Recent posts
Underuse of the Health Care System by Persons With Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetic Macular Edema in the United States From JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online December 19, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2013.6426 The above heading is the title of the study that was published in JAMA Ophthalmology regarding the awareness of diabetic eye problems and usage of the... read more
Oral Fluoroquinolones and the Risk of Retinal Detachment From JAMA. 2012;307(13):1414-1419. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.383 There have been a few case reports of retinal detachment occurring after the use of oral fluoroquinolone medications such as Cipro. This study looked more deeply into this by using health care data captured from the universal health coverage database of the... read more
Does Drinking Coffee Increase Glaucoma Risk? (American Glaucoma Society 22nd Annual Meeting: Abstracts 83 and 23. Presented March 3, 2012.) An analysis of the health records of more than 75,000 women has found a positive association between heavy coffee drinking and the development of exfoliation glaucoma (EG) or EG suspect, according to data presented here... read more
More Frequent Aspirin Use Associated With More Severe Age-related Macular Degeneration (Daniel M. Keller, PhD, Ophthalmology. 2012;119:112-118, January 2012) The risks for early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and wet late AMD are associated with frequent aspirin use, and the risk increases with greater aspirin consumption, European researchers reported in an article published in the January... read more
Increased risk of a Cancer Diagnosis after Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus (Shingles affecting the eye) (Ho JD; Xirasagar S; Lin HC, Ophthalmology. 2011; 118(6):1076-81, June 2011.) Shingles has been associated with immune suppression and an increased risk of cancer. This population-based follow-up study investigated the risk of a subsequent cancer diagnosis after herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO... read more
FDA Approves Stem Cell Trial for Macular Degeneration (January 3, 2011.) Advanced Cell Technology announced on January 3rd it had won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to test human embryonic stem cells for treating dry age-related macular degeneration, a common cause of vision loss. It is only the second FDA-approved trial for ACT's stem... read more
The Number of Americans with Age Related Macular Degeneration has Decreased 30% over 2 Decades (From Archives of Ophthalmology, January 2011.) "The number of Americans with age related macular degeneration (AMD) fell 30 percent in about two decades," according to a study published in the January issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology, "reducing the threat... read more
Women With Migraines And Visual Symptoms May Have Higher Stroke Risk (Steven J. Kittner, MD, et al. Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. 2007;38:2438-2445) Women who have migraine headaches with visual symptoms (or aura) may be at increased risk for stroke compared to women who do not have migraines, researchers reported in Stroke: Journal... read more
Eye News: AREDS Results - Supplements Use is Beneficial in Age-related Macular Degeneration
AREDS Results: Beneficial Effects Found with Antioxidant and Zinc Supplements in those at High Risk for Age-Related Macular Degeneration. (From the Age-Related Disease Study Research Group. Arch Ophthal 2001;119:1417-1436.) Overview Macular degeneration is the leading cause of irreversible severe visual loss in Caucasians age 50 or older in the United States. It has been estimated... read more