The progression of glaucoma may be stopped with hi-tech goggles.
Worn for half an hour a day, they are designed to deliver pulses of electricity to the eye to stimulate the optic nerve to repair itself — and are now being used in a clinical trial.
Research has shown that the new treatment will slow the progress of the disease, which currently affects half a billion people in the UK.
Glaucoma is a common eye condition involving damage to the optic nerve, a bundle of more than a million nerve fibres that links the eye’s retina (the layer of light-sensitive cells at the back of the eye) to the brain’s vision processing centre.
The treatment is supported by successful previous studies and will likely stop the progression of this condition that affects over half a million people in Britain.
It’s usually caused by fluid building up in the front part of the eye, increasing pressure inside the eye and on the nerve.
If this is not diagnosed promptly and treated, it can result in vision loss. It’s not clear why it occurs, although age, a family history of glaucoma and having other medical conditions such as diabetes and short-sightedness, can increase the risk.
There are many types of glaucoma, but primary open angle is the most prevalent. This is most common in people over 70 and 80. It occurs slowly and results from the draining channels becoming blocked.
For this reason, people often do not realise they have glaucoma and it’s only detected during a routine eye test.
Eye drops can be used to lower eye pressure. Lasers and surgery are also available to clear blocked drain tubes. Eye drops reduce fluid levels by either increasing drainage or decreasing the volume of fluid produced.
Researchers say that despite the effectiveness of such medications, many patients’ glaucoma worsens, with progressive vision loss developing. A 2019 study by Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics found that up to three quarters of patients are at risk of this condition.
The device is similar to virtual-reality glasses and was created by Nu Eyne from South Korea. It uses low-level electric stimulation to encourage nerve tissue regeneration.
The tiny electrodes deliver electrical pulses to the skin near the eyes. The electrical stimulation mimics the body’s wound-healing mechanisms to trigger growth in the optic nerve, say its makers.
At Konkuk University in South Korea, 22 people with glaucoma will participate in the trial. They will be wearing the goggles 30 minutes per day for 16 weeks. The doctors will be monitoring any changes in the eye pressure or thickness of nerve fibers.
Some evidence suggests electrical stimulation might be beneficial. In a recent study, 70 patients were enrolled in the Journal Brain Stimulation. The results showed that opto-neuronal stimulation stopped glaucoma progression. This was in contrast to the conventional treatments of drops.
Each eye was stimulated using pulses electric until phosphenes were created. These shapes include stars, zigzags or squiggles as well as other forms created when cells in the retina were stimulated by rubbing the eyes or following a cough, sneeze or blow to the face.
The stimulation sessions lasted for approximately 80 minutes each and were administered over a period of two weeks. The researchers from Germany’s Friedrich-Alexander University said the treatment halted progression in more than six out of ten of affected eyes treated.
Commenting on the research, Gwyn Williams, a consultant ophthalmologist at Singleton Hospital, Swansea, said: ‘Glaucoma is a multifactorial disease and at present lowering intraocular pressure [pressure inside the eye]This is the most effective way to slow down progression that we are aware of.
‘Although there has been recent interest in neuroprotection of the optic nerve [preserving the optic nerve]However, no human study has proven that electric stimulation can be used to treat diseases.
‘It will be interesting to see the results of this new study but it is far too early to advise anyone about the use of these devices.’
The risk of developing fatty liver can be increased by exposure to pollution.
Rising pollution levels are believed to increase the likelihood of liver disease.
The non-alcoholic fat liver disease (NAFLD), which results from a buildup of fat within the organ and scarring is often linked to obesity or type 2 diabetes.
But researchers from different institutions in China suggest that people who’ve had long-term exposure to air pollution may be at greater risk, the Journal of Hepatology reports. These findings were based upon data collected from over 90,000.
Researchers found that people who smoke or drink alcohol while living in highly polluted areas are most at risk. It could be that the pollutants cause scarring.
Your hearing is protected by eating fibre
Apart from improving bowel health, there is another benefit to eating fiber. Tinnitus can be prevented by increasing your fibre intake. Tinnitus, which is a condition that affects 1 in 3 people, can be caused by damage in the tiny hair cells responsible for hearing.
The result is a buzzing, ringing-like sound in your ears. Current treatment — talking therapies and distraction techniques — involves trying to minimise the impact of the condition.
A study of over 500 people published in Nutrients has shown that fibre intake could help to reduce the risk factors for developing tinnitus.
The team of international researchers believe insoluble fibre — which is less digestible and has been proven to lower cholesterol, might explain the effect.
Apart from improving bowel health, there is another benefit to eating fiber: it prevents tinnitus. Tinnitus, which is a condition that affects 1 in 3 people, occurs when the small hair cells responsible for making sound in your ear are damaged.
This could be the solution to scaly skin?
Psoriasis is characterized by dry, scaly skin that can be treated with over-the-counter body and face creams.
It is believed that the condition may be caused by an auto immune disease.
After patients had reported that it improved their condition, scientists from the U.S. and Asia studied the thick liquid Glycerin.
In tests on mice, it reduced the severity of patches of psoriasis by helping clear hydrogen peroxide molecules — produced by skin cells as a protective mechanism but which can cause more damage, reports the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
The symptoms of post-natal depression may be alleviated by 15 minutes of brisk walking a day, according to the Journal of Women’s Health. The University of Western Ontario, Canada found that exercise had an average 86 percent effect on symptoms in five studies with almost 250 women.
Salmon oil could help to prevent asthma attacks
One teaspoon of salmon oil per day can help reduce asthma attacks.
That’s the thinking behind a new trial at More og Romsdal Hospital Trust in Norway.
One hundred asthma sufferers will receive six grams of salmon oil daily for a 5-month period. The reason for this is because asthma can be made worse by inflammation. Inflammation can lead to swelling of the linings of the airways, increasing the likelihood that an attack will occur.
The 21 fatty acids in salmon oil have been previously shown to lower inflammation.
Clock-watching
Learn how to harness your body’s power. This week, get outside before 11 AM
Leanness is tied to morning light. A 2014 study showed that people who spend most of their daylight time outside before noon are less likely to have lower body mass (BMI), regardless of what they do or how often they exercise.
Researchers in the United States claim that light can calibrate our bodies clock to control appetite hormones. If it’s out of sync, we’re more likely to eat at the wrong times, which affects how we process sugar and fat and, over time, our weight.
Phyllis Zee, a professor of neurology at Northwestern University near Chicago, who led the study, said if your body clock is out of sync, this it can ‘alter metabolism and lead to weight gain’.
She recommends going outside before noon — 11.30am at the latest — for 20 to 30 minutes, and to do this most days.
A 2014 study showed that people who spend most of their daylight exposure before noon experience a lower body-mass index (BMI). This is regardless of whether they exercise or eat.
You didn’t know this?
Clicking your fingers is the fastest movement in the human body — taking 7 milliseconds, scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the U.S. found. This is 20x faster than the blink of a eye, according to the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.
Intuition
Immunotherapy — cancer treatment that works by encouraging the immune system to attack tumours — can be highly effective, and now scientists think different bacteria in our gut may be responsible for how successful it is.
‘Studies have shown that your individual composition of gut microbiota [bacteria] may predict response to immunotherapy,’ says Dr Darina Kohoutova, a consultant gastroenterologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.
Inosine, the molecule produced by certain bacteria in 2020 was found to increase activity of anti-cancer T-cells. The researchers, from Canada’s University of Calgary, found combining a transplant of the bacteria with immunotherapy shrank certain tumours — colorectal, melanoma and bladder — in mice.