Global News

[ad_1] Sight loss in people over 71 years old may be linked to dementia, suggests a new study. The researchers at the University of Michigan in the US analysed data from nearly 3,000 US citizens over 71 years old. They tested the participants' eyesight and recorded their scores for short-distance vision, long-distance vision and how well they were able to distinguish objects against different backgrounds. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Ophthalmology, showed that participants with sight loss were more likely to have dementia compared to people with no problems with their vision. Up to 40 per cent of dementia cases could be influenced by 12 risk factors which we may prevent or influence, such as smoking, high blood pressure and hearing loss. Sight loss is not currently one of these 12 important risk factors, but the new evidence suggests that there is a link between sight loss and dementia, the researchers said. cre Trendi

[ad_1] Eye drops could be a more effective -- and comfortable -- therapy for a common eye disease currently treated with injections into the eye, suggests a study. Retinal vein occlusion (RVO), an eye disease that affects up to 2 percent of people over age 40, occurs when a vein in the eye's retina becomes blocked, leading to swelling in the eye, inflammation, damage to the retina, and vision loss. Standard therapy involves injecting into the eye a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor (anti-VEGF) that reduces swelling. The therapy can improve vision but patients with significant retinal damage due to impaired blood flow often have poor outcomes. The study, published online in Frontiers in Neuroscience, found that an experimental eye drop treatment was twice as effective as the standard injection therapy at reducing swelling and improving blood flow within the retina of mice with RVO. cre Trending Stories Also read: Monsoon Eye Care: 7 Tips to Protect Your Visio