April 15, 2005

A recent study suggests the incidence of dry eye to be higher in the Hispanic population than in previously studied populations not selected for age. Another new study suggests a higher incidence of LASIK related dry eye in the Asian population than in the Caucasian population.

March 25, 2005

It's a major public disservice for the press to sensationalize questionable vitamin E results from the study published in the March 16th 2005 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) when the study authors repeatedly concede that the unexpected results cannot be confirmed by other trials and could be due to chance.

March 18, 2005

Traditionally, palm readers set up shop in high-traffic tourist areas to attract vulnerable folks high on vacation energy. Unfortunately, some well-meaning physicians have now been convinced by multi-level marketers to set up questionable antioxidant palm reading devices in their offices.

March 11, 2005

If you had trouble believing the WW2 story about bilberry jam improving the Royal Air Force pilots night vision, you may also have trouble believing the alternative explanation for how all this jam on toast business got started. The second, possibly urban myth, suggests that the first bilberry story was put out as a bit of disinformation to keep the German powers from finding out about the Allies new invention called radar. Since neither version of the story seems to have dependable published support - the truth may forever remain a mystery.

March 04, 2005

New studies continue to suggest the effectiveness of using ones own serum for eye drops, after conventional dry eye treatment modalities have been exhausted. A study published in the February 2005 issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology concludes that autologous serum eyedrops were found effective in the treatment of severe dry eye disease, evidenced by improvement of tear stability and ocular surface vital staining scores.

February 17, 2005

A study published in the February 14th, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that one out of every four American adults incorporate dietary supplements and nutraceuticals into their daily life. Unfortunately, the knee-jerk mainstream medical message, "buyer beware" now falls on deaf ears of millions of self-informed consumers.

February 11, 2005

A January 2005 review published by Emily Chew and John Paul San Giovanni from the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the National Eye Institute suggests that long-chain fatty acids from cold water fish exhibit protective and therapeutic actions that contribute to a number of anti-angiogenic and neuroprotective mechanisms within the retina.

February 04, 2005

Within the past four decades the efforts of investigators worldwide have established the amino acid, homocysteine, as an important risk factor in arteriosclerosis and diseases of aging, including degenerative diseases of the eye.

January 28, 2005

Diabetes is associated with a number of ocular complications that can lead to blindness. 47%-67% of diabetic patients develop primary corneal lesions during their lifetime. Persistant dry eye complaints from diabetic individuals indicate a clear role of tear film abnormalities.

January 21, 2005

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory just announced they have identified a key molecule that helps protect plants from oxidative damage as the result of absorbing too much light. The researchers determined that when plants take in more solar energy than they are able to immediately use, molecules of zeaxanthin, a member of the carotenoid family of pigment molecules, carry away the excess energy.