vision problems Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Eye Cells “Rewire” Themselves When Vision Begins to Fail

The AHA! Team — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 05:19:44 +0000

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences via Newswise – Mouse study reveals how retinal neurons adapt by forming new connections during early stages of inherited blindness Retinal cells can rewire themselves Scientists at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA have discovered that certain retinal cells can rewire themselves when vision begins to deteriorate in retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic eye disease that leads to progressive blindness. In a study using mouse models, researchers found that rod bipolar cells, neurons that normally receive signals from rods that provide night vision, can form new functional connections with cones that provide daytime vision when their usual partners stop working. The study appears in Current Biology. Why it matters Retinitis pigmentosa affects millions of people worldwide and is a leading cause of inherited blindness. While the disease often progresses slowly, with some patients maintaining a surprising amount of usable vision into middle age, little is known about how retinal circuits adapt to cell loss. Understanding these natural adaptation mechanisms could reveal new targets for treatments aimed at preserving vision. What the study did Researchers used rhodopsin knockout mice that model early retinitis pigmentosa, where rod cells cannot respond to light and degeneration proceeds slowly. They made electrical recordings from individual rod bipolar cells, neurons that normally connect to rods, to see how these cells behaved when their usual input was lost. The team also used additional mouse models lacking different components of rod signaling to determine what triggers the rewiring process. They supported their single-cell findings with whole-retina electrical measurements. What they found Rod bipolar cells in mice lacking functional rods showed large-amplitude responses driven by cone cells instead of their normal rod inputs. These rewired responses were strong and had the expected electrical characteristics of cone-driven signals. The rewiring occurred specifically in mice with rod degeneration, but not in other mouse models that lacked rod light responses without actual cell death. This suggests that the cellular rewiring is triggered by the degeneration process itself, rather than simply the absence of light responses or broken synapses. The findings complement the research team’s previous 2023 work showing that individual cone cells can remain functional even after severe structural changes in later disease stages. Together, these studies reveal that retinal circuits maintain function through different adaptation mechanisms at various stages of disease progression. The research shows that retinal adaptation occurs through different mechanisms at various disease stages, which could help scientists identify new targets for preserving vision in patients with inherited retinal diseases. From the experts “Our findings show that the retina adapts to the loss of rods in ways that attempt to preserve daytime light sensitivity in the retina,” said senior author A.P. Sampath, PhD of the UCLA Stein Eye Institute. “When the usual connections between rod bipolar cells and rods are lost, these cells can rewire themselves to receive signals from cones instead. The signal for this plasticity appears to be degeneration itself, perhaps through the role of glial support cells or factors released by dying cells.” What’s next One of the open questions is whether this rewiring represents a general mechanism used by the retina when rods die. The group is currently exploring this possibility with other mutant mice that carry mutations to rhodopsin and other rod proteins that are known to cause retinitis pigmentosa in humans. About the study Published in Current Biology (2025). “Photoreceptor degeneration induces homeostatic rewiring of rod bipolar cells.” DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.05.057 About the Research Team Paul J. Bonezzi, Rikard Frederiksen, Annabelle N. Tran, Kyle Kim, Gordon L. Fain, and Alapakkam P. Sampath from the Department of Ophthalmology, Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Paul J. Bonezzi and Rikard Frederiksen contributed equally to this work. Funding and Disclosures This work was supported by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health USA (EY36811 and EY01844) and an unrestricted grant by Research to Prevent Blindness to the UCLA Department of Ophthalmology. The authors have no disclosures. To read the original article click here.

