Regular physical exercise may help reduce the risk of glaucoma. A new study published in this month's Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science looked at the intraocular pressure, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure of 6,000 men and women in the UK aged between 48 and 90 and found that those who had regularly exercised over the preceding 15 years were found to have a reduced mean pressure value related to the three measurements.
Researchers have identified a specific rare mutation associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). At present, predictions of AMD are based on a variety of risk factors along with some relatively common and widespread genetic variants. The mutation, CFH R1210C, is very rare in people without AMD and has a strong prevalence in those with the disease. Head of the research team Professor Johanna Seddon said: 'The discovery of this rare but penetrant variant points the way to developing new and effective treatments.'
A report at this year's American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting has confirmed the success of the collagen cross-linking treatment for low to medium keratoconus. A study by the University of Milan looked at 250 keratoconics treated with riboflavin and ultraviolet light and found that there was vision improvement in 70 per cent of patients. The improvement remained stable over the subsequent three years, with 'very rare' adverse effects.
Wearing contact lenses in low-light situations has been found to cause visual problems in the majority of British adults. Research by Bausch+Lomb identified cases of blurred vision for 63 per cent of patients, halos for 56 per cent and glare from street lights and traffic for 60 per cent. The survey, of 2,000 adult contact lens wearers, found 69 per cent had not been recommended specific contact lenses for low-light or night-time.
A drug to delay the formation and growth of cataracts has won The University of Queensland Business School’s $100,000 Enterprise competition in Australia. The prize money went to Adelaide-based Calpain Therapeutics’ co-founders Dr Tim Lovell and Professor Andrew Abell. Their drug was said to target a protein found in the eye that causes cataract clouding and could be made available either as drops or a cream.