and even improved some lesions. The protective affect against AMD can be explained by lower levels of inflammatory molecules and higher levels of anti-inflammatory molecules due to the omega-3.
Dr. Chan believes the results provide the scientific basis for omega-3 fatty acids to effectively protect against AMD and plans to use this model to evaluate additional therapies to aid in the AMD treatment. (...)
Gir blinde synet tilbake
dinside.no 26.7.2009
Et teleskop på størrelse med en ert opereres inn i øyet.
Man har nå lyktes i å implantere et bittelite glassteleskop på størrelse med en ert inn i øyet til personer som har ødelagte netthinner, melder The New York Times. Disse menneskene kan nå lettere lese, se på TV og gjenkjenne ansikter.
For personer med makuladegenerasjon
Den nye innretningen er rettet mot personer som lider av irreversibel, fremskreden makuladegenerasjon, hvor man utvikler en blind flekk i sentralsynet på begge øynene.
(...)
- Dette virker lovende for pasienter som lider av AMD, altså aldersrelatert makuladegenerasjon, sier Janet P. Szlyk, som er administrerende direktør i sosialtjenesteforetaket The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, til The New York Times. (...)
Drug Delivery Via Contact Lenses Passes Early Test
medpagetoday.com 23.7.2009
HOUSTON, July 23 -- A drug-eluting contact lens demonstrated the feasibility ocular drug delivery in an experimental setting.
When placed in phosphate-buffered saline, prototype lenses demonstrated controlled and sustained release of an antibiotic for more than four weeks, Daniel S. Kohane, MD, of Harvard, and colleagues reported online in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. (...)
Half a brain, near perfect vision
hc2d.co.uk 21.7.2009
Scientists from Glasgow University have explained how a girl born without the right side of her brain is able to see almost perfectly using one eye.
The team reported their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Scientists had previously been unable to work out how the 10-year-old was able to see, because the right side of the brain is responsible for the left-hand visual field.
Scans showed that the girl's brain rerouted itself when she was a foetus to compensate for the lack of the right part of the brain.
She is able to see both left and right visual fields from one eye as the nerves which should have been routed to the right side of the brain were redirected.
She was found to have half a brain when she had seizures at the age of three and was given an MRI scan. (...)
Fewer Medicare Dollars for More Glaucoma Surgeries
medpagetoday.com 15.7.2009
LITTLE FALLS, N.J., July 15 -- The number of glaucoma surgeries is on the rise, but Medicare reimbursement for the procedures has been decreasing, researchers found. (...)
White Spot Syndromes Linked to Familial Autoimmunity
medpagetoday.com 15.7.2009
SAN FRANCISCO, July 15 -- The "white spot" family of retinal disorders may be linked to inherited immune dysfunction, researchers found.
Systemic autoimmune disease affected 23% of surveyed patients with these whitish-yellow inflammatory lesions on the outer retina, the pigmented layer of the retina, or choroids, Lee M. Jampol, MD, of Northwestern University in Chicago, and colleagues reported.
The prevalence of systemic autoimmune disease was also elevated in patients' family members -- 10% -- with a higher proportion in closer relatives, as expected for a genetic relationship.
Both rates were significantly higher than the 4% to 5% overall prevalence of systemic autoimmunity in the U.S., the researchers wrote in the July issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology. (...)
For eye health, eat spinach like Popeye (For øyehelse, spis spinat som Skipper'n)
seattletimes.nwsource.com 10.7.2009
Research indicates key nutrients help slow two leading causes of vision loss and blindness — cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. And the eye-healthiest foods are leafy green vegetables — such as spinach. (...)
Eating carrots to improve eyesight is an old wives' tales that's off base. Carrots are nutritious, but the best foods for improving eye health are those with the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, essential fatty acids, vitamins C and E and the mineral zinc, according to eye experts.
The optometric association recommends 10 milligrams of lutein each day. You can get that much in about half a cup of spinach or three-quarters of a cup of collards or turnip greens. The Lutein Information Bureau notes that you actually get more lutein from cooked spinach than raw spinach. (...)
Slik fikk Martin synet tilbake med bruk av en tann i øyet
vg.no 9.7.2009
(VG Nett) Operasjonen som gjorde at britiske Martin Jones (42) kunne se igjen gjennom hjørnetannen er en sjeldenhet innen øyekirurgi. (...)
Professor Liv Drolsum ved Øyeavdelingen på Oslo universitetssykehus, Ullevål sier i en e-post til VG Nett at inngrepet som på norsk heter osteo-odonto-keratoprotese (OOKP), er svært uvanlig.
- Inngrepet er indisert hos pasienter med ekstremt skadet hornhinner der annen kirurgi som hornhinnetransplantasjon og/eller stamcelletransplantasjon ikke er mulig. Det gjelder derfor ytterst få pasienter, sier Drolsum. (...)
Mini-Strokes May Cause Vision Loss (Minislag kan forårsake synstap)
healthfinder.gov 7.7.2009
Hong Kong researchers implicate silent infarcts in glaucoma.
TUESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- A study of people who suffer the mini-strokes called silent cerebral infarcts could help explain the medical mystery of normal-tension glaucoma, Hong Kong ophthalmologists report.
Glaucoma is the progressive loss of vision caused by deterioration of the optic nerves, which carry signals from the eyes to the brain. It is customarily attributed to abnormally high pressure of the fluid in the eye. But glaucoma can occur in some people who have normal intraocular pressure, a phenomenon that puzzles eye doctors.
The Hong Kong study of 286 people with normal-tension glaucoma found a high incidence of silent cerebral infarcts among those whose loss of vision progressed more rapidly. The finding is in the July issue of Ophthalmology. (...)
Ny øyelaser kan forhindre blindhet
vg.no 6.7.2009
Kan hjelpe tusenvis av nordmenn
(VG Nett) En liten revolusjon kan være på gang innen øyebehandling: Professoren bak laseroperasjoner mot nærsynthet mener han nå kan forhindre blindhet i alderdommen. (...)
Aldersrelatert macula degenerasjon (AMD) er den vanligste grunnen til at de over 60 år mister synet. Det finnes ingen gode muligheter for behandling for dette.
Professor John Marshall fra Storbritannia har tidligere bidratt til fremskritt innen laserteknologi, og mener nå han har laget en ny laser som forhinder blindhet.
- Det denne laseren forsøker å gjøre er å behandle aldringseffekten, slik at man stiller tilbake klokken og ikke får synstap, sier han til BBC. (...)
(Anm: makuladegenerasjon; aldersrelatert («senil») delvis arveleg tap av synet med åra, pga «våt» eller «tørr» degenerasjon av macula retinae utan klarlagde årsaker; er den vanlegaste årsak til blindskap hos eldre folk; lesesynet blir tidleg skadd men gangsynet held seg lenge; i makula finst druser (s d) på basalmembranen til pigmentepitelet og åreforandringar, ev eksudasjon; jf Amslergitter EN age-related macular degeneration. Kilde: Norsk medisinsk ordbok.)
Tann ga mann synet tilbake
vg.no 4.7.2009
(VG Nett) Martin Jones var uten syn i 12 år og hadde aldri sett sin kone. Ved hjelp av sin egen fortann fikk han endelig se hvem han var gift med. (...)
