Just 13 days in space may be enough to cause profound changes in eye structure and in the expression of some genes, according to researchers from the United States.

 

The study looked at how low gravity and radiation and oxidative damage affect mice after time spent in space. This study is the first to examine eye-related gene expression and cell behaviour after spaceflight.

 

“We found several changes in the expression of genes that help cells cope with oxidative stress in the retina, possibly caused by radiation exposure,” said Patricia Chévez-Barrios, the study’s principal investigator. “These changes were partially reversible upon return to Earth. We also saw optic nerve changes consistent with mechanical injury, but these changes did not resolve. And we saw changes in the expression of DNA damage repair genes and in apoptotic pathways, which help the body destroy cells that are irreparably damaged.”

 

The damage to the eyes is a problem for some astronauts back on Earth. It could also make it difficult for them to complete long missions, such as round-trip travel to Mars (12 to 16 months) or to the moons of Jupiter (two years). “We don’t know if damage caused by longer periods of oxidative stress will be more severe. Only more studies with longer exposure times may help answer this question.”

Source:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131024121156.htm

 

The company which pioneered electronic focusing eyewear emPower has just announced it is filing for Chapter 7. According to information publicly disclosed, PixelOptics ran into severe financial difficulties several weeks ago and burdened with significant debt, has exhausted all of its options to remain viable.

 

The Canadian company Aspex Eyewear was a partner of PixelOptics in this endeavour both as a manufacturer and exclusive distributor of the eyewear which was never distributed in Canada.

 

The first-ever electronic focusing eyewear emPower attracted worldwide attention when it was launched in the US in 2011. However, in mid-2012, problems with robustness of the first-generation emPower were encountered and the company stopped distributing them last March after having sold, it seems, approximately 1 000 pairs. The company developed a second generation, but was unable to commercialize it due to its financial situation.

 

A number of key employees left the company in the past few weeks including Brett Craig, a former president of Transitions Optical.  

 

The company closed its doors last Friday. The court will appoint an executor who will oversee liquidation of the company’s assets, most notably an intellectual property portfolio of over 400 patents and patent applications, many of which involve electronic focusing eyewear.

 

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania took their first step toward a gene therapy that could prevent vision loss or even restore vision in individuals suffering from Best disease.

 

Also known as vitelliform macular dystrophy, the hereditary disease affects one in every 10,000 people. It especially affects children and young adults, and can cause severe central vision loss.

 

“Step one in designing a gene therapy for these conditions is to make sure that we can target the cells that are affected, and this is what our study has done,” says investigator Gustavo Aguirre. His team conducted experiments on dogs with canine multifocal retinopathy, which is similar to Best disease.

 

The researchers injected a health copy of the Best1 gene into the retina to replace the malfunctioning copy using a vector, a harmless virus. They used vectors rAAV2/1 and rAAV2/2 by loading them with either the human version or the dog version of the Best1 gene. They found that the gene went to the right place and remained stable for six months, indicating that the therapy is lasting.

 

However, the rAAV2/1 gene seems to have damaged the cones, which disqualifies it as a delivery vector for now. The rAAV2/2 vector did not produce this side effect.  

Source:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/267507.php

 

The charitable organization working to eliminate preventable blindness by the year 2020, VOSH/International, recently unveiled two new programs to help reach this goal, which has been established in partnership with the World Health Organization.

 

The VOSH Corps program was developed in collaboration with the Brien Holden Vision Institute and modeled after the American Peace Corps (an international volunteer organization). It is also supported by Optometry Giving Sight. The program will recruit graduates from North American schools of optometry to serve in emerging optometric institutions around the world. They will initially serve as faculty and program development assistants and progressively be inducted into teaching positions over a two-year commitment.

http://www.vosh.org/files/VOSH_Corps_final%20copy.pdf

 

Eye Teach is a teaching and mentoring program developed by the Brien Holden Vision Institute to expand the quality of optometric education worldwide. It will train faculty of optometric institutions and clinicians in the art and science of teaching and curriculum development through easily accessible seminars.

 

At the organization’s general meeting, held October 10–11 in Porto Rico, the new president, Dr. David McPhillips, was sworn in by outgoing president Dr. Ellis Potter.

Sources:

http://www.visionmonday.com/latest-news/article/voshinternational-unveils-two-new-programs-at-annual-meeting/

www.vosh.org

 

 

 

A team of American researchers has devised a way to identify retinitis pigmentosa using a simple blood or urine test.

 

Ophthalmologists Rong Wen and Byron Lam, from the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, and biochemist Ziqiang Guan, from Duke University Medical School, discovered a key marker in blood and urine that can identify people who carry genetic mutations in a gene responsible for retinitis pigmentosa. “Collecting urine is non-invasive and easy,” says Rong Wen.

 

The first mutation in this gene, named DHDDS, was identified in 2011 by scientists at the Miller School of Medicine. “It is our vision that every patient who is affected with an inherited eye disease like RP should have access to a clinician who is knowledgeable about the diseases, as well as to affordable diagnostic testing and counseling,” says Lam. “This diagnostic test is a powerful tool that will help in developing treatments for RP caused by DHDDS mutations.”

 

The researchers published their findings in the Journal of Lipid Research.

Source:

http://med.miami.edu/news/researchers-discover-simple-blood-or-urine-test-to-identify-blinding-diseas/