Two US physicians have recently traced the source of eye injuries in autistic children to a type of therapeutic swing. Noticing separate presentations of metallic foreign body injury in the eyes of autistic spectrum children, the doctors found that each patient had been using a therapeutic swing with metallic suspension which resulted in metal fragment exposure. 'Raising awareness of this potential source of injury in children with autism is paramount,' stated author Dean Bonsall of Cincinnati University as reported in this month's Journal of the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.
A service has been launched to explain what the three main political parties are promising for healthcare over the next few years. The Election 2010 health tracker website (www.2020health.org/events/election2010) will be updated as policy becomes clearer.
US researchers claim to have identified the optimum time to treat retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) patients by studying a cohort of sufferers. A report in the Archives of Ophthalmology said the work carried out by various institutions could improve the vision of thousands of premature babies each year. Researchers found that in severe cases, Type 1, immediate treatment was most effective while Type 2 eyes were more likely to develop on their own and could benefit from monitoring. ROP is one of the leading causes of vision loss in children and there are 15,000 premature births in the US each year. Visual loss is linked to the under-development of blood vessels supplying the retina.
Apple has revealed plans for media player glasses which could be connected to Apple iPod or iPhone devices to play video content including 3D video. A patent application was made for the device, nicknamed iSpecs, this April. The glasses could even vibrate during films to enhance the viewing experience.