Open-Angle Glaucoma and the Risk of Stroke Development:  A 5-Year Population-Based Follow-Up Study

Background and Purpose—Although open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is associated with some of the risk factors of stroke development, there is still no published study addressing whether Open-Angle Glaucoma increases the risk of stroke development. We investigated the risk of stroke development after a diagnosis of Open-Angle Glaucoma and our results are reported in this article.

Ischemic optic neuropathy is one of the major causes of blindness or seriously impaired vision, yet there is disagreement as to its pathogenesis, clinical features and especially its management. This is because ischemic optic neuropathy is not one disease but a spectrum of several different types, each with its own etiology, pathogenesis, clinical features and management. They cannot be lumped together. Ischemic optic neuropathy is primarily of two types: anterior (AION) and posterior (PION), involving the optic nerve head (ONH) and the rest of the optic nerve respectively.

This is the new iCare ONE tonometer designed for home eye pressure monitoring (self-tonometry). Click the image for a larger view.

The combination drug bimatoprost/timolol (marketed as Ganfort®) comprises the synthetic prostamide bimatoprost and the β-adrenergic receptor antagonist timolol.

A hydrogen sulphide-releasing derivative of latanoprost acid (ACS 67) was synthesized and tested in vivo to evaluate its activity on reduction of intraocular pressure and tolerability. Glutathione (GSH) and cGMP content were also measured in the aqueous humour. The increased reduction of intraocular pressure, with a marked increase of GSH and cGMP and the related potential neuroprotective properties, make this compound interesting for the treatment of glaucoma.

Cut your glaucoma risk by 60 percent by eating one serving a month of kale and collard greens or two or more servings a week of carrots.

http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=21287

We list three studies below that show swim googles can elevate eye pressure. Thanks to FitEyes member "togburn" we have a product recommendation for swimmers. The recommendation comes by way of optometrist Michelle Solomon in Richmond, VA, USA. Dr. Solomon is recommending swim goggles like the Aqua Sphere Seal Swim Mask by Aqua Sphere.

THE ROLE OF MACROPHAGES IN OPTIC NERVE REGENERATION

Neuroscience. 2009 February 6; 158(3): 1039–1048.

If you have been reading FitEyes.com, you already know we have documented, through thousands of intraocular pressure measurements in real life situations, that stress can raise eye pressure in glaucoma patients. I just came across this abstract of an older study done in Japan that is of interest in this regard.

Purpose. To test whether encagement and volume load as stressors influence the intraocular pressure in rabbits.

[Association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and cognitive performance in middle-aged and older European men J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2009; doi 10.1136/jnnp.2008.165720]

Vitamin D may have a key role in helping the brain to keep working well in later life, suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

Previous research indicates that inadequate vitamin D intake may be linked to poorer mental agility in the ageing brain, but the results have been inconsistent.

Spilling the Beans, May 2009

The following story illustrates that different forms of meditation build different types of skills. My own research also suggests that different forms of meditation have differing effects on intraocular pressure. 

Meditation May Boost Short-Term Visual Memory

05.21.09, 02:00 PM EDT

Study involving DY meditation could have wide-ranging implications

THURSDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- A certain type of meditation may help the brain retain images for short periods, says a new study on visual-spatial abilities.

NEW ULM, Minn. — A judge issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for the mother of a 13-year-old boy resisting chemotherapy after the pair missed a court hearing on his welfare.

Brown County District Judge John Rodenberg also ordered that Daniel Hauser be placed in protective custody so he can get proper medical treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The Ayurvedic herb saffron may hold one of the keys to preventing the loss of sight in old age – and may even help to improve vision in people suffering certain blinding eye diseases.

Research by Professor Silvia Bisti of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science (The Vision Centre) and University of L’Aquila, Italy, has established that saffron has remarkable effects on the genes which regulate the performance of the eye’s key vision cells.

In order to come to a fuller use of the senses, the organism has to be in a state of balance, in a state of rest. At the same time, the organism has to be in a state of alertness. So these two necessary things seem to contradict each other: restfulness and alertness. Restfulness is a state of quiet. Alertness is a state of dynamism, aliveness and receptivity. Restfulness allows the impressions to reach us; alertness allows the impressions to be sensed.

Read about Dave's thoughts regarding best ways of consuming turmeric and its component curcumin whose beneficial properties are backed up by a quoted research paper. Remember, it's not all about the single molecule though...

Previously, I wrote an article about the role of glial cells in retinal ganglion cell death. Now researchers at Universite de Montreal led by Dr. Lebrun-Julien have submitted new research to The Journal of Neuroscience that sheds additional light on this subject. Immediately below I provide the editor's introduction to this new research and an abstract of the research publication. Below that I provide a copy of a press release picked up by the main stream media. 

Here's an interesting article from Wired magazine.

How researchers can tap the plasticity of the brain to hack our 5 senses — and build a few new ones.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.04/esp_pr.html