Laser Vision Correction Faces Competition From Implantable And Orthok Corrective Contact Lenses

Laser vision correction has traditionally been regarded as the only way of achieving clear, natural daytime vision without the need for glasses or conventional contact lenses. Now alternative treatments are becoming widely available which offer a way of achieving the same outcome but without the need for laser surgery. For short-sighted people with a low to medium prescription, orthok corrective contact lenses which are worn only while sleeping then removed each morning enable wearers to enjoy the same daytime benefits as those who have had laser treatment but without surgery. Orthok is also fully reversible – if the wearer stops using the special corrective contact lenses then their eyesight quickly returns to the original prescription.

For long-sighted people and especially those who also suffer with astigmatism, one of the latest developments in vision correction is that of an implantable contact lens designed specifically for each patient. The operation takes about ten minutes, once the patient’s pupil is dilated. Working under a microscope, the special lens is folded up, injected into a 3mm incision where the cornea joins the white of the eye and unfurls in the space in front of the lens. The lens is then manoeuvred into position to complete the procedure and the tiny incision closes naturally. Recovery is usually fast and painless, so people can go to work and drive after only one day.

Whilst laser vision correction has become an established treatment in the UK with some 100,000 procedures typically completed every year, many people who are short-sighted or long-sighted choose not to undertake the treatment due to an apprehension that something may go wrong. This reflects the evidence from many surveys that of all the senses people value their sight the most. Hence the emergence of new alternative treatments such as implantable and orthok corrective contact lenses provides a way for people with such vision problems to be able to experience the freedom of natural daytime vision without requiring laser treatment.

'Genes for pre-eclampsia' discovered

Scientists say they have identified genetic errors that appear to increase a pregnant woman's chance of getting the potentially life-threatening condition called pre-eclampsia.

Around four in every 100 women develops this problem of high blood pressure and leaky kidneys during pregnancy.
Now researchers have found faulty DNA may be to blame in some cases, PLoS Medicine journal reports.
The discovery could lead to new ways to spot and treat those at risk, they say.
The US researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis analysed DNA from over 300 pregnant women.
Sixty of these were otherwise healthy women who were hospitalised because they developed severe pre-eclampsia.

The remaining 250 were women who were being monitored for other health complications. Forty of these also went on to develop pre-eclampsia.

DNA analysis revealed a few genetic errors shared by five of the 60 otherwise healthy women and seven of the 40 "higher-risk pregnancy" women who developed pre-eclampsia.
The genes on which the errors were identified (MCP factor I and factor H) play a role in regulating immune response and the researchers believe this could explain their possible link to pre-eclampsia.
Scientists have suspected that problems with the immune system provoke many cases of pre-eclampsia because women with lupus and certain other autoimmune diseases - like 250 of the women in the study - have an increased risk of the disorder.
The researchers now plan to study more pregnant women and other genes to further their understanding.
Professