Nanotech Could Put Your Computer Screen in Your Eye

Researchers at the University of Washington are working on a contact lens which could act like a computer screen in your eye.

While the lens will not correct vision disorders, the applications are limitless. It is thought that future versions of the lens could be worn while driving, so that drivers can see their speed and other important information without having to take their eyes off the road.

The lens could vastly enhance gaming applications, and it would have wireless capabilities so that you could check your email and even browse the Internet privately without having to carry a large, clunky device in your pocket all the time.

So far, the lens is in its early stages. Researchers have equipped it with LEDs, wiring for electronic circuits, and an antenna. Rabbits have worn the lenses for twenty minutes with no ill effects.

The lens will have to emit images on a level which bypasses the cornea and is focused only by the lens of the eye. This may be accomplished by adjusting the angle of the precise light beams emitted by the LEDs.

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Implantable Contact Lens

Ever wish you could wear your contacts all of the time and never have to take care of them? Now you can. The FDA has recently approved an implantable contact lens (ICL).

In a procedure similar to cataract surgery, the lens is placed inside your eye, either in front of or behind the iris. Unlike cataract surgery, you keep your natural lens.

Implantable contacts make freedom from glasses and regular contacts possible for people who are not good candidates for LASIK or other refractive surgery procedures.

ICLs are made from a collagen-like substance much like the natural tissue inside of your eye. They are designed to be permanent, but if your vision changes or you are not happy with the results, they can be replaced or removed.

You can use the links at the bottom of this page to find a qualified ophthalmologist in your area.

Eye Exams May Be Able to Detect Alzheimer's

Currently there is no definitive test for Alzheimer's disease. The only way to know for certain if a person had Alzheimer's is through an autopsy after death. Early treatment can minimize secondary risks, slow the progress, improve quality of life, and extend survival, but there is no known cure. Researchers are constantly working on new, better treatments and trying to find a cure.

A living diagnosis would help in finding a cure and could help patients to get treatment early, when it is most effective. Lee Goldstein of Boston University (formerly of Harvard Medical School) may have found the key to diagnosing Alzheimer's years before symptoms start to appear.

Goldstein, a geriatric psychiatrist and a neuroscientist stumbled on the discovery while studying Alzheimer's in mice. He noticed that the mice with Alzheimer's developed cataracts and the normal mice did not. It turned out that these cataracts were formed of amyloid beta proteins, the same proteins which form plaques in the brain leading to the cognitive impairment caused by Alzheimer's.

Dr. Goldstein and his colleague Dr. Leo Chylack co-founded Neuroptix Corporation. Neuroptix is developing non-invasive laser eye scanning technology to detect the proteins. Its goal is to create reliable and affordable Alzheimer's screening which eye doctors can perform during normal office visits.

You can use the links at the bottom of this page to find a qualified ophthalmologist near you.

Cataract Surgery Saves Golden Eagle

Eagles are known for their incredible eyesight, which is on average eight to ten times better than man's. They can spot a field mouse from thousands of feet above and swoop down to catch their prey at speeds in excess of 100 mph.

Needless to say, vision plays an even larger role in the eagle's life than it does in our own. When a golden eagle named Electra developed cataracts after flying into electric lines, she went completely blind. Her caretakers at Wings Over Mull bird sanctuary feared the worst.

Cataracts are a clouding of the lens of the eye. Most humans develop them eventually with age. Age-related cataracts tend to start out small and grow slowly. Cataracts can also be caused by trauma, as in Electra's case.

When cataracts impair vision, they can be surgically removed. In people, it is a safe, routine surgery using local anesthetic. Birds, however, must be under general anesthesia. General anesthesia is always a last resort when treating birds because it often causes them to go into shock and die.

Electra was taken to the University of Glasgow where veterinary ophthalmologist George Peplinski performed successful cataract surgery on her right eye. He did not operate on her left eye because it had suffered retinal damage as well, and he felt that extending her time under anesthesia was not worth the risk.

Although her vision was not completely restored and she cannot survive in the wild, Electra can see again and will live at the sanctuary with a male companion.

You can use the links at the bottom of this page to find a qualified ophthalmologist near you.