Sahel, JA., Boulanger-Scemama, E., Pagot, C. et al. Partial recovery of visual function in a blind patient after optogenetic therapy. Nat Med (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01351-4 Abstract Optogenetics may enable mutation-independent, circuit-specific restoration of neuronal function in neurological diseases. Retinitis pigmentosa is a neurodegenerative eye disease where loss of photoreceptors can lead to complete blindness. In a blind patient, we combined...Read More

Source https://www.pittwire.pitt.edu/news/first-time-optogenetic-therapy-partially-restores-patient-s-vision Optogenetic therapy, or manipulating proteins and cells with light, is an advanced technology developed in the early 2000s that drove major discoveries about the inner workings of our brains. Yet, while actively researched in experimental animals, functional improvement using this method was never reported in humans—until now. In a paper published today in Nature...Read More

Myopia (near-sightedness): Increased time spent indoors  and increased “near work” activities are leading to more people suffering from myopia. Increased outdoor time can reduce this risk. For more information about the report please see: https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/08-10-2019-who-launches-first-world-report-on-vision Prescription to slow worsening myopia in Canadian kids? Head outdoors https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/myopia-children-1.4627366 Too much screen time linked to an epidemic of myopia among...Read More

We applaud Specsavers for bringing attention to this very important public health issue. We hope that other companies will follow their example. Their recommendations as in applying the Precautionary Principle and the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) Principle are sound and we agree. Link to the article: https://www.specsavers.co.za/post/health-and-wellbeign/cell-phone-radiation-is-my-device-affecting-m?utm_source=sssa&utm_medium=email&utm_content=may&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_source=Spec-Savers+South+Africa&utm_campaign=0d4b9b2611-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_05_31_01_36_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b588b20efd-0d4b9b2611-76382197 Note from EMFSA: For more information on...Read More

Neurochem Int. 2019 Feb 27. pii: S0197-0186(18)30627-2. doi: 10.1016/j.neuint.2019.02.018. [Epub ahead of print] Abstract Neurones are dependent on their mitochondria to produce the necessary amounts of ATP for survival. Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) have a particularly large number of mitochondria which-unlike neurones in the brain-are exposed to visual light of 400-850 nm. Here we demonstrate that short...Read More