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Choose the Right Artificial Lens for Your Cataract Surgery

The AHA! Team — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 06:35:31 +0000

Larissa Biggers via Duke Health – Cataract surgery involves removing a clouded lens and replacing it with an artificial intraocular lens (also called an IOL) to improve your vision. However, not all IOLs are the same. Cataract surgery involves removing a clouded lens and replacing it with an artificial intraocular lens (also called an IOL) to improve your vision. However, not all IOLs are the same. Some can help you see near or far even better. Choosing the right lens for you can be confusing. Here, Duke corneal specialist, Terry Kim, MD, explains your options. What are my intraocular lens options? You have a one-time opportunity to select the lens that’s going to give you the best possible vision and improve your quality of life. It’s important for your doctor to explain all the options so you can make the best choice for you. Monofocal lenses correct your vision for distance or for near. You decide which is more important to you. For instance, you may want to correct your distant vision so you can drive without glasses but wear glasses for near work. If you are an artist or a dentist, you might choose to improve your near vision and wear glasses for distance. Toric lenses reduce your astigmatism to help improve the quality of your vision. Presbyopia-correcting lenses (also called multi-focal or extended depth-of-focus lenses) correct both near and far vision. For many people, this means depending less on distance glasses and reading glasses after cataract surgery. Which lens is right for me? That depends on your needs. If you’re comfortable wearing glasses after cataract surgery, a monofocal lens may be the right choice. If you want to avoid wearing distance glasses after cataract surgery and have astigmatism, a toric lens might be appropriate. A presbyopia-correcting lens may be best if you want to avoid wearing distance and reading glasses after cataract surgery. It all comes down to what you want in terms of improving your eyesight and lifestyle. Are all IOLs covered by insurance? Monofocal lenses are fully covered. Toric lenses and presbyopia-correcting lens are not covered by insurance. You will pay an additional out-of-pocket expense — around $1000 per eye for toric and between $2000 and $2600 per eye for presbyopia-correcting lenses — if you choose one of these IOLs. How long does vision correction last? Vision correction achieved with cataract surgery is permanent. Is the surgery performed differently based on the type of lens you choose? Cataract surgery is the same no matter which IOL you select, but surgeons can use one of two approaches. In traditional cataract surgery, your eye surgeon uses a thin blade to make incisions in your eye, removes the cataract, and replaces it with the artificial lens. In laser-assisted cataract surgery, the surgeon uses a laser to make the incisions, which allows for more precision and safety. The surgeon then removes the cataract and replaces it with the artificial lens. Laser-assisted surgery can also reduce astigmatism, which is harder to achieve with traditional surgery. It’s important to note that insurance plans don’t cover laser surgery for cataracts. What should people know when considering cataract surgery? It’s important for you to spend one-on-one time with your eye surgeon before the procedure. Your surgeon should explain the surgical procedure and your lens options. Understanding your choices is the only way you can make an informed decision. To read the original article click here.

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LASIK: What You Need to Know

The AHA! Team — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 05:04:15 +0000

Kourtney H. Houser, MD via Duke Health – Chances are, you know someone who has had LASIK surgery, or you may have considered the procedure yourself. Despite the allure of ditching daily eyewear, the decision to undergo this elective surgery is one most people understandably deliberate on for quite a while. Here, Duke corneal specialist Kourtney Houser. MD, explains what you need to know if you are considering LASIK surgery. Is LASIK as quick, easy, and painless as it’s sometimes described? Make no mistake — LASIK is surgery, and anyone who implies otherwise is not forthcoming. The surgeon creates a flap in the cornea, and a laser is used to reshape the underlying cornea. The surgery takes less than ten minutes, and patients feel pressure but no pain. However, that does not mean it is a simple procedure that just anyone can perform. Like any surgery, the experience of the surgeon is the most important factor in achieving the best results. What factors are important when considering LASIK? In addition to the surgeon’s experience, several elements are crucial to success with LASIK surgery. It starts with a thorough preoperative exam by a qualified surgeon and staff to ensure you are a good candidate. The quality of the surgical tools, such as the laser used, is also very important. We believe that having dedicated, on-site laser machines in a controlled operating room environment, where temperature and humidity are constantly monitored, contributes to better outcomes in our patients. We also have two different excimer laser platforms so that we can customize the procedure to each patient’s eye measurements and ensure the best vision possible. What complications are possible, and how common are they? Any eye procedure has a risk of vision loss, infection, or scarring, but thankfully this is very rare with LASIK. We actually think that the infection risk is less than that with contact lens wear over a patient’s lifetime, based on some reviews. Other risks include needing a second procedure, worsened dry eye, and development of pain or discomfort in the eyes, but most of these can be avoided by appropriate and in-depth pre-operative screening. Our rate of complications is extremely low, with the majority of them occurring less than 1% of the time. Our rates of enhancement (the need for additional laser adjustments) are under 2%. Who is not a good candidate for LASIK? Good question. There are people who are not candidates for LASIK surgery. In fact, I generally turn down roughly 20% of the prospective patients who come in for an evaluation. Some of the more common reasons include high refractive errors (nearsightedness or farsightedness), dry eyes, thin or abnormally shaped corneas, cataracts, and retinal problems from diabetes. The good news is that if you do not qualify for LASIK, Duke offers an array of alternative surgical procedures, such as PRK, phakic intraocular lenses, and cataract surgery with presbyopia- or astigmatism-correcting intraocular lenses. How long do improvements last? Improvements typically last a lifetime, though there can be some slight regression with time depending on your prescription. Also, most patients will develop a need for reading glasses as they reach their 40s and 50s–and while this doesn’t signify the LASIK “not working” anymore, it does usually require patients to wear glasses for some near tasks. What’s the bottom line when considering LASIK? LASIK is not for everybody, but those who are good candidates can experience a life-changing experience–independence from glasses or contact lenses and the freedom to see without correction for many years. As with any surgery, people should do their homework beforehand and choose a surgeon and facility in which they have confidence. To read the original article click here.

