“Do you wear glasses or contact lenses? Then you may have a genetic mutation. Researchers have discovered mutations in a gene that’s associated with a severe form of nearsightedness. The finding could give rise to better understanding the condition and developing future treatments,” according to a post on Science World Report. “Yet a more severe form of this nearsightedness, called high-grade myopia, is what can really trouble patients. It affects up to two percent of Americans, and is especially common in Asian populations. It’s caused by a combination of genetics and environmental factors, such as large amounts of reading.” Read more.
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“Physicians at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center have become the first in Virginia to successfully implant a telescope in a patient’s eye to treat macular degeneration,” according to Science Digest. “The telescope implant is designed to correct end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most advanced form of AMD and the leading cause of blindness in older Americans. Patients with end-stage AMD have a central blind spot. This vision loss makes it difficult or impossible to see faces, to read and to perform everyday activities such as watching television, preparing meals and self-care.” Read more.