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glaucoma

New non-contact laser imaging system technology could enable early detection and treatment of eye diseases

A non-contact laser imaging system could help doctors diagnose and treat eye diseases that cause blindness much earlier than is now possible.

What is this new technology designed to detect?

The new technology, developed by engineering researchers at the University of Waterloo, is designed to detect telltale signs of major blinding diseases in retinal blood and tissue that typically go unseen until it is too late.

What is the benefit over current testing methods?

With current testing methods, diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma — which have no symptoms in their early stages — are usually diagnosed only after vision is irreversibly affected. read more

Eye Implant Smaller Than a Grain of Sand Could Revolutionize the Treatment of Glaucoma

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Allergan’s drug-releasing implant, Durysta, for administration within the cavities of the eye to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Measuring just 0.2mm by 1mm, the tiny polyester plug gradually releases bimatoprost, a drug already found in eye drops often prescribed to treat the condition. However, more than seven in ten patients fail to use their drops properly — reducing the drug’s benefit — while others struggle with side-effects. read more

ThirdEye Partners with NuEyes to Launch the Next Generation Smart Glasses

ThirdEye, a leader in augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) enterprise solutions recently announced a new partnership with NuEyes, a pioneer in the field of low-vision technology.

With this partnership, NuEyes is introducing the Pro 2, which uses ThirdEye’s lightweight X2 MR Glasses to assist people with vision loss.

By running NuEyes’ patented software on the X2 MR Glasses, people with visual impairments that cannot be cured by surgery or use conventional glasses, such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa, can now use the latest in augmented reality smart glasses technology to improve their daily lives. The X2 MR Glasses combined with NuEyes’ software provides a simple user experience with built-in voice controls being a central part of the interface. Wearers can use voice commands to magnify objects near and far, change contrast, and have optical character recognition. read more

Comcast Partners with NuEyes to Offer TV for Visually Impaired Customers

Comcast is partnering with wearable technology startup NuEyes to offer its Xfinity Stream app to visually impaired customers through NuEyes’ virtual reality technology.

The Xfinity Stream app now comes pre-installed on the NuEyes e2 smart-glasses and VR magnifying device that’s designed to enhance the usable vision of a person who is visually impaired due to conditions like macular degeneration, glaucoma, and retinitis pigmentosa.

“Being blind since birth, I know firsthand the power of technology to enhance independence,” said Tom Wlodkowski, vice president of accessibility at Comcast, in a statement. “Our partnership with NuEyes is an extension of our commitment to designing great entertainment experiences for people of all abilities.” read more

This Injectable Sensor Constantly Monitors Glaucoma

When someone has glaucoma, there’s always a danger that pressure caused by fluid accumulating within the eye will damage the optic nerve, resulting in blindness. The Injectsense implant is designed to help, by constantly monitoring a recipient’s intraocular pressure or IOP, for short.

Ordinarily, glaucoma patients regularly get pressure-checks performed at an ophthalmologist’s office. If it’s determined that an excess of undrained aqueous humor fluid is causing their IOP to become dangerously high, then measures such as a change in medication or even surgery can be implemented. read more

Artelus Is Using AI to Help People from Going Blind

Rajarajeshwari Kodhandapani has a dream, to screen one million people for diabetic retinopathy (DR) so they can get timely treatment and not risk going blind. She is one of the four co-founders of Artelus, along with tech veterans Vish Durga, Lalit Pant, and Pradeep Walia, who is also a serial entrepreneur. As a former business analyst, she never thought she would become an entrepreneur (though she did want to become a politician at one time). Now, she is part of Artelus, a company that builds advanced screening tools to allow doctors and hospitals to diagnose a greater number of patients in the same time for a variety of diseases. read more

15 Minute Laser Treatment Saves a Lifetime Use of Eye Drops

This 15-minute treatment reduces fluid pressure within the eye using lasers for patients with glaucoma.

That is the conclusion of a three-year study published in the Lancet. The laser technique known as selective laser trabeculoplasty or SLT – should replace the prescribing of eye drops, the current favored way to treat glaucoma. The study has revealed that SLT is not only more effective and safer, but should also save the NHS £1.5m a year in tackling the condition.

“Simple, safe, pain-free laser treatments not only work better than eye drops but they cost the NHS less,” said one of the report’s authors, Gus Gazzard, who is based at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. “Using a laser for a one-off treatment also relieves patients from the tyranny of daily drops, which they have to take for the rest of their lives, and which can also produce side-effects.” read more

Research Reveals Gene Mutation Behind Glaucoma

For the first time, a cause behind pigmentary glaucoma—one of the leading causes of blindness in adults—has been revealed by a global team of researchers from the University of Alberta, Harvard University and Flinders University in Australia.

The breakthrough research began three years ago with an Edmonton family that has a running history of the eye disease, and has since spiraled into an international research effort involving more than 400 patients with pigmentary glaucoma.

Patients with a PMEL gene mutation are encouraged to do routine screenings that can detect the development of pigmentary glaucoma, thanks to the breakthrough research that identified the mutation as a root cause of the disease. read more

New Laser Technology Could Treat Eye Diseases Like Macular Degeneration and Glaucoma

A platform that combines cutting-edge diagnostic tools and ultra-fast laser technology developed at the University of Alberta could usher in a new era of non-invasive medical interventions for eye diseases.

Nir Katchinskiy, a U of A research associate who just completed his PhD in electrical engineering, recently launched a startup called PulseMedica to usher femtosecond lasers—which emit optical pulses lasting only one-quadrillionth of a second each—through testing and approval stages.

He said the speed and accuracy afforded by the lasers make them ideal for treating eye diseases ranging from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma to retinoblastoma, while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. read more

eSight Drops Price by 40 Percent

eSight, the makers of the eSight electronic glasses, is permanently dropping the pricing of its eSight glasses from $10,000 USD to $5,950 USD.

The eSight glasses are specifically designed for users with low vision to the point of being legally blind, without hindering mobility. The 40 per cent price drop will make them accessible to even more people.

The glasses work similar to augmented reality (AR) glasses. A small camera at the front of the glass captures the scene, and an onboard computer enhances the image in real-time and delivers a stream to two monitors inside the glasses. Unlike VR/AR headsets, however, the eSight electronic glasses don’t cover the wearer’s peripheral vision. read more

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