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3D Printing Your Own Personalized Contact Lenses

The AHA! Team — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 08:26:35 +0000

John Jeffay via Israel21c – Lensy envisions that within a few years, the optometrist will check your vision, press a button and hand you a perfect pair of custom contact lenses. Instant 3D-printed contact lenses are the future. You’ll go for an eye exam, the optometrist will check your vision, press a button, and within minutes you’ll have a pair of contact lenses that are a perfect fit and provide perfect vision. Leonardo da Vinci came up with the theoretical idea of contact lenses in 1508. They didn’t become a practical reality until the 1930s. Yet even now they haven’t really taken off. Three billion people globally wear glasses, but only 150 million opt for contacts. The reason: Price and comfort. Contact lenses work out to be far more expensive than eyeglasses, especially now that 90 percent of users choose disposables. And many people find they simply can’t wear them – because their eyes are the wrong shape. Eyes are a bit like feet, Edan Kenig, CEO at Israeli startup Lensy, tells ISRAEL21c. They come in different shapes and sizes. Yet off-the-shelf contact lenses are “one-size-fits-all” aside from the optical part in the center. So they more or less fit 70% of the world’s population, but for the other 30%, it’s just tough. That’s because the big players in the optical market use the same molds to mass-manufacture millions of lenses. Some inevitably end up being too loose, some too tight, depending on tiny but significant differences in eye shape and size. Kenig says his technology will solve both the price and comfort problems, and his lenses could be available to buy four years from now. Resin 3D “I would really like to wear contact lens for the whole day,” says Kenig, who is extremely short-sighted (a minus-11 prescription). “But now I’m limited to use them only for sport [he does Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu] for a few hours because it’s not comfortable for me.” He’s a biophysicist by training and later became an engineer and an entrepreneur, learning how to develop ideas into products. He saw the potential of an emerging technology called resin 3D-printing, a more sophisticated form of standard 3D printing. It uses UV light to “cure” or harden a resin, rather than squirting material through a nozzle to build objects layer by layer. Kenig and his small team, based in Rehovot, central Israel, have adapted a form of contact lens material and developed a technique to resin 3D-print it. They’ve got as far as printing a contact lens — and say they’re the first to have done so — but still need to perfect it before they can try it out in a human eye. Custom solutions Lensy is an early-stage startup founded in early 2022 with help from the Israel Innovation Authority. The company currently has no external funding. Big companies are also researching and developing printed lenses, says Kenig, but they’re planning what he calls “large, cumbersome, expensive printers” rather than the desktop version he’s working on. For the 70% of people with “normal” eyes, mass-produced lenses will likely remain the best option, he says. For the other 30%, tailored lenses will be a gamechanger. “The further away you are away from the average fit, the more problems you’re going to have, such as people with a high astigmatism, people with high myopia and people with peculiar eye shapes that are not round and not spherical. “The optometrist will then have the opportunity to make a custom solution so the patient will have an affordable, comfortable fit that’s tailored to their needs.” The machine will be available on a lease basis, using capsules that will cost the optometrist $50 per eye. The lenses will be reusable, although it’s possible that the technology will evolve to produce disposables. Like shoes “Contact lenses aren’t a new solution, yet they have many disadvantages that haven’t been resolved by better materials or better designs,” Kenig says. Around a fifth of wearers give up on them every year, he says. So although new users are always starting, the market is effectively stagnant. That’s partly to do with the cost – around $4 a day, he says – but largely because of the one-size-fits-all restriction. “It’s like going into a shoe store,” says Kenig, “and all the shoes are size nine [42 in Europe]. So if you’re size nine, great. If you’re size eight, you will have some problems. But if you’re seven or 11, it’ll be impossible.” Kenig says getting contact lenses today is time-consuming, cumbersome and labor-intensive, and the patient has to be really committed. Even a minor miscalculation means the optician will have to have the lenses redone. “If you have problem with your off-the-shelf contact lens, the optician will tell you to take glasses instead. They don’t have the tools to tailor your lenses.” In the future, Kenig says Lensy could make contact lenses that incorporate existing technology for kids that actually slows the progress of myopia as their eyes grow. Kenig also says lenses could one day be impregnated with slow-release drugs to avoid the need for painful eye injections, and smart contact lenses could be embedded with sensors and cameras. For more information, click here. To read the original article click here.