Legene ved Sussex øyeklinikk i Brighton under ledelse av kirurgen Christopher Liu fikk laget en linse fra hud fra munnhulen. Jones´ fortann ble brukt for å holde linsen fast. Det ble ikke brukt et plastikkimplantat fordi legene fryktet at øyet ville reagere på et falskt implantat. (...)
Silent Brain Infarcts Linked to Progressive Glaucoma
medpagetoday.com 1.7.2009
HOUSTON, July 1 -- Silent cerebral infarcts may promote progressive visual-field loss in patients with normotensive glaucoma, a prospective cohort study suggests.
Twice as many patients with field progression had silent cerebral infarcts, compared with patients who had stable-field, normotensive glaucoma, reported Dexter Y. L. Leung, MBChB, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and colleagues.
Two thirds of patients with silent cerebral infarcts had field progression, compared with fewer than half of stable-field patients, they reported online in Ophthalmology.
"The present study demonstrated a statistical as well as a temporal association between silent cerebral infarct and visual field progression in normotensive glaucoma patients," the authors concluded. (...)
Linsetabben tusenvis gjør
dinside.no 25.6.2009
(...)
400.000 nordmenn har tørre øyne hver dag fordi de bruker kontaktlinser (...)
En ny undersøkelse viser at over 400.000 nordmenn har tørre øyne hver dag fordi de bruker kontaktlinser, ifølge Norges Optikerforbund.
Man antar videre at så mange som 20-40 prosent av dem som jobber på kontor har plager med øynene, ifølge Lommelegen.
Å ikke ta hensyn til fuktighetsbalansen i øynene dine er en tabbe som uten tvil kan gi ubehag og i verste fall smerter. Vær smart, følg rådene under så langt det lar seg gjøre. (...)
Kommunikasjon mellom nerveceller i netthinnen
Tidsskr Nor Legeforen 2009; 129:1200 (11.6.2009)
Studier av levende nerveceller fra rotteøyne gir ny innsikt i hvordan ulike typer nerveceller i netthinnen kommuniserer og genererer synsinntrykk i dunkel belysning.
Synssansen er en av våre mest komplekse sanser og den spiller en avgjørende rolle for vår interaksjon med miljøet rundt oss. Svein Harald Mørkve har undersøkt hvordan cellene i netthinnen kommuniserer. (...)
Vi har undersøkt signaloverføringen som gir synsinntrykk når belysningen er dunkel, og har blant annet sett spesielt på hvordan glutamattransportere på bestemte presynaptiske nevroner fungerer. Vi har vist at glutamat som brukes for å sende signaler over den synaptiske spalten påvirker membranpotensialet til avsendercellen og inhiberer denne. Glutamat frisatt i synapsen «renner» over og påvirker også signaloverføringen mellom naboceller. Dette er helt ny kunnskap som har vakt en viss oppsikt, sier Mørkve. (...)
Synet tilbake på to uker
dinside.no 9.6.2009
Oppsiktsvekkende teknikk gir synet tilbake kort tid. Billig, smertefritt og enkelt. (...)
For noen uker siden skrev DinSide Helse om en ny innovativ kontaktlinse som inneholder medisiner. Kontaktlinsen forsyner øyet med bestemte mengder medisin, og er først og fremst egnet for pasienter med grønn stær.
Nå har andre forskere kommet opp med en annen innovativ kontaktlinse som retter opp synet til pasienter som har fått skader på hornhinnen. Kontaktlinsen inneholder stamceller. (...)
Study Reiterates Eye Risks Linked to Flomax
healthfinder.gov 19.5.2009
Men should be aware of dangers if taking prostate drug, experts say.
TUESDAY, May 19 (HealthDay News) -- Men taking Flomax to treat an enlarged prostate face more than double the risk for serious complications should they need cataract surgery, a new Canadian study has found. (...)
"Patients that were prescribed tamsulosin had an over twofold increase in their risk of adverse events after cataract surgery," Bell said. The findings are in the May 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. (...)
Reduced Cognitive Function Linked to AMD
medpagetoday.com 11.5.2009
HOUSTON, May 11 -- Dementia and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) could have a similar pathogenesis, according to a study showing an association between AMD and reduced cognitive function in older people.
A low score on a test of cognitive function increased the risk of AMD by almost 40%, Tien Yin Wong, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, and colleagues reported in the May issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.
After controlling for other factors associated with AMD, the authors found that a low test score doubled the likelihood of the condition.
"These data, along with others, provide further support that AMD and cognitive impairment may share similar complex pathogenesis and risk factors," they concluded. (...)
Linsefeilene som kan
koste deg dyrt
dinside.no 8.5.2009
Bruker du kontaktlinsene riktig? (...)
Etter at du har satt linsene på, tøm beholderen og skyll den med linsevæske. La den lufttørke før du skrur på lokkene. Skal du ha med deg etuiet, kan du bruke to beholdere samtidig. La den ene lufttørke under dagen, den andre tar du med deg, råder hun. (...)
Hvorfor skjer dette?
dinside.no 26.4.2009
MANGE OPERERES: Øyelokkoperasjon er en av de vanligste plastikkirurgiske operasjonene.
Tusenvis opereres for posete øyne hvert år. (...)
Red meat and chicken consumption and its association with age-related macular degeneration.
Am J Epidemiol. 2009 ;169(7):867-76. (Apr 1)
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among older people, and diet has been postulated to alter risk of AMD. (...)
Higher red meat intake was positively associated with early AMD; the odds ratio for consumption of red meat > or =10 times/week versus <5 times/week was 1.47 (95% confidence interval: 1.21, 1.79; P-trend < 0.001). Similar trends toward increasing prevalence of early AMD were seen with higher intakes of fresh and processed red meat. Conversely, consumption of chicken > or =3.5 times/week versus <1.5 times/week was inversely associated with late AMD (odds ratio = 0.43, 95% confidence interval: 0.20, 0.91; P-trend = 0.007). These results suggest that different meats may differently affect AMD risk and may be a target for lifestyle modification. (...)
Fly Spit may Ward off Blinding Eye Diseases (Fluespytt kan avverge øyesykdommer som fører til blindhet)
Ivanhoe.com 13.4.2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The saliva from a fly may be able to save someone’s eyesight.
Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have found what they call a “magic potion” of proteins in the saliva of the black fly that help it spread parasites that cause onchocerciasis or river blindness – a devastating eye-disease. They say a better understanding of these proteins may lead to better drugs and a vaccine for river blindness and other diseases spread by biting insects. (...)
The new study shows the saliva of adult female black flies has substances in it that mute the human body’s natural defenses. This cocktail of chemicals makes the body more vulnerable to disease when infected flies bite the skin, but until now, nobody had identified the specific chemicals involved.
River blindness affects more than 17 million people worldwide. It is most common in rural Africa.
SOURCE: Journal of Proteome Research, 2009;8:1474-1488 (...)
Stem Cells Repair Damaged Corneas in Mice
healthfinder.gov 10.4.2009
Procedure may someday replace transplants in people, experts say. (...)
A report on the study is in the April 9 online edition of the journal Stem Cells. (...)
