Vision

Media Assistance: Jim Dryden Assoc. Dir. of Broadcast Services jdryden@wustl.edu (314) 286-0110

The Department of Opthalmology and Visual Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine has established a tradition of excellence in academic medicine and research that dates back to the late 1920s. The Eye Center is a referral and consultation facility that provides outstanding ophthalmic care. The department's faculty are among the finest in the country and many conduct internationally-recognized research into the causes and prevention of eye disease.

Below are experts and releases associated with opthalmology and visual sciences.

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Battling blindness Immune cell age plays role in retinal damage in age-related macular degeneration (http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/10471.html) Nov. 1, 2007 -- Apte Download Studying a mouse model of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older Americans, scientists at the School of Medicine have found age is key in determining whether damaging blood vessels will form beneath the retina and contribute to vision loss. The scientists, led by principal investigator Rajendra Apte, discovered that specific immune cells called macrophages play a role in the disease process in older mice by failing to block the development of abnormal, leaky blood vessels behind the retina.

Treating the blind Study identifies new gene therapy tools for inherited blindness (http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/9734.html) July 25, 2007 -- An improved approach to gene therapy may one day treat some of the nearly 200 inherited forms of blindness, scientists at the School of Medicine suggest this week. In a paper published online by Public Library of Science ONE, researchers take initial steps toward filling a gap in the toolkit for treating blindness by identifying DNA elements that control when and where genes linked to blindness are turned on.

Eye exams Screenings help detect eye problems early (http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/9722.html) July 18, 2007 -- Experts recommend routine eye screening in all infants before they leave the hospital and at all well-child visits. Pediatricians look for abnormalities in the reflex of the eye, the alignment of the two eyes and how well a child responds visually to light or to objects. If your child's physician suspects a problem, he or she will refer you to a pediatric ophthalmologist for a complete eye exam.

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Showing 5 Vision Clips.

The Cataracts Are Gone -- and So Is the Need for Glasses U.S. News & World Report Dec. 17, 2007 -- For the millions of baby boomers who will eventually need cataract surgery, here's some cheering news: New types of implantable lenses promise to restore your youthful vision. Unlike the standard single-power lenses doctors have been implanting for 30 years, the newer multifocal intraocular lenses and accommodating lenses allow patients to see near, far, and in between--and even to shed their glasses. WUSTL ophthalmology professor Jay Pepose talks about one of the options.

Report: Most Missouri diabetics at risk for complications Associated Press State & Local Wire and 2 others Sept. 30, 2005 -- A national study released Thursday shows diabetics in Missouri, and especially those in St. Louis, aren't doing such a good job reaching target blood sugar levels. WUSTL medical professor and diabetes specialist Charles Kilo Sr. is teaming up with Mayor Francis Slay to raise public awareness of what Kilo calls a "major medical crisis and budgetary crisis." Slay has declared next week Diabetes Control Week to encourage diabetics to take steps to better manage their disease. Kilo pioneered the theory 30 years ago that controlling blood sugar levels could delay or prevent life-threatening complications like heart disease and blindness in diabetics. He and a colleague refuted evidence that the complications resulted from genetics. They proved they're related to the duration of diabetes and the degree of blood sugar control.

Scientists learning to eavesdrop on the language of cells Kansas City Star and 14 others July 28, 2005 -- Thanks to recent technological advances, scientists are learning to eavesdrop on the "language" of cells and decipher their "grammar." Much is still unknown, but the research could lead to new treatments for cancer, Parkinson's, epilepsy and many other diseases. Cells communicate with one another by exchanging tiny chemical messengers called "transmitters" and "transporters." Familiar examples are the hormones adrenaline, dopamine, serotonin, estrogen and testosterone. WUSTL Center for Genome Sciences director Jeffrey Gordon and WUSTL ophthalmologist Russell Van Gelder comment.

Weapons in the war on glaucoma The New York Times and 1 others June 22, 2004 -- Daily eye drops might prevent or delay glaucoma in black Americans at high risk of developing this blinding eye disease, according to a new School of Medicine study. The findings make an urgent case for screening blacks early for warning signs of glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma affects more than 2 million Americans and is the leading cause of blindness among African-Americans. Michael Kass, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at the School of Medicine, had shown in a previous study that prescription eye drops that lower pressure in the eye could warn off glaucoma in white Americans. The new study is the first to focus on blacks.

St. Patrick's real life more fascinating than the myths The New York Times and 9 others April 26, 2004 -- "It seems that I've become something of a celebrity in recent years," the Romano-British churchman Patricius observed near the end of his long career, perhaps foreseeing the extravagant emerald mantle that would be wrapped about him by the cult of St. Patrick. In this lively and lucid biography, Philip Freeman, who teaches classics at Washington University in St. Louis, draws on the saint's surviving letters, including the eloquent "Confession," to glean personal details of Patrick's life and fit them into what is known of early Irish history. "Driving the snakes out of Ireland, entering contests to the death with pagan Druids, using the shamrock as an aid to explaining the Trinity -- all these are pious fictions created centuries later by well-meaning monks," Freeman writes. "The true story of Patrick is far more compelling than the medieval legends." Patrick was neither Ireland's first Christian nor the country's first bishop. Patrick apologized for his lack of learning, for writing Latin "as if it were a foreign language," but he enriched his faith by bringing to it a race of stern confessors and exuberant artists.

Related Information Related Links: • Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (http://ophthalmology.wustl.edu) Related Groups: