optic nerve

The search for neuro-protective agents for the treatment of glaucoma

Submitted by dave on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 5:00pm

There was an interesting article on BBC today about recent advances in neuroprotection for glaucoma. Here are some highlights from the article:

optic nerve fundus photoLead researcher Dr Stefano Bonini said: "Although neuroprotection in glaucoma has already been attempted with several compounds, this is the first time that an improvement in visual function is observed in patients with advanced optic nerve damage."

David Wright, chief executive of the International Glaucoma Association, warned against drawing firm conclusions from such a small study - but said the results were encouraging.

He said: "There have been many false dawns in the search for neuro-protective agents for the treatment of glaucoma and it is a feature of research on other compounds that early promise does not always translate into clinical effectiveness when larger studies are undertaken.

"However, this research would seem to indicate both effectiveness and acceptability as to the means of drug delivery.

"If these early indications are carried through to wider trials and there are no other problems, then this has the potential to open a completely new method of treating glaucoma and of preventing unnecessary visual loss in the future."

Filed Under (tags):

Can The Optic Nerve Regenerate Itself?

Submitted by dave on Sat, 06/20/2009 - 8:05pm

“The recent discovery that the hippocampus is able to generate new neurons throughout a human’s lifespan has changed the way we think about the mechanisms of psychiatric disorders and drug addiction,” says Wen Jian and colleagues in a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation in 2005.

The body's capacity to regenerate always surprises us. Personally, I am confident that the optic nerve can naturally regenerate itself.

 

Filed Under (tags):

Ischemic optic neuropathy research review

Submitted by dave on Wed, 05/27/2009 - 5:40pm

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.

Filed Under (tags):

THE ROLE OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IN OPTIC NERVE REGENERATION

Submitted by dave on Sun, 05/24/2009 - 8:19am

THE ROLE OF MACROPHAGES IN OPTIC NERVE REGENERATION

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

Filed Under (tags):

Saffron: Golden Secret of Clearer Sight

Submitted by dave on Wed, 05/20/2009 - 7:56pm

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.

Filed Under (tags):

New information about how optic nerve cells die in glaucoma

Submitted by dave on Sat, 05/16/2009 - 10:12pm

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. 

Filed Under (tags):

My father's optic nerve damage

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 05/14/2009 - 9:57am

Question (via FitEyes.com contact form): Hello. My father's optic nerve became damaged in 1985. Is there any cure for it?
Regards, nilesh

Reply: Yes, I think it may be possible to reverse optic nerve damage (even though mainstream medicine currently disagrees with that position).

Filed Under (tags):

Novel Metabolism of Docosahexaenoic Acid in Neural Cells

Submitted by dave on Sun, 04/19/2009 - 1:29pm

Introduction

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are highly enriched in the nervous system. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3),in particular, is the most abundant polyunsaturated fatty acid in the brain and is concentrated in aminophospholipids of cell membranes. Numerous studies have indicated that this concentration of DHA in the nervous system is essential for optimal neuronal and retinal functions (1).

Although the underlying mechanisms of its essential function are still not clearly understood, emerging evidence suggests that unique metabolism of DHA in relation to its incorporation into neuronal membrane phospholipids plays an important role. In this review, biochemical mechanisms for enriching and metabolizing DHA in neural cells are discussed in the context of their biological significance in neuronal function.

Filed Under (tags):

Ego and Intraocular Pressure in Glaucoma (was Timeline for reversing glaucoma damage?)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/09/2009 - 12:18am

I've never really heard anybody give an educated guess on when we may really have the ability to reverse the damage done by glaucoma.. Whether through stem cells or any other medical advancement ... can anybody reasonably predict a timetable on being able to repair the damaged nerves?

 

I'm especially interested in this because - at 55, and in good health otherwise - I have pretty bad glaucoma. I lost 90% of the vision in my right eye, and maybe 50% in my left before I even noticed any problems.  I sure wish I'd been paying attention ...

Filed Under (tags):

My GDx Nerve Fiber Analysis Results

Submitted by dave on Wed, 01/21/2009 - 9:02pm

Here are my GDx Nerve Fiber Analysis results from my eye exam today. The results are slightly better than my last GDx exam as well as my GDx exam from about two years ago. At this point I doubt we can say anything concrete about the significance of the positive change except that things are certainly not getting worse! Big Smile

Filed Under (tags):

Pages

Subscribe to FitEyes.com RSS Feed Subscribe to optic nerve