To date, there has not been a shortage of corneas for transplantation in the United States, although there have been shortages in countries where religious and cultural taboos discourage donating or using body parts from the dead.
However, the LASIK corrective eye surgery renders corneas unsuitable for transplantation, which could mean a shortage in years to come, Funderburgh said. (...)
Certain Diabetes Drugs May Pose Eye Risk
healthfinder.gov 7.4.2009
Use of Avandia, Actos tied to a retinal disorder, study finds.
(SOURCE: Elsevier, news release, April 2, 2009)
TUESDAY, April 7 (HealthDay News) -- A class of diabetes drugs called glitazones are associated with an increased risk of a vision-threatening complication called diabetic macular edema (DME), which features swelling and fluid accumulation in the retina.
Glitazones are a newer class of diabetes drugs that includes medicines such as pioglitazone (Actos) and rosiglitazone (Avandia).
The U.S. study of 996 DME patients found that those who took glitazones were 2.6 times more likely to develop DME than those who didn't take the drugs. Even after adjusting for other factors, the risk of DME remained 60 percent higher for patients who took glitazones, said the researchers at the Southern California Permanente Medical Group. (...)
The study, published in the April issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology, isn't the first to suggest a link between glitazones and DME. But it does confirm that the drugs are "modestly associated" with increased risk of DME, which is a common complication of diabetes. (...)
Vitamins May Help Women Keep Their Eyesight (Vitaminer kan hjelpe kvinner å beholde synet)
Ivanhoe.com 27.3.2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Vitamin supplements may be the key to preventing the most common cause of vision loss in older Americans.
A new study found women who took a combination of vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid appeared to significantly decrease the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Although there are treatment options for severe cases of the eye disease, the only current known prevention method is to avoid smoking.
In a randomized, double-blind clinical trial involving 5,442 women age 40 and over, women who took supplements had a 34 percent lower risk of any AMD and 41 percent lower risk of visually significant AMD, which results in a visual acuity of 20/30 or worse. (...)
Kunstig øye hjelper blind mann å se
vg.no 5.3.2009
(VG Nett) En blind mann som mistet synet for 30 år siden, sier han nå kan se lys etter å ha fått et kunstig øye. (...)
Han er nå i stand til å se hvite liner på veien og til og med sortere sokker ved å bruke det kunstige øyet, kalt Argus II, skriver BBC News. (...)
Kidney Function Marker Linked to Macular Degeneration
medpagetoday.com 4.3.2009
MADISON, Wis., March 4 -- Cystatin C, a biomarker of kidney function, also appears to be associated with the incidence of age-related macular degeneration, researchers here said. (...)
In adjusted analyses, serum levels of the protein were associated with the incidence of both early and exudative macular degeneration, Ronald Klein, M.D., M.P.H., and colleagues reported in the February issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.
There was also an association between chronic kidney disease and macular degeneration, but the association between cystatin C and the degenerative eye disease was intensified in patients without chronic kidney disease.
"This suggests that this relationship might not be due to kidney-related processes," the researchers said. (...)
Ser ikke trafikkfarer
dinside.no 12.2.2009
Bilførere med Norges vanligste øyelidelse har problemer med å reagere i trafikken.
Mange bilførere med grå stær kan ha vansker med kontraster og er plaget med blending.
Grå stær (katarakt) rammer bort i mot alle over 70 år, og mange utvikler tilstanden tidligere i livet, gjerne i 60-årene.
En ny undersøkelsen som er gjort på sammenhengen mellom grå stær og bilkjøring, viser at det kan være risikofylt å kjøre bil med denne tilstanden, ifølge en pressemelding fra Newswire. I undersøkelsen kjørte 186 testpersoner med og uten spesielle ”kataraktbriller”, som ga dem syn som om de hadde ulik grad av tilstanden. (...)
'Blind' Man Navigates Obstacle Course Without Error ("Blind" mann klarer seg feilfritt forbi hindere)
healthfinder.gov 22.12.2008
Researchers say finding suggests alternate vision routes in the brain.
(SOURCES: Colin Ellard, Ph.D., associate chair, department of psychology, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; Dec. 23, 2008, Current Biology)
MONDAY, Dec. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Call it a case of second sight: Scientists report that a blind man in Switzerland was able to make his way through a maze, even though he has no conscious sensation of seeing the world around him.
This phenomenon is an indication that the human brain has ways of processing vision beyond those that are currently understood, the scientists said.
Visual skills include mechanisms "for orienting and doing in the world rather than for understanding," study lead author Beatrice de Gelder, a researcher at Tilburg University in the Netherlands and Harvard Medical School, said in a news release. (...)
20.000 nordmenn har grønn stær uten å vite det
Av Mari Rian Hanger (Dagens Medisin)
vg.no 21.12.2008
- Det er viktig å oppdage disse pasientene tidlig, sier overlege Turid Skei Tønset ved Ullevål universitetssykehus. (...)
Dansk læge: Kakao kan modvirke nærsynethed
24.dk 7.12.2008
Stof fra kakaobønner modvirker børns udvikling af nærsynethed
Midlet til at undgå at bære briller fra barnsben kommer måske fra en uventet kant. En dansk øjenlæge har fundet ud af, at et stof fra kakaobønnen kan være med til at reducere udviklingen af nærsynethed hos børn.
Det er øjenlæge Klaus Trier, der har fulgt 61 nærsynede børn mellem 8 og 13 år i tre år og med tilladelse fra Lægemiddelstyrelsen behandlet dem med et stof fra kakaobønnen. (...)
Poor Night Vision May Predict Age-Related Eye Disease (Dårlig nattsyn kan forutsi aldersrelaterte øyesykdommer)
healthfinder.gov 13.11.2008
Those with difficulties in low-light activities more likely to develop AMD, study says.
THURSDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Poor night vision might be a predictor of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a new study says.
More than 1,000 people with early signs of AMD were given a 10-item questionnaire asking them to rate their difficulties with night driving and low-light activities like reading or watching movies, then were followed annually for up to six years. Those with the worst night vision at the start were most likely to develop reduced visual acuity and one of two types of advanced AMD -- geographic atrophy (GA) or choroidal neovascularization (CNV). (...)
The study was published in the November issue of Ophthalmology. (...)
Thyroid Trouble May Increase Glaucoma Risk (Skjoldbruskkjertelproblemer kan øke risiko for glaukom)
medpagetoday.com 16.10.2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 16 -- Thyroid disorders may modestly increase risk of glaucoma, researchers here found.
Patients ever diagnosed with thyroid problems were 38% more likely to have been diagnosed with glaucoma (P<0.001), reported James M. Cross, M.D., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. (...)
Hypothyroidism has been linked to glaucoma in some prior studies, but the few primarily small case-control studies have yielded conflicting results, the researchers said. (...)
About 12% of participants reported that a doctor had ever told them they had a thyroid problem.
Those with thyroid conditions had a higher prevalence of self-reported glaucoma ever diagnosed by a health professional (6.5% versus 4.4%, P=0.0003). (...)
(Anm: Øyesykdommer (øyner er sjelens vindu). (mintankesmie.no).)
