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In final draft guidance published today (6 June) NICE has recommended dexamethasone (Ozurdex, Allergan) intravitreal
implant, for the treatment of macular oedema following central
retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). It is also recommended
following branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) when treatment with laser photocoagulation has not been beneficial, or treatment with laser photocoagulation is not considered suitable because of the extent of macular haemorrhage.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Oftalmologia) - Mar, 7 Giugno 2011
http://www.nice.org.uk
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Until now, patients who suffer from one of the most common causes of vision loss have had little hope for treatment. Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, typically strikes people older than 60 by thinning a layer of cells at the back of the eye known as the retinal pigment epithelium. This layer of cells eliminates waste from the eye and nourishes photoreceptors, the neurons that absorb and convert the light that creates the images we see. As the disease progresses, photoreceptors die, and patients lose central vision--the ability to see what is directly in front of them; peripheral vision is not affected. Embryonic stem cells may be able to halt the progress of the disease. When researchers used stem cells to create new retinal pigment cells and injected them under the retinas of rats, the new cells helped restore the epithelium, temporarily stopping the degeneration of the retina and rescuing threatened photoreceptors.
Scientific American (Oftalmologia) - Mar, 10 Maggio 2011
http://www.sciam.com/
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It is not rare the case of patients presenting a sudden sight loss in an area of the visual filed and in some cases the examinations they performed reveal a cerebrovascular problem. Researchers have wondered whether it is possible to identify these problems with a simple clinical examination before using more refined techniques (such as NMR) which necessarily imply diagnostic delays. Some researchers in New Zealand have assessed the accuracy of visual field examination in 163 consecutive patients arrived at an ophthalmic centre: 7 comparison tests have been performed and the results have been compared with the ones obtained in a computerized perimetry (which is the reference standard): in about half of the examined eyes, front abnormalities (glaucoma) and back abnormalities (chiasm cancers, stroke) have been identified.
MedNews (Oftalmologia) - Lun, 9 Maggio 2011
http://mn.medsurfnews.com/
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Obesity may be associated with reduced risk of the eye disease open-angle glaucoma in women, but not in men, a new study suggests. Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma, a condition that causes damage to the optic nerve.
In the study, researchers in the Netherlands analyzed data from 3,939 participants, aged 55 and older, who took part in the Rotterdam Study and who did not have open-angle glaucoma when the study began between 1991 and 1993. The investigators found that, for women, there was a link between increased body mass index (BMI) and pressure within the eyes (intraocular pressure), which is a risk factor for open-angle glaucoma. However, they discovered that each one-unit increase in BMI was associated with a 7 percent decrease in the risk of developing open-angle glaucoma, but only among women.
Medscape (Oftalmologia) - Lun, 21 Febbraio 2011
http://www.medscape.com
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An alternative treatment paradigm is required to manage this problem more effectively. Neuroprotection aims to protect as yet undamaged, and to rescue already damaged neurons, from the glaucoma insult(s) to retinal ganglion cells. It has the potential to prevent retinal ganglion cell death independently of the particular factors that damage the optic nerve. Research laboratories worldwide have reported exciting developments in the search for potential neuroprotective agents. This article reviews what is known to date, as well as possible future directions.
Medscape (Oftalmologia) - Lun, 20 Dicembre 2010
http://www.medscape.com
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Common variants and haplotypes within the RORA gene appear to act synergistically with the ARMS2 A69S polymorphism to increase risk of neovascular AMD. These data add further evidence of a high level of complexity linking genetic and modifiable risk factors to AMD development and should help efforts at risk prediction.
Archives of Ophthalmology (Oftalmologia) - Mar, 9 Novembre 2010
http://archopht.ama-assn.org/
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Retinitis pigmentosa, a term coined by the Dutch ophthalmologist F.C. Donders more than 150 years ago, comprises a group of chronic genetic degenerative diseases of the retina. The retina is a complex structure that lines the inner surface of the eye and is part of the central nervous system. Persons with retinitis pigmentosa typically lose night vision to a greater extent than they lose day vision, and they lose side (peripheral) vision before they lose reading (central) vision. Dozens of genetic changes and a multitude of mechanisms can lead to this condition.
New England Journal of Medicine (Oftalmologia) - Lun, 25 Ottobre 2010
http://www.nejm.org
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With no cure and a prevalence twice that of Alzheimer disease, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is increasingly being recognized as a serious condition that leads to vision loss in a growing number of elderly persons. While a clear heritable component to the disease has been known for years, only recently have investigators begun to tease out the alterations in genetic pathways—particularly those involving complement and to some extent cholesterol—that play a role.
Journal of the American Medical Association (Oftalmologia) - Mer, 13 Ottobre 2010
http://jama.ama-assn.org/
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Handheld laser pointers are commonly used in lecture halls and are considered to be harmless and safe. However, laser pointers can cause severe eye injury, as demonstrated by the case of a 15-year-old boy.
New England Journal of Medicine (Oftalmologia) - Mar, 14 Settembre 2010
http://www.nejm.org
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The expected outcomes of the almost 800 genomewide association studies of common biomedical traits that have been reported so far have rarely been made explicit but might include the identification of statistically robust genetic associations, the elucidation of the heritable nature of the traits, and some utility to biology or medicine, such as mechanistic dissection or clinical prediction of disease.
New England Journal of Medicine (Oftalmologia) - Mar, 14 Settembre 2010
http://www.nejm.org