VisioPrinTech: 3D-printed Cornea to restore eyesight
21/06/2024
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), in collaboration with Carl Zeiss Meditec AG and Evonik Healthcare, developed a method to restore eyesight by printing a new cornea during surgery using a laser-based process with personalized bioink. The "VisioPrinTech" process addresses corneal disorders, common among the aging population.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2024, DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c02289
A Step Forward in Glaucoma Diagnosis: 'Smart' Contact Lens
03/06/2024
Glaucoma remains a major cause of vision loss, affecting millions worldwide. Traditionally, diagnosing this condition early has been challenging due to the subtle changes in eye pressure that are hard to detect continuously. Researchers have now developed a 'smart' contact lens that could change how we monitor and detect this disease.
LaNCE-Neuropharm - GIC 21/133
Predicting cognitive progression in parkinson's patients
22/05/2024
A recent study conducted by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and Biobizkaia sheds light on a potential breakthrough in Parkinson's disease research. The study suggests that analyzing retinal thickness could serve as a predictive tool for cognitive progression in Parkinson's patients, offering new avenues for monitoring neurodegeneration.
Enhancing cataract surgery in the global south with AI
25/04/2024
Researchers from the University Hospital Bonn, the University of Bonn, the Sankara Eye Foundation India, and Microsoft Research India are collaborating to improve cataract surgery outcomes in developing regions. Employing artificial intelligence (AI) for video analysis, their initiative aims to address challenges faced in the Global South.
Contact lenses for early glaucoma detection
31/01/2024
Glaucoma affects approximately 70 million people worldwide and poses a significant threat to vision, often leading to irreversible vision loss if left untreated. Nearly half of those afflicted with this condition remain unaware of its presence. Typically progressing gradually, glaucoma often escapes early detection, making it crucial to develop new tools for its timely diagnosis and treatment.
feelSpace
Wearable for the visually impaired: Vibrations lead the way
14/12/2023
The German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) have developed a contacting process with which orientation aids - and e-textiles in general - can be produced more economically and conveniently.
YuriArcursPeopleimages
Eye scans provide crucial insights into kidney health
08/12/2023
3D eye scans can reveal vital clues about kidney health that could help to track the progression of disease, research suggests. The advance could revolutionise monitoring of kidney disease, which often progresses without symptoms in the early stages.
Chibelek
Funding partially autonomous surgical robotics development
09/11/2023
The research association ForNeR’s two million euro grant from the Bavarian Research Foundation's Board of Trustees integrates assistive robots for surgery through intuitive interfaces in the operating room. This not only helps patients but also supports operating room staff in performing demanding procedures.
David Callahan
Eye implant may be used to treat diabetes
27/10/2023
Researchers in Sweden have developed a microscale device for implantation in the eye, which presents new opportunities for cell-based treatment of diabetes and other diseases.
FAU/Georg Pöhlein
FAU: research project about robotic assistance systems receives funding
03/08/2023
In the “ForNeRo – Seamless and Ergonomic Integration of Robotics into the Clinical Workflow” research network, researchers from FAU and five other research institutions and five companies are developing methods for integrating robotic assistance systems for surgical applications using intuitive interfaces in the operating room.
natalyaraeva
App helps with early detection of eye diseases causing blindness
21/07/2023
Two students on the Master's Degree in Bioinformatics and Biostatistics at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) have developed a mobile app capable of detecting in a matter of seconds whether someone is suffering from glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy or cataracts, three of the world's most common causes of vision loss and blindness.
lassedesignen/Shutterstock
Multiple sclerosis: new biomarker for early diagnosis
12/07/2023
A study conducted by researchers from the Department of Neurology at MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna has demonstrated for the first time that diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) can be significantly improved by additionally measuring the thickness of retinal layers in the eye.
mstandret
AI in eye scans: improved diagnosis of inherited disease of the retina
14/06/2023
Researchers from the UK and Germany have used artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a system that they believe will enable more widespread provision of testing, together with improved efficiency.
olgaseleznovaphoto
FALCO project: Comprehensive glaucoma prevention thanks to low-cost screening system
20/04/2023
Glaucoma is wicked, because the disease often goes undetected until irreversible damage of the optic nerve has occurred. This makes regular eye exams even more important. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging method that facilitates an early diagnosis. However, traditional OCT machines are very expensive. That’s why the FALCO project aims to develop a more cost-effective system.
Oana Graur
Patent: high-tech glasses replace guide dog
07/04/2023
The technology of “the glasses that replace the guide dog” has just been patented in the USA. The European Union patent will follow, and it could well be introduced to the market during the course of next year.
Fraunhofer ISC
Innovative in vitro eye irritation test to replace standard animal testing
10/03/2023
Researchers at the Translational Center for Regenerative Therapies TLC-RT of the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC want to work with partners to replace animal testing.
HAWK
Imaging: role of immune cells in early diabetic cataract development
22/02/2023
The team of researchers, led by Prof. Dr. Ali Hafezi-Moghadam, Director of the Molecular Biomarkers Nano-Imaging Laboratory (MBNI), in collaboration with Professor Dr. Christoph Rußmann, Dean of the Health Campus and a Visiting Professor at MBNI, found early signs of damage in the eye before the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Lorenz Assländer
Fall prevention with AR glasses
21/02/2023
Older people have a much higher risk of falls and serious injury arising from a fall. Researchers involved in the “Augmented Balance" project aim to develop augmented reality (AR) glasses to help improve balance and prevent falls.