(Anm: glaukom; grøn stær, ei gruppe tilstandar med auka væsketrykk inne i auget, som ved å skada synsnervepapillen kan gi synsfeltutfall, stundom fullt synstap (amaurose); sjå openvinkelglaukom, trongvinkelglaukom, pigmentglaukom og glaucoma infantile; n.rettskr.: glaukom; EN glaucoma. ET [gr glaukos blågrøn] glaukomforsking: URL http://www.glaucoma.org/ Kilde: Norsk medisinsk ordbok.)
Får blinde til å se
nrk.no 13.10.2008
Gjennombrudd i synsforskningen gir håp til tusenvis av blinde.
Forskere har nå funnet en måte å gi blinde med genetiske øyesykdommer synet tilbake. (...)
Genterapi kan gi blinde syn
vg.no 9.10.2008
(VG Nett) Det høres ut som et mirakel; nå kan blinde få synet tilbake ved hjelp av genterapi. (...)
I to nye studier dokumenteres dette ved behandlingen av seks unge mennesker som gjennomgikk behandlingen ved Children's Hospital i Philadelphia og ved Moorsfields Eye Hospital i London. Resultatene er publisert i New England Journal of Medicine. (...)
Sykdommen er en undergruppe av RP (Retinitis Pigmentosa), medfødte øyesykdommer som forårsaker svaksynthet eller blindhet. Sykdommene skyldes genfeil. I Norge er det omkring 1500 som lider av RP, på folkemunne kalt kikkertsyn, og mellom fem og sju som har LCA. (...)
Synsstress kan forårsake nakkesmerte
vg.no 28.8.2008
(VG Nett) Smerter i nakke og skuldre kan være forårsaket av synsstress som kan oppstå for eksempel når man jobber foran dataskjerm.
Jo mer fokuseringsmuskelen spennes for å kompensere for en optisk uskarphet, desto høyere blir muskelspenningen i nakke og skuldre. Dette viser ny forskning fra CBF, Centrum for Centrum för belastningsskadeforskning i Sverige. (...)
Styr unna 50-åringene
nettavisen.no 25.8.2008
Mange bilister ser farlig dårlig - uten å vite det selv. Noe må skje, mener ekspertene.
Bilister som ser dårlig, har tre til fem ganger større risiko for å havne i trafikkulykker, melder Norsk Optikerforbund. (...)
Han forteller at reaksjonsevnen er dobbelt så treg ved 50 prosent redusert syn.
Alsbirk forsket på dette temaet på 80-tallet ved Medisinisk Institutt i Århus. Denne undersøkelsen er den største som er utført i Skandinavia noensinne. (...)
Dagsljus gör barn mindre närsynta
dn.no 6.8.2008
Barn blir mindre närsynta ju mer de vistas utomhus. Det visar en australisk studie som jämfört barnens syn med deras livsstil.
- ATT UTOMHUSVISTELSE ger mindre närsynthet är logiskt, säger Vesna Ponjavic, läkare vid ögonkliniken på universitetssjukhuset i Lund. (...)
Advanced glaucomatous visual loss and oral steroids
BMJ 2008;337:a670 (1 August 2008)
Blindness induced by glaucoma is a serious but preventable side effect of long term, high dose steroids (...)
Veggies may Prevent Blindness (Grønnsaker kan forhindre blindhet)
ivanhoe.com 23.7.2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- It turns out following mom's advice to eat your vegetables could prevent a leading cause of blindness.
Age-related macular degeneration causes vision loss in Americans 60 years of age and older. It affects the macula -- the part of the eye that allows you to see fine detail. Several studies have suggested high concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin -- dietary compounds -- have properties that can prevent macular degeneration. (...)
New Imaging Tool Can Spot Glaucoma Risk
healthfinder.gov 9.6.2008
But experts say it will be several years before there's widespread use. (...)
MONDAY, June 9 (HealthDay News) -- A sophisticated new imaging device could one day help doctors detect the devastating eye disease known as narrow-angle glaucoma earlier and more accurately, researchers report.
If left undetected and untreated, narrow-angle glaucoma can lead to a sudden or acute glaucoma attack, which can result in permanent vision loss.
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center detail the new technology in the June issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology. (...)
Færre faller etter grå stær-operasjon
vg.no 1.6.2008
Stadig færre eldre faller ett år etter at de har blitt operert for grå stær. (...)
- Forskningsprosjektet er ennå ikke avsluttet, men vi ser at eldre faller mindre etter en kataraktoperasjon, sier overlege Olav Sletvold og fysioterapeut Jorunn Helbostad.
Forskerne har fulgt 200 pasienter som ble henvist til kataraktoperasjon, og som i snitt var 79 år ved henvisning. Pasientene ble undersøkt før operasjonen, rett etter og etter ett år. Gruppen ble sammenlignet med en gruppe pasienter med godt syn. (...)
Medel mot "gula fläcken" hjälper
dn.se 21.5.2008
En ny, dyr behandling mot ögonsjukdomen "gula fläcken" är verkligen mycket effektiv. Sjukdomsförloppet hejdas hos nästan alla och många får bättre syn, visar en ny utvärdering från SBU, Statens beredning för medicinsk utvärdering.
Ögonspecialisten Anders Petersson injicerar Lucentis i Maj anderssons högeröga. (...)
Omkring 30.000 svenskar lider av så kallad våt makuladegeneration, populärt kallad "gula fläcken". Sjukdomen innebär att nya blodkärl växer in i gula fläcken, den del av ögats näthinna där synen är som skarpast. Förloppet kan gå mycket snabbt och en stor del av synen kan försvinna på kort tid.
Ögonmedicinen Lucentis är en helt ny typ av medicin, som stryper nybildade blodkärl. Idén utvecklades av en amerikansk forskare, Judah Folkman. (...)
Men Avastin är inte godkänt för att behandla ögon. Det finns ännu inga studier som klart visar att det är effektivt och säkert.
- Men det är en studie på gång i USA. Tyvärr kommer det att ta upp till tre innan den är klar och vi får veta om Avastin är lika säkert. Då behöver medicinen bara kosta 300 kronor per patient och behandling, säger Anders Kvanta. (...)
(Anm: Flera blinda i USA efter behandling med Avastin (lakemedelsvarlden.se 2.9.2011).)
(Anm: makuladegenerasjon; aldersrelatert («senil») delvis arveleg tap av synet med åra, pga «våt» eller «tørr» degenerasjon av macula retinae utan klarlagde årsaker; er den vanlegaste årsak til blindskap hos eldre folk; lesesynet blir tidleg skadd men gangsynet held seg lenge; i makula finst druser (s d) på basalmembranen til pigmentepitelet og åreforandringar, ev eksudasjon; jf Amslergitter EN age-related macular degeneration. Kilde: Norsk medisinsk ordbok.)
Ögonläkemedel skapar etiskt dilemma
lakemedelsvarlden.se 21.5.2008
Läkemedlet ranibizumab (Lucentis) mot en viss form av åldersrelaterade förändringar i näthinnans gula fläck är effektivt men dyrt. Denna slutsats dras i en rapport från Statens beredning för medicinsk utvärdering, SBU.
