macular degeneration

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Judi Dench: It's 'Impossible' to Act Due to Vision Loss
Judi Dench Admits She
'Can't See on a Film Set'
UPDATED
Jul 31, 2023 10:35 AM CDT

Judi Dench Admits She 'Can't See on a Film Set'

Actor's macular degeneration worsens, though she's staying upbeat, complete with a new tattoo

(Newser) - Earlier this year, Judi Dench revealed how difficult it had become to learn her lines, as her deteriorating eyesight had made it too hard to read scripts. Now, the 88-year-old Oscar-winning actor tells the Mirror she "can't see on a film set anymore," though it doesn't...

Scientists Link Devices' Blue Light to Serious Eye Trouble

When blue light hits our retinas, toxic molecules flow, killing eye cells we can't get back

(Newser) - Staring at your smartphone, tablet, or computer screen for hours on end may not only be fueling your online addiction—it could be wreaking havoc on your eyesight. So says a new study out of the University of Toledo, published in the Scientific Reports journal, and it's all because...

They Couldn't Even See a Book. Then Their Eyes Got a 'Patch'

2 elderly patients with age-related macular degeneration regain vision using stem cells

(Newser) - A new breakthrough on the stem cell front, and this time it affects the eyes. The Guardian reports that two patients with age-related macular degeneration, one of the most common causes of blindness, got back enough of their vision so they could make out individual faces and once again read;...

Roseanne Barr Is Going Blind
 Roseanne Barr Is Going Blind 
Apr 20, 2015 9:22 AM CDT

Roseanne Barr Is Going Blind

She has macular degeneration, glaucoma

(Newser) - Roseanne Barr is going blind, she reveals in a new Daily Beast interview. The comedian was explaining why she's such an advocate for marijuana legalization: "It's a good medicine, you know," she says. "I have macular degeneration and glaucoma, so it's good for me...

Stem Cell Blast Returns Sight to the Legally Blind

Preliminary study surprises researchers

(Newser) - When researchers infused tens of thousands of new stem cells into the retinas of legally blind people, they didn't expect a breakthrough in the patients' vision. But that's what they got, NPR reports: Ten of 18 subjects experienced significant improvement in their vision. The study was intended only...

Anti-Cholesterol Eye Drops Could Fight Blindness

Fatty buildup linked to macular degeneration: study

(Newser) - Cholesterol-lowering eye drops may soon have another use: fighting blindness associated with macular degeneration. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine found that immune cells known as macrophages can become "bloated" with fatty deposits. The resulting inflammation can cause new blood vessels to form; these vessels are linked to...

Eye Doctors Zero In on Vision Loss

New treatments hold promise of curing some types of blindness

(Newser) - Those who were once blind may someday see, thanks to decades of research into what causes certain types of blindness. Scientists have developed several types of experimental treatments, including gene therapy, which could help prevent the rare eye disorder known as Stargardt disease, one of many vision problems that results...

Judi Dench Battles Loss of Eyesight

British actor suffers from macular degeneration

(Newser) - Actor Judi Dench revealed in an interview with the Mirror that she can no longer see people's faces because her eyesight is deteriorating. But the 77-year-old is in treatment to stop her condition—macular degeneration—before it steals her sight altogether. "They had to do these injections and...

Blindness Cure Could Be 1st Human Stem Cell Trial

Biotech firm aims to reverse macular degeneration

(Newser) - The first-ever clinical trials of stem cell treatment of humans could be under way early next year if a Massachusetts biotech firm wins FDA approval. Advanced Cell Technology yesterday applied for a license to use embryonic stem cells left over from IVF treatment, to aid people suffering from a rare...

Vitamins Lower Risk of Vision Loss: Study

B vitamins, folic acid shown to decrease macular degeneration

(Newser) - Folic acid and two B vitamins lowered the risk of vision loss in middle-age women who took the supplements for several years as part of a study, the Boston Globe reports. The study by researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that the combination lowered...

Visually Impaired May Soon Watch TV
Visually Impaired May Soon Watch TV
Jan 28, 2008 6:01 PM CST

Visually Impaired May Soon Watch TV

Scientists use algorithm to boost contrast for frequencies still visible

(Newser) - Macular degeneration, the disease which causes most age-related sight loss, can make it impossible for patients who suffer even only mild sight loss to watch TV. But help is on the way for these people, Technology Review reports, as Harvard researchers have developed an image-processing algorithm which allows the sight-impaired...

Spinach, Eggs Fight Blindness
Spinach, Eggs Fight Blindness
Sep 11, 2007 3:55 PM CDT

Spinach, Eggs Fight Blindness

Nutrients help ward off age-related vision loss

(Newser) - Nutrients found in spinach and eggs help stave off age-related blindness, a new study shows. Macular degeneration, the most common cause of vision loss in the elderly, was 35% less likely to develop in people who consumed the most eggs, spinach, and other leafy greens, which are rich in lutein...

Stem Cell Cure for Blindness in Sight

Fix for macular degeneration could be available in 5 years

(Newser) - A pioneering stem cell technique developed by British scientists and backed by an anonymous American benefactor could soon cure blindness in millions of people suffering from macular degeneration, the Daily Mail reports. The procedure involves injecting lab-grown embryonic stem cells into the back of an affected eye to repair the...

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