Simple Eye Test Measures Damage From Multiple Sclerosis
A quick, painless eye measurement shows promise as a way to diagnose multiple sclerosis in its very early stages, and to track the effectiveness of treatments, researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a multicenter study. The technique, called optical coherence tomography (OCT), reliably measures thinning of the retina in people with multiple sclerosis. The researchers found that the retinas thinned significantly with time, and patients often concurrently lost visual sharpness.
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Researchers at the University of Montreal and St. Justine Hospital have identified a new receptor called GPR91 that can cure a number of eye diseases in diabetics, premature babies and the elderly by activating growth of blood vessels. The study is the first of its kind to show how ganglion cells that need oxygen to nourish produce blood vessels to feed themselves. Doctors have expressed their concern about the uncontrolled growth of blood vessels that can eventually cut the retina off the back of the eye causing vision loss. They are, now, working on various aspects of the study such as the receptor’s ability to drive the formation of blood networks and blocking GPR91 to stop tumor growth.
Indian scientists, in a recently conducted research, have found that the turmeric spice (obtained from the rhizome of the Curcuma longa plant) can prove beneficial in the blockage of a biological pathway which leads to the progression of diabetic retinopathy, a complication that can cause blindness, if not treated at the right stage. A study showing that the incidence of diabetic retinopathy was much lower in Indians as compared to Europeans made the researchers curious about the ingredients of Indian diet that were helpful in preventing the disease. Curcumin’s anti-angiogenic effects against cancer, the scientists guessed, may also curb the growth of new blood vessels in the retina.