Åldersrelaterad makuladegeneration, AMD, är en ögonsjukdom som förekommer i flera former men den enda som kan behandlas är den som kallas för neovaskulär eller våt AMD. Den vanligaste behandlingen har tidigare utgjorts av fotodynamisk terapi, PDT. Nu har SBU undersökt effekten av ranibizumab, ett läkemedel som injiceras i ögats glaskropp av ögonläkare månadsvis. (...)
Blinde Atle (46) håper å kunne se kona
vg.no 14.5.2008
(VG Nett) Atle Lunde har vært blind i 10 år. Nå gir ny og revolusjonerende forskning ham håp om å kunne se kona for første gang. (...)
Lunde er en av rundt 1500 nordmenn med øyesykdommen retinitis pigmentosa (RP), som på folkemunne er kjent som «kikkertsyn».
Sakte, men sikkert, innskrenkes synsfeltet til man ikke lenger kan se, men genterapi gir pasientgruppen nytt håp. (...)
High Blood Pressure, Cholesterol Associated With Eye Disease
healthfinder.gov 12.5.2008
Risk for retinal vein blockage more than doubles when these conditions go untreated. (...)
MONDAY, May 12 (HealthDay News) -- High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels not only are bad for your heart, they may also harm your eyesight, a new report suggests.
The two conditions appear to increase one's risk for retinal vein occlusion, a condition that leads to vision loss. It results from one or more veins carrying blood from the eye to the heart becoming blocked and causing bleeding or fluid build-up, according to background information in the report published in the May issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology. (...)
Gene therapy is in danger of being overhyped, expert says (Fare for at genterapi blir oversolgt, ifølge eksperter)
BMJ 2008;336:977 (3 May)
Two reports published online this week by the New England Journal of Medicine have described the use of gene therapy to correct the causes of one form of congenital blindness. Although the gains in both cases were modest, media reports have greeted them with jubilation and the suggestion that the results can be extrapolated to a wide range of eye conditions. (...)
Steven (18) berget synet med genterapi
vg.no 28.4.2008
(VG Nett) Britiske Steven Holwarth (18) risikerte å miste synet fullstendig før ny og revolusjonerende genterapi gjorde ham frisk.
Til BBC forteller han om hvordan livet har forandret seg ved hjelp av den sensasjonelle behandlingsmetoden. (...)
Holwarth led av den arvelige netthinnesykdommen Lebers kongenitala amauros som gjør at nattesynet svekkes betraktelig.
Begeistret prosjektleder
Ved å sprøyte friske gener inn på baksiden av øyet hans klarte legene å kurere tenåringen.
Så langt har kun en håndfull pasienter fått behandlingen, men det er bare begynnelsen, skal vi tro legene. (...)
Nose triggers allergic eye symptoms
reuters.com 18.3.2008
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The itchy, watery eyes that plague allergy sufferers may be, at least in part, a reflex response triggered by the nose, a new study shows.
Researchers have previously demonstrated that when an allergen is introduced into one nostril, the other nostril will respond, demonstrating what's known as a "nasonasal reflex," Dr. Fuad M. Baroody and colleagues from the University of Chicago explain in their report in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
Given that the eyes and nasal cavity share a nerve supply, they add, it's possible that ocular hay fever symptoms aren't only related to direct exposure to the allergy-producing substance, but could also be a result of a similar reflex response. (...)
Study Finds Potential Cause of Age-Related Macular Degeneration
healthfinder.gov 17.3.2008
Data could lead to new drugs to check vascular proliferation that is hallmark of eye disease. (...)
MONDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have pinpointed a biological pathway that may block the blood vessel proliferation and leakiness behind most cases of blindness in the United States. (...)
The study was published in the March 16 online edition of Nature Medicine.
"What we are saying is the cells of the blood vessels have a protein receptor, and this is called Robo4, and if you activate the Robo4 receptor, by giving it a protein that binds to it, the blood vessel cells know the cells shouldn't leak and grow," Li said. (...)
Glaucoma Linked to Cardiovascular Mortality in Black Patients
medpagetoday.com 11.3.2008
A nine-year follow-up of more than 4,000 patients found that compared with untreated glaucoma patients, cardiovascular mortality was 91% higher for those treated with the beta-blocker timolol, found Suh-Yuh Wu, M.A., of Stony Brook University here, and colleagues.
Cardiovascular deaths tended to be 28% higher for those with ocular hypertension at baseline, they reported in the March issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
Information on the relationship between glaucoma and mortality has particular clinical and public health importance for black patients for whom glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, the investigators added. (...)
Makuladegeneration ökar risken för hjärtdödlighet
lakemedelsvarlden.se 4.3.2008
Personer som lider av tidiga åldersförändringar i gula fläcken har dubbelt så hög risk att dö av hjärtinfarkt eller stroke. Det visar en studie från Australien.
Ögonsjukdomen makuladegeneration är den vanligaste orsaken till icke behandlingsbar blindhet hos äldre vuxna i utvecklade länder. Forskare vid universitetet i Sydney fann ett positivt samband mellan makuladegeneration och påföljande kardiovaskulär dödlighet i en population äldre personer i Australien. (...)
New Treatment for 'Lazy Eye' Shows Promise
healthfinder.gov 4.3.2008
U.S., Chinese project finds 90% of vision gains retained 1 year after therapy. (...)
Lazy eye, also known as amblyopia, has been considered irreversible after age 8. Many people with the condition, especially those in developing countries, are diagnosed too late for conventional treatment with an eye patch, the researchers noted. (...)
Study finds degenerative eye disease raises stroke risk
reuters.com 27.2.2008
They found that for people under the age of 75 when the study began, those who developed early age-related macular degeneration had twice the risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke within the next decade. (...)
Dine øjne afslører din alder
berlingske.dk 20.2.2008
Retsmedicinere på Københavns Universitet har forfinet kulstof-14-metoden, så den kan bruges til at fastslå afdøde menneskers alder, ved at kigge dem dybt i øjnene. (...)
Vitamin E, Lutein May Fight Cataracts
healthfinder.gov 25.1.2008
A randomized trial is needed to confirm the findings, experts say. (...)
FRIDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Antioxidants such as vitamin E and lutein could lower a woman's risk of sight-robbing cataracts, new research suggests. (...)
Spar 20.000 på øyeoperasjon
forbruker.no 6.11.2007
Vurderer du å laseroperere øynene? Gjør du det i Tallinn, kan du spare over 20.000 kroner i forhold til i Norge. (...)
Sløret blikk på eget syn
vg.no 22.10.2007
Vi tar for dårlig vare på synet
Vi priser synet vårt, men mange har et stort forbedringspotensiale når det gjelder øyehelsen sin. (...)
Primary prevention of age related macular degeneration
Editorials
BMJ 2007;335:729 (13 October)
Current evidence does not support a protective role for dietary antioxidant vitamins (...)
Glaucoma and Alzheimer's May Have Common Origins and Treatment (Glaukom og Alzheimers kan ha felles opprinnelse og behandling)
medpagetoday.com 6.8.2007
(...) The findings, published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that blocking the action of amyloid-b peptide may offer a new method for slowing or preventing glaucoma progression. (...)
Dr. Cordeiro said that the findings also suggest possible methods for testing Alzheimer's disease therapies.
