Look, something shiny! How color images can influence consumers
When it comes to buying things, our brains can’t see the big, black-and-white forest for all the tiny, colorful trees. That’s the conclusion of a study at The Ohio State University, which found that people who were shown product images in color were more likely to focus on small product details — even superfluous ones… Read More
Boosting older adults’ vision through training
Just a weeks’ worth of training can improve vision in older adults, according to new research in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The findings show that training boosted older adults’ sensitivity to contrast and also their ability to see things clearly at close distances. “Our research indicates that the visual… Read More
Stem cell injection may soon reverse vision loss caused by age-related macular degeneration
An injection of stem cells into the eye may soon slow or reverse the effects of early-stage age-related macular degeneration, according to new research from scientists at Cedars-Sinai. Currently, there is no treatment that slows the progression of the disease, which is the leading cause of vision loss in people over 65. “This is the… Read More
Advancements in retinal detachment research pave the road to better visual recovery
Retinal detachment occurs when layers of the light sensitive retina peel away from the back wall of the eye. The condition can be caused by age, injury or disease, and currently, the only available treatment is surgery to manually reattach the retina. However, even with surgery, as many as ten percent of people will ultimately… Read More
Brain development suffers from lack of fish oil fatty acids, study finds
While recent reports question whether fish oil supplements support heart health, UC Irvine scientists have found that the fatty acids they contain are vitally important to the developing brain. In a study appearing in The Journal of Neuroscience, UCI neurobiologists report that dietary deficiencies in the type of fatty acids found in fish and other… Read More
Epilepsy drug may preserve eyesight for people with multiple sclerosis
A drug commonly taken to prevent seizures in epilepsy may surprisingly protect the eyesight of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 67th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, April 18 to 25, 2015. “About half of people with MS experience at… Read More
Caring for blindness: A new protein in sight?
Vasoproliferative ocular diseases are responsible for sight loss in millions of people in the industrialized countries. Many patients do not currently respond to the treatment offered, which targets a specific factor, VEGF. A team of Inserm researchers at the Vision Institute (Inserm/CNRS/Pierre and Marie Curie University), in association with a team from the Yale Cardiovascular… Read More
Nerve cells, blood vessels in eye ‘talk’ to prevent disease
A new study from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) shows that nerve cells and blood vessels in the eye constantly “talk” to each other to maintain healthy blood flow and prevent disease. “It turns out these neurons produce a chemical critical for the survival of blood vessels and the survival and function of… Read More
First embryonic stem cell therapy safety trial in Asian patients
A clinical trial in the Republic of Korea for patients with degenerative eye diseases is the first to test the safety of an embryonic stem cell therapy for people of Asian descent. The study, which followed four individuals for a year after they were treated with embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells for macular… Read More
