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__________________________________________ BreakthroughsAge-Related Macular Degeneration New Method for Studying the Tear Film and Cornea
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(Also see L-dopa under Funded Research) With the help from the Ohio LIONS Eye Research Foundation, vision researchers at Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio have discovered a new treatment for amblyopia, commonly known as lazy eye. They found that combining a medicine usually used in Parkinson's disease, L-dopa, with patching of the stronger eye in children with amblyopia leads to further improvement in visual acuity in the amblyopic eye. Typically, when a child is diagnosed with a lazy eye, the child has to wear a patch over the stronger eye in order for the lazy eye to recover vision. However, in about 20% of children patching alone isn't good enough and the child remains ambyopic. Dr. Leguire and colleagues discovered that augmenting standard patching therapy with L-dopa allows for the further improvement of vision in the lazy eye. Dr. Leguire and colleagues also found that L-dopa was very well tolerated by the children and resulted in little or no adverse side effects. Most recently, a researcher at Columbus Children's hospital, Dr. Milap Nahata, has developed a liquid form of L-dopa making it easy for the child to swallow. Guidelines for the use of L-dopa + patching therapy as well as the liquid formulation for L-dopa are available from Dr. Leguire by interested Ophthalmologists who have patients that might benefit from such therapy. The reply box on the Home Page can be used for requesting information about the use of L-dopa for amblyopia and for the liquid formulation. Also go to L-dopa.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Excessive Light Exposure Want to reduce your chances of developing age-related macular degeneration (ARMD)? Recent research funded by the Ohio LIONS Eye Research Foundation by Dr. Organisciak at Wright State University suggests that limiting your exposure to excessive light levels may be one strategy to reduce the possibility of ARMD. Dr. Organisciak and colleagues found, in an animal model of ARMD, that excessive light exposure may lead to retinal damage similar to that seen in ARMD. Also, they found that Vitamin C, an antioxidant, may give added protection against light induced retinal damage. Other researchers have also found a relation between antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin A and vitamin E, and decreased incidence of ARMD or ARMD type retinal disease or damage. The message is to limit light exposure and eat foods rich in vitamins A,C, and E. Taking vitamin supplements is the next best thing, but remember - Don't over do it; take the recommended daily amounts to be safe.
New Method for Studying the Tear Film and Cornea Millions of Americans suffer from dry eye problems. Treatment and prevention of these disorders would be aided by better methods for studying the normal and deficient tear film which covers the surface of the cornea. With the aid of funding support from the Ohio LIONS Eye Research Foundation, researchers at the College of Optometry of the Ohio State University have developed a new method for measuring the thickness of the tear film, the cornea, and layers of the tears and cornea. This method is more accurate and rapid than previous methods, and does not involve the application of anything to the cornea. The method is currently being used to study the normal characteristics of the tear film, such as how the tear film is laid down by a blink, and how it changes after a blink. With a better understanding of normal function, the team, lead by Dr. Ewen King-Smith, then plans to apply the new method to the study of deficiencies of the tear film in dry eye patients.
Eric Pearlman, Ph.D., from Case Western Reserve University discussed a major breakthrough in the treatment of river blindness which affects 1,000s of Africans every year. <to be continued> |
W. R. Bryan Diabetic Eye Disease Research Fund 2008 OLERF Annual Report (PDF file) |