"Since we have shown that drugs for Alzheimer's disease can tackle glaucoma, then potentially we could use a damaged retina to screen Alzheimer's drugs that target beta-amyloid build up," she said. (...)
New laser may widen scope for eye surgery
timesonline.co.uk 8.10.2007
New techniques in laser eye surgery could eliminate night vision problems and other undesirable side-effects of the treatment, enabling thousands more people to put aside their glasses and contact lenses. (...)
Primary prevention of age related macular degeneration
Editorials
BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmj.39351.478924.BE (published 8 October 2007)
Current evidence does not support a protective role for dietary antioxidant vitamins (...)
Galgenfrist for øyelege
nrk.no 6.10.2007
En øyelege i Halden kan miste retten til å praktisere om kort tid, hvis han ikke svarer på henvendelser fra Helsetilsynet. (...)
Den siste klagen gjelder en sak fra i vår. En mannlig pasient tok flere ganger kontakt med legen fordi han hadde smerter i det ene øyet. Først etter at han presset på overfor øyelegen ble han henvist til sykehuset Østfold hvor han ble operert for grønn stær. (...)
Eye Safety Begins at Home
healthfinder.gov 16.9.2007
Half of vision injuries occur there, experts warn
(SOURCE: Prevent Blindness America, news release, Aug. 30, 2007)
SUNDAY, Sept. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Half of all eye injuries in the United States occur at home but are preventable, according to experts at the nonprofit group Prevent Blindness America. (...)
Veggies Might Ward Off Age -Linked Vision Woes
healthfinder.gov 12.9.2007
Two nutrients protect against macular degeneration, study finds (...)
Those who consumed the highest levels of lutein and zeaxanthin -- found in yellow and dark leafy vegetables -- were significantly less likely than those who ate the lowest levels of these nutrients to have advanced AMD, the research team found. (...)
The study is published in the September issue of the journal Archives of Ophthalmology. (...)
Study finds spinach, eggs ward off cause of blindness
today.reuters.com 10.9.2007
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Two nutrients found in eggs, spinach and other leafy green vegetables offer some protection against the most common cause of blindness among the elderly, researchers said on Monday.
Age-related macular degeneration affects 1.2 million Americans, mostly after age 65, and the irreversible condition gets gradually worse, robbing victims of the center of their vision. Many people may be susceptible due to genetic factors, while smoking is known to heighten the risk.
The two nutrients, lutein and zeaxanthin, are both carotenoids -- compounds that give many fruits and vegetables a yellow color. (...)
Poor Senior Vision Often a Window on Disease
healthfinder.gov 8.9.2007
Geriatrics Society urges older adults to monitor eyesight carefully. (SOURCE: American Geriatrics Society, news release, August 2007)
SATURDAY, Sept. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Older adults need to monitor themselves for eyesight problems, which can appear gradually and worsen over time, says the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). If not properly monitored, eyesight deterioration can lead to other long-term problems. (...)
- Blå øyne gjør deg til en vinner
side2.no 20.8.2007
Fargen på øynene kan gi deg fordeler i livet mener forskere.
Tror du øyenfargen har betydning for din karriere?
(SIDE2): Ifølge Daily Mail er det amerikanske forskere som etter diverse tester mener mennesker med brune øyne har best reaksjonsevne, mens de med lysere øyenfarge er best til å tenke strategisk. Derfor oppnår de ofte mer karrieremessig, melder news.com. (...)
Gen förklarar risk för starr
netdoktor.passagen.se 13.8.2007
En gen som är central i utvecklingen av glaukom, eller grön starr som det också heter, har identifierats. Rönen har gjorts av forskare från Sverige och Island och presenteras i den prestigefyllda tidskriften Science. Bland bärare med genen på två kromosomer ökar risken att drabbas av sjukdomen med 700 gånger. (...)
Glaucoma and Alzheimer's May Have Common Origins and Treatment
medpagetoday.com 6.8.2007
(...) The findings, published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that blocking the action of amyloid-b peptide may offer a new method for slowing or preventing glaucoma progression. (...)
Study Finds Dietary Link to Risk of Eye Disorder
nytimes.com 17.7.2007
Certain kinds of carbohydrates may play a role in the development of age-related macular degeneration, an incurable degenerative eye disease that is a leading cause of blindness in older adults. A new study has found that eating carbohydrate-rich food with a high glycemic index — a measure of a food’s potential to raise blood glucose levels — is associated with the development of the disorder. (...)
Eye exam may spot dementia risk in elderly
reutershealth.com 14.7.2007
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Examining the blood vessels in the retina of the eye may give a clue to the mental status of elderly people and their risk of developing dementia, researchers report. (...)
SOURCE: Stroke, July 2007. (...)
Kaffe kan hindre blindhet
vg.no 20.6.2007
(VG Nett) Å drikke kaffe beskytter mot spasmer i øyet som i verste fall kan medføre blindhet, viser ny undersøkelse.
Italienske forskere har undersøkt kaffe- og røykevanene til 166 personer med øyelidelsen blepharospasme.
Lidelsen forårsaker ukontrollerbare rykninger i øyet, som i verste fall hindrer pasienten i å se. Forskerne fant at en til to kopper kaffe om dagen ser ut til å redusere risikoen for sykdommen. Resultatene av undersøkelsen er presentert i det medisinske bladet Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, skriver BBC.
Blepharospasme er en form for dystoni - ufrivillige muskelkramper som kan oppstå flere steder på kroppen. Det vanligste er at personer mellom 50 og 70 år blir rammet. Lidelsen kan gjøre det umulig å holde øynene oppe grunnet krampene, hvilket igjen fører til effektiv blindhet. (...)
(Anm: dystonia; dystoni; endring i muskulaturens spenningstilstand, ofte i form av ufrivillige muskelsammentrekninger (f.eks. i nakkemuskulaturen og svelgmuskulaturen. Dystoni kan være symptom ved indremedisinske og nevrologiske sykdommer, men kan også opptre som bivirkning av legemidler som blokkerer signalsubstansen dopamin. Akutte dystonier sees hos yngre menn noen dager etter at vedkommende har begynt på relativt høye doser med nevroleptika. (...) Ved akutte dystonier på grunn av legemidler er behandlingen tilførsel av antiparkinsonmidler. Kilde: Store norske leksikon.)
Én av tolv menn skjønner ikke denne
nettavisen.no 12.6.2007
Men det er kanskje vitsen? Se T-skjorta her. (...)
Migraines May Heighten Risk of Vision Problems
healthfinder.gov 15.5.2007
Study finds link among middle-aged people with history of the headaches.
(Anm: Migraine and retinal microvascular abnormalities. Neurology 2007;68:1694-1700.)
Omega-3, Vitamin D Levels Cut Risk of Eye Disease
healthfinder.gov 15.5.2007
They lower odds of age-related macular degeneration, studies find. (...)
Computer Users: Learn to Baby Your Eyes
healthfinder.gov 9.5.2007
Long hours staring at a terminal can lead to vision problems, if you're not careful.
(SOURCES: Jeffrey Weaver, O.D., director of the American Optometric Association's clinical care group; Kerry Beebe, O.D., optometrist in Brainerd, Minn., and spokesman for the American Optometric Association; the American Optometric Association, Alexandria, Va.)