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‘There’s Something Wrong with Me’: Domestic Abuse Victims Could Have Traumatic Brain Injuries

AHA Publisher — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 07:00:24 +0000

Lorie Johnson via CBN News – Domestic violence is a terrible crime, often leading to a lifetime of emotional and physical scars. That can include traumatic brain injuries, which often go undetected. Now a growing number of domestic abuse advocates are trying to change that. Paula’s Story Like many domestic violence victims, Paula Walters has been hit in the head more times than she can count. “Not just the slaps to the head,” she told CBN News, “But it was physically, him pounding my head against the cement and the tile floor. ” Unfortunately, that cruel treatment was all too familiar for Paula. “I was a child abuse victim, so I didn’t see anything very wrong with what he did,” she said. It wasn’t unusual for Paula to be hit in the head multiple times in one day, something other abuse victims often report. “In the car, if he was mad, hit me across the head if I said something, mouthed off or anything,” Paula said. “He had a pole, it was that long, and he’d hit me in the head, especially in the back, and the neck.” Paula left her abuser decades ago. She’s in a safe, healthy relationship now. Through her nonprofit organization, The Courageous Survivor she tries to educate and empower other abuse victims. However, despite her progress, Paula still suffers from brain-related repercussions from her years of abuse, such as sensitivity to light and sound, dizziness, and more. “My memory, I have a really hard time,” she said, “Tell me something, to go to the store to get two items, and I’ll get there and can’t remember the two items.” A doctor’s visit and an MRI revealed Paula suffered from extensive brain damage which is likely permanent and could cause her increasing difficulty as she ages. “He still controls my life very much,” she said, “My life might end early because of him. I have to worry about, I might not get to see my grandkids potentially because of him and there’s nothing I can do.” Not Just Football Players About 15 years ago, doctors discovered football players who were repeatedly hit in the head, often developed the brain disease called CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalitis. Now, researchers are taking a closer look at domestic violence victims who have been repeatedly hit in the head to determine whether they too may have CTE or other types of brain injuries. These diseases can cause personalities to change, steal memories, and lead to early death. Lee Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D., a researcher and clinical team leader at the Boston University CTE Center told CBN News, “What happens over time is that these repetItive injuries, these repetitive insults to the brain, accumulate, cause damage to the brain, and then trigger a neurodegenerative disease that then progresses over time, even in the absence of further insults.” Dr. Goldstein emphasizes CTE can occur in people who have never sustained a concussion, but who instead have repeatedly been hit in the head, regardless of whether any of the blows caused a concussion. Researchers are reportedly close to developing a test to diagnose CTE in people who are alive, but right now, the only way to determine whether a person definitely had CTE is to examine their brain after their death. “Unfortunately at the present time we have no way to definitively diagnose CTE in living persons at this point,” said Dr. Goldstein. Scientists at the B.U. CTE Center have confirmed CTE in the donated brains of over a thousand people, mostly deceased football players, who exhibited CTE symptoms while they were still alive. “The forgetfulness, the changes in behavior, the changes in mood, the changes in personality, and often aggression, violence, homicide, suicide, and the like,” Dr. Goldstein explained. The B.U. CTE Center has also confirmed CTE in a small number of brains from battered women, mainly due to lack of access. “Intimate partner abuse, or domestic violence, we have far fewer individuals who have donated with this type of a background, so we’re in really urgent need,” explained Dr. Goldstein, adding, “The donations are essential