EPO
Low brain pressure could be a risk factor for developing glaucoma
20/02/2023
An international team of researchers led by Lithuanian scientists provide additional evidence that intracranial pressure plays an important role in normal-tension glaucoma, which accounts for up to 50 per cent of all glaucoma cases.
amenic181
AI finds twisting of eye vessels could cause high blood pressure and heart disease
16/02/2023
Research led by scientists at St George’s, University of London has discovered 119 areas in the genome that help to determine the size and shape of blood vessels at the back of the eye, and that an increase in ‘twisting’ of the arteries could cause high blood pressure and heart disease.
POSTECH
Treating cornea ulcers with diagnostic light instead of corneal transplantation
08/02/2023
Recently, a Korean joint research team from POSTECH-KKU has developed a new tissue adhesive that restores the damaged cornea by simply filling it and exposing it to light.
Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation
Contact lenses to treat dry eye syndrome
06/02/2023
A collaborative team from the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI) has developed a contact lens prototype that is specifically designed to prevent contact lens-induced dry eye (CLIDE).
Beachbumledford
Controlled manufacture, storage and freezing of artificial retinal cells
25/01/2023
Fraunhofer researchers have now developed a new method for the production and clinical application of stem-cell-based retinal implants, which could contribute towards the successful treatment of AMD.
Universitätsklinikum Bonn (UKB)/J.F. Saba
Retina chip: Implant helps with age-related macular degeneration
01/03/2022
People who suffer from partial or total loss of vision caused by illness must use assistive technology to replace their sense of sight. In recent years, implants offered hope of restoring limited functional vision. Now an innovative microchip designed to help with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is currently undergoing international testing.
PantherMedia / Robert Przybysz
Deep Learning: How artificial neural networks can support diagnostics
03/12/2021
The use of artificial intelligence and deep learning in medical diagnostics is growing rapidly. Ubotica’s neural network is based on deep learning and detects the presence of diabetic retinopathy in retinal images. Dr. Holger Pfeifer talks about the project successes, and reveals the obstacles researchers must continue to overcome in adopting deep learning systems.
Glaucoma: Microimplant monitors intraocular pressure
01/12/2021
Chronic conditions require close monitoring to ensure a successful therapeutic outcome. Unfortunately, patients aren't always able to perform their own measurements and the exam intervals between appointments are frequently too long. An innovative implant is designed to address this gap in glaucoma care and treatment and enable patients to make intraocular pressure measurements on their own.
PantherMedia/npudov
Implants: When technology makes sense – quite literally
01/12/2021
Disease, injury, or a condition you were born with – reasons why some people must live without one or several of their five senses. Fortunately, there are many modern sensory aids that help replace one sense with another, which is especially the case when it comes to vision and hearing. Given technology's advancements, can artificial or biological implants someday soon be a viable alternative?
PantherMedia/Meseritsch Herby
Implants for the senses – Hearing and seeing with technology
01/12/2021
We can replace certain functions of the body with implants nowadays, others we cannot. When it comes to the human senses, we are still quite at the beginning. The technologies and materials we can use are way to coarse compared to our nervous system. But implants can also help us to maintain senses.
Heidelberg Engineering GmbH
Cooperative Support for Diagnosis and Therapy in Ophthalmology
06/05/2021
Today’s imaging technologies in ophthalmology are so advanced that retinal and vascular structures in the eye can be resolved with unprecedented precision in 2, 3 and even 4 dimensions. However, interpreting the image material for a therapy decision is a complex task that requires a lot of experience. Treatment errors may have severe consequences for patients.
PantherMedia/Med_Photo_Studio
Alzheimer's disease: early detection using an eye exam
22/03/2021
Alzheimer's disease is still incurable, but if detected early enough, countermeasures can improve treatment and slow the progression. Unfortunately, there is still no reliable early detection test at this juncture. This might soon change thanks to a non-invasive spectroscopy of the retina.
Angiogenesis: light shows blood vessels the way
03/02/2020
Regenerative medicine aims to replace damage in the body with functional tissue and restore normal function. The first defense for large defects are implants made of hydrogels, designed to promote cell growth. They need their own blood supply, which is a problem when it comes to larger implants because you cannot regulate where and how the blood vessels grow - until now.
MEDICA TECH FORUM: light-based imaging technique OCT
04/11/2019
Since its inception, MEDICA TECH FORUM has focused on the implementation of innovations and new technologies into clinical practice. 2019 marks the tenth year of the Forum. In honor of its anniversary, we will brighten things up a bit, as one of the focal points will highlight how optical coherence tomography (OCT) uses light to produce images.
A digital look inside the human eye – when algorithms diagnose Diabetes
02/01/2019
Diabetes mellitus or simply diabetes has become very common and is often described as a lifestyle disease. More and more people are suffering from this chronic metabolic disorder. Next to established diagnostic procedures, digital retinal screening has shown to be successful - a promising technique that will also play an important role in the diagnosis of other diseases in the future.