-- There are few professions left that don't use computers in some way, just as there are few households that don't consider the family computer an essential appliance.
But all those hours online can take a toll on your eyes, experts warn.
"An increasing number of people are on the computer huge numbers of hours during the day," said Dr. Kerry Beebe, an optometrist in Brainerd, Minn., and spokesman for the American Optometric Association (AOA). "It does seem that particular visual demand can be tough to handle if there's anything less than perfect going on with your visual system."
Studies have shown that eyestrain and other vision problems can occur in as many as nine out of 10 people using video display terminals at work, according to the AOA. (...)
The most common symptoms are eyestrain, blurred vision, double vision, excessive tears, dry eyes and excessive blinking or squinting. Visual problems also can result in physical problems such as headaches and neck or shoulder pain. (...)
To learn more about computers and eye care, visit the University of Virginia Health System. (...)
Glaucoma may not progress in certain people
reuters.com 28.3.2007
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A small subgroup of Chinese men with suspected or diagnosed glaucoma may not need aggressive treatment, because the condition does not appear to progress, a new study suggests.
In the medical journal Ophthalmology, Dr. Amish Doshi of California's Stanford University and colleagues report on a series of 16 patients originally diagnosed with glaucoma whose condition did not progress over a 7-year period. (...)
Study Finds Clues to Graves' Disease Assault on Eyes
healthfinder.gov 2.3.2007
Thyroid disorder disrupts T-cell programming, sparking body to attack its own
FRIDAY, March 2 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have found new clues about what causes Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder that involves overactivity of the thyroid gland.
The findings may provide a new target to treat the disease, which can damage the tissue behind the eyes and cause them to bulge painfully from their sockets. In extreme cases, patients can suffer severe double vision, corneal scarring, optic nerve damage, and even blindness.
The UCLA team identified defects in the infection-fighting T-cells of immune systems in people with Graves' disease. The study was published March 1 in the Journal of Immunology. (...)
Genetisk disposisjon for maculadegenerasjon
Notiser
Nor Lægeforen 2007; 127: 552 (1. 3.2007)
Aldersbetinget maculadegenerasjon er den vanligste årsaken til blindhet i den vestlige verden. Tidligere studier har vist at det er en sammenheng mellom sykdommen og varianter av to ulike gener, genet for komplementfaktor H og et gen med ukjent funksjon på kromosom 10. (...)
Visual Impairment and Eye Care Among Older Adults—Five States, 2005
JAMA. 2007;297:582-583. (February 14)
MMWR. 2006;55:1321-1325
Blindness and visual impairment are among the 10 most common causes of disability in the United States1 and are associated with shorter life expectancy and lower quality of life.2,3 (...)
Venter ett år på hjelp
aftenposten.no 28.1.2007
Å bli blind er en krise. Likevel må 400 synshemmede vente i mer enn ett år på å komme ut av den. (...)
Macular Degeneration Caused by More Than Genes
ivanhoe.com 10.1.2007
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- It’s not just your genes; your lifestyle also has an impact on how likely it is you will develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A new study reveals two genes combined with obesity and/or smoking can greatly increase your risk for the blinding condition (...)
The Top 10 health stories of 2006, from the Harvard Health Letter
health.harvard.edu 27.12.2006
Editors of the Harvard Health Letter, in consultation with the doctors on its editorial board, have chosen the top 10 health stories of 2006. Here they are: (...)
4. New treatment for macular degeneration. A promising new approach focuses on angiogenesis, or the formation of blood vessels. The FDA approved Lucentis, an anti-angiogenic drug aimed at the blood vessels that cause wet macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. Studies have found that the drug improves vision, a remarkable result. Up to now, the best treatments could only halt further deterioration. (...)
Hypoglycemia promotes vision loss in mice
reutershealth.com 14.12.2006
- Hypoglycemia leads to an age-related loss of visual acuity and retinal cells in mice, new research shows. These findings underscore the importance of tight glycemic control in diabetics. (...)
Vision Problems Among Those Over 40 Costly
healthfinder.gov 11.12.2006
Report finds price U.S. tag tops $35 billion a year. (...)
Laser Won't Stop AMD Vision Loss
cbsnews.com 3.11.2006
(WebMD) It's final: Low-intensity laser treatment doesn't prevent vision loss from age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. (...)
(Anm: Ophthalmology 2006; 113:1974-1986 (November 2006).)
Malnutrition causes night blindness
nation.ittefaq.com 5.11.2006
VITAMIN A deficiency is a part of micronutrient deficiencies/ malnutrition, which causes night blindness and other diseases. Night blindness (officially known as nyctalopia, means inability to see in dim light), primary stage of becoming permanently blind. So, we should prevent malnutrition taking vitamin A-rich foods as we need to prevent night blindness, to control blindness and to ensure right to see especially to our children. National Food and Nutrition Policy (1997) of Govt. of Bangladesh highlighted the following information of our country:
Prevalence of night blindness: 100 per day.
Children becoming blind: 30000- 40000 per year. (...)
Gentest förutser ögonsjukdom
netdoktor.passagen.se 23.10.2006
Amerikanska forskare har hittat en gen som kodar för gula fläckensjukan, eller macula degeneration. I västvärlden är förändringar på gula fläcken den vanligaste orsaken till dålig syn för personer över 60 års ålder. Vad man funnit är att personer som bär på en speciell genvariant har en tio gånger större risk att drabbas av den fuktiga formen av gula-fläckensjukan. Sjukdomen har två varianter, den torra som drabbat cirka 300 000 svenskar och som det inte finns någon behandling för, samt den aggressivare fuktiga formen som ungefär 40 000 personer lider av. (...)
Reddet synet med vitaminer
din 21.9.2006
Svenske Rosita mistet synet og ble gitt opp av vanlige øyeleger. Men alternativ behandling med vitaminer ga henne synet tilbake. (...)
Ingen behandling
Ifølge Rositas ansvarlige øyelege hadde hun blitt rammet av store aldersforandringer på netthinnen, og i et kort skriftlig brev konstaterte øyelegen at det ikke fantes noe behandling for denne type forandringer.
Men samme dag som sjokkmeldingen, kontaktet Rosita en annen øyelege som behandler øyesykdommer på netthinnen med vitaminer og mineraler.
- Han konstaterte raskt at jeg ikke led av aldersforandringer på netthinnen, og at det gikk an å redde synet mitt. Jeg visste ikke riktig hva jeg skulle tro, sier hun.
Og nå, noen måneder etter å ha tatt den nye behandlingen, har Rosita fått tilbake synet på det venstre øyet, og det skjer fortløpende forbedringer på det høyre.
- Det finnes ikke ord på den takknemligheten jeg kjenner. Flere burde teste denne metoden, sier hun.
Den kontroversielle øyelegen driver en privat klinikk i Göteborg. Her behandler han øyepasienter med en antioksidativ sammensetning bestående av vitamin E og A, selen og sink. Helt enkelt, vitaminer og mineraler i tablettform. (...)