not only for helping the next person down the line who may be at risk for this, but also to help families understand what was going on with their loved one.” Making the Connection Surprisingly, until very recently, it didn’t occur to many in the medical community, victim advocates, and abused women themselves, that repeated hits to the head were likely causing traumatic brain injuries. “We have to start connecting domestic violence and brain injury,” Rachel Ramirez, LISW-S, RA, the Founder and Director of The Center on Partner-Inflicted Brain Injury, a project of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, is one of the few to research this connection. “One of the most important revelations we found,” she told CBN News, “is how common hits to the head are. We’ve known that, but connecting hits to the head with the possible consequence of brain injury is something that seems kind of obvious after the fact,” she said, but nevertheless, “Brain injury never played a part of that conversation.” Now that the connection between domestic abuse victims who’ve been repeatedly hit in the head and traumatic brain injury has been made, Ramirez is trying to raise awareness among people best positioned to help victims. “The first person they reach out to when they’re struggling with abuse, it’s not us,” she said, “They’re not calling our hotlines. They’re talking to your viewers. They’re talking to their friends, they’re talking to their families, they’re talking to their pastor.” Recognizing the risk of permanent brain injury from domestic abuse could potentially motivate more victims to leave dangerous partners, get medical attention, and stop blaming themselves for the symptoms they’re experiencing such as depression, difficulty remembering, and trouble with problem-solving. Ramirez said domestic violence victims often know “there’s something wrong,” but generally keep it to themselves and, “often attribute that to either a psychological issue, to, ‘There’s something wrong with me,’ to, ‘I’m stupid. I’m crazy.'” Shelters Now Getting Involved When women gather the strength to seek help from domestic abuse shelters, more of the people who work at these help centers are beginning to consider the possibility that the women coming to them could be suffering from traumatic brain injury. One of those is Samaritan House, which provides emergency and permanent housing, support services and community outreach to victims of violence in the Hampton Roads, Virginia region. “We do assessments for every woman who comes into our program, and ask her some survey questions, to see what types of injuries she’s had, or symptoms she’s had, from possibly being punched in the head, or slapped or hit, where she could have some traumatic brain injury from that,” Robin Gauthier, Samaritan House Executive Director told CBN News. Those questions include inquiries about physical health, such as whether the woman has experienced headaches, dizziness, and vision problems, mental health, concerning problems with memory, concentration, and staying organized. Emotions also play a part, including irritability, nervousness and depression. “It’s a very scary situation to think someone is being hurt so badly that they could get a traumatic brain injury,” Gauthier said, “Why are perpetrators being allowed to abuse, and why aren’t they going to jail more often for longer lengths of time so they don’t continue to cumulatively hurt other people?” Counting the number of domestic abuse victims with brain injuries is difficult. Many choose to suffer in silence. Those who seek medical treatment often minimize their injuries or lie about how they got them. “Sometimes women carry so much shame they don’t want to tell anyone,” Gauthier explained, “And then the other thing is sometimes it’s dangerous if they do tell what’s going on, and then they’re going back home to that abuser, they’re going to get hurt even worse.” “The damage is done,” Walters said, “I don’t get to take a pill and have it better.” While treatments for brain injuries are limited, some can get better, especially when identified early. Some things that help are lots of rest, a healthy diet, and most importantly, avoiding future head injuries. To read the original article click here.

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