Eye Test may detect Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms develop.

Research currently underway by scientists from the University College London believe Alzheimer’s and other diseases could be detected by a simple and inexpensive eye test that could be available from high street practices within the next five years.

The non-invasive method uses fluorescent markers, which enable early indication of brain cell death by attaching to dying cells on the retina. The dying cells absorb the fluorescent dye which show up as green dots. (Image Below)

These experiments are currently being tested on mice, but the first human trials could...

10 Great Summer Eye Care Tips

It’s now mid July and summer is well and truly underway, we’ve had a few weeks of good quality sunglasses wearing weather and as usual the British Summer has turned a bit wet and windy, hopefully this will soon pass and we’ll have the great weather back again.

Of course, with this summer sun comes the hidden dangers such as UV damage to both our skin and eyes.  Just like UV damage to skin can cause cancer, UV damage to eyes can also be extremely harmful and...

Eye Health Awareness Week 2010 – Day 7: Stress & Eye Strain

Eye strain is now a hazard of daily life with our ever-increasing use of screens. Strain occurs simply from focusing on one distance for too long and can be easily mitigated by taking regular screen breaks. Other contributing factors to eye strain are poor lighting, having your computer at the wrong height, a stuffy atmosphere and – of course – stress.

Just because we all use computers these days it doesn’t mean that our eyes are no longer susceptible to strain so just as much care needs to be taken...

Eye Health Awareness Week 2010 – Day 6: Ultraviolet Radiation

How exposed are you to Ultraviolet radiation?

We all enjoy a good measure of sunlight to make us feel good, perhaps it’s a trip to the beach or the local pack with the kids to ensure our vitamin D levels are topped up thanks to exposure from natural sunlight.  All the same, we are more familiar, now more than ever of the damaging effects the sun has to our skin as a result of excessive UV radiation with 85% of the British public knowing about the risk of skin...

Eye Health Awareness Week 2010 – Day 5: A recipe for healthy eyes

A varied and balanced diet should supply us with sufficient quantities of all the vitamins and trace elements needed to keep us in good health, but if you are particularly concerned about protecting your eyes and vision, there are several specific nutrients that can be easily incorporated into everyday eating. Of course, the shelves of health food shops are stacked with a wide range of supplements that can aid eye health, but the fact that the three main vitamin groups that protect eyes are found in so many everyday foods...

Eye Health Awareness Week 2010 – Day 4: Glaucoma

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is the name for a group of eye conditions where the optic nerve becomes damaged and vision deteriorates. It is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness and affects around 70 million people worldwide. In England and Wales alone 500,000 people suffer from some type of glaucoma – that’s about two out of 100 people over the age of 40.

The good news is that a simple eye test can detect the early signs of glaucoma and treatment can start immediately, but...

Eye Health Awareness Week 2010 – Day 3: Wearing Contact Lenses

If you did a 10 minute survey of people coming out of a busy station chances are a large proportion of them would be wearing contact lenses. According to the Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers, around 3 million people in the UK wear contact lenses but that number is growing fast all the time.

With such huge scientific advances in the industry over the past few years, the popularity of contact lenses has soared as they become increasingly comfortable and affordable. The days of going through the agonies of...