Eyeballing the Vision Workout
washingtonpost.com 12.9.2006
Advertising Pitches for the 'See Clearly Method' Claim That Simple Exercises Can Improve Your Vision Naturally. Plenty of Experts Aren't Buying It. (...)
Weightlifting 'could cause eyesight loss'
netdoctor.co.uk 12.9.2006
Regular weightlifting could result in the loss of eyesight as a result of developing glaucoma, researchers have warned.
In a study published in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology, researchers from the Institute of Specialised Ophthalmology in Brazil suggest that holding your breath whilst lifting heavy weights temporarily increases the pressure within the eye (Intraocular pressure). (...)
Obesity 'doubles blindness risk'
netdoctor.co.uk 6.9.2006
Being obese doubles the risk of developing conditions that could lead to blindness in later life, the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) has warned.
In a report released by the charity, it is claimed that overweight people are twice as likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the most common cause of blindness in the UK.
Obesity also increases the chances of developing conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma or cataracts, all of which carry the risk of permanent sight loss.
Retinopathy, where the blood vessels on the retina are damaged, is known to occur in around 60 per cent of diabetes sufferers, and obese people are ten times more likely to develop diabetes than the general population. (...)
Age-Linked Vision Loss May Depend on Genes
healthfinder.gov 28.8.2006
DNA can pinpoint those at highest risk, scientists say.
-- Genetics plays a big role in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss in older adults, two new studies show.
"We took a very detailed look at a gene that had previously been identified as involved in AMD," explained the lead researcher for one study, Goncalo Abecasis, an associate professor of biostatistics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. "We found there were many variants of the gene that could increase the risk of AMD -- some with very large effects," he added. (...)
Drug Linked to Cataract Surgery Problems
latimes.com 22.8.2006
WASHINGTON -- Patients taking a widely prescribed prostate drug should alert their eye doctors before undergoing cataract surgery to avoid complications, several medical groups said Tuesday.
Advance warning can allow surgeons to modify their technique during the common operation and avoid complications seen in patients who take Flomax and similar drugs to treat enlargement of the prostate, the groups said.
The drugs, called alpha-blockers, appear to impair a muscle in the iris, the colored portion of the eye. The iris must be stimulated during surgery to replace the clouded lens of the eye to allow the opening in its center, the pupil, to dilate. The drugs seem to cause the iris to unexpectedly flap or billow. (...)
Hjernen trenger også en omstart
dagbladet.no 21.8.2006
HJERNEFORSKNING: Mer informasjon om hjernens funksjonalitet finner du på Fysikknett.no og Forskning.no. (...)
Ny behandling kan redde synet
bt.dk 24.5.2006
Ny behandlingsmetode kan redde øjenpatienters syn. Overlæge frygter dog, at sygehusøkonomi vil forsinke behandlingen. (...)
Simple test to spot eye infection
bbc.co.uk 12.5.2006
The test was developed by Dr Helen Lee
A simple "dipstick" test for an eye infection could potentially help save the sight of millions around the world.
The test, developed by a Cambridge University team, can detect trachoma, a disease spread by flies.
A Lancet study involving more than 600 Masai children in Tanzania showed the test to be more than twice as effective as traditional methods.
It took just one hour to train local health workers to carry out the tests.
The results were evaluated without the benefit of electricity or running water using tables and chairs as makeshift lab benches.
The infection, caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria, causes the eyelid to fold inward and the lashes to scar the cornea.
It is estimated that 84 million people, mainly in the developing world, carry the infection and require treatment.
The infection can be cleared by a single dose of a drug called azithromycin.
But because it mainly strikes in poor areas with stretched health systems, it is a leading cause of blindness.
Test is simple to use
The wafer-thin, 8cm long trachoma dipstick is an adaptation of a test first developed to diagnose the sexually-transmitted form of chlamydia.
Professor David Mabey, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, was involved in the trial.
He said: "The test is an important advance in the fight against trachoma.
"At present, the amount of azithromycin pledged by the manufacturer, Pfizer, will not be sufficient to treat everyone living in endemic communities.
"Yet, much of the drug is wasted in treating communities which no longer need it.
"The new test will enable programme managers to find out for themselves which communities still harbour the infection and thus to focus treatment on the communities which really need it."
Dr Paul Courtright, is co-director of the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology at Tumaini University in Moshi, Tanzania.
He said: "The findings from this study will likely lead to a major re-think on how we conduct trachoma control in Africa.
"It will help us become more targeted in our approach-saving time and money."
"The potential to accurately identify households and villages with trachoma and provide the interventions needed to eliminate this disease just took a leap forward with this study." (...)
Bruk av pupillometri og pupillreaksjonar i medisinsk forsking
Tidsskr Nor Lægeforen 2005; 125:29-32 (6.1.2005)
Bakgrunn. Regnbogehinna er eit dynamisk organ som vert regulert av aktiviteten i det autonome nervesystemet, noko ein lenge har utnytta innan medisinen. Aktiviteten til regnbogehinna reflekterer fysiologiske reaksjonar på ulike sensoriske stimuli, som til dømes smerte. Ein finn stadig meir avanserte verktøy for å vurdere pupillen, og vi ønskjer å presentere nokre av desse. (...)
Den glatte muskulaturen i regnbogehinna endrar storleiken på pupillen, gjennom aktivering av anten m. constrictor pupillae eller m. dilatator pupillae. Det er likevekta mellom aktiviteten i desse to musklane som til ei kvar tid avgjer storleiken på pupillen. (...)
Det autonome nervesystemet kan bli påverka av fleire ulike sjukdomstilstandar, mellom anna multippel sklerose, Alzheimers sjukdom og diabetes mellitus (6, 15 - 17). de Seze fann ein avvikande pupillreaksjon hos 60 % av pasienter med multippel sklerose (n = 45) i høve til hos friske kontrollpersonar (n = 30), mellom anna redusert konstriksjonsamplitude og forlenga latenstid for lysrefleksen.
Innhaldet av nevrotransmitteren acetylkolin i hjernen er redusert hos pasientar med Alzheimers sjukdom. Fotiou gjennomførte ein pilotstudie med fem friske frivillige, fem pasientar med Alzheimers sjukdom som var medisinerte med ein antikolinesterase og fem pasientar med Alzheimers sjukdom som ikkje var medisinerte. Han fann at latenstida til maksimal miose var redusert både hos pasientar med Alzheimers sjukdom som ikkje fekk behandling (0,53 s) og hos pasientar med denne sjukdomen som fekk behandling (0,62 s) i høve til hos friske (0,81 s) (16). (...)
- Nesten blind etter laseroperasjon
vg.no 3.12.2001
03.12.2001 kl. 07:21 Kilde: VG
Tannlege Kai Thune (52) laseropererte øynene fordi han ville se bedre. Nå er han uføretrygdet og nesten blind.
En utenlandsk lege uten lisens til å operere i Norge deltok under operasjonene hos en norsk øyelege. Den utenlandske legen har forsvunnet.
Sammen med en annen tidligere pasient av øyelegen har han gått til rettssak mot legen og dennes forsikringsselskap, i første omgang for å få avklart om øyelegen er skyld i plagene de to sier de har slitt med siden de ble operert. Saken kommer opp i Oslo byrett i januar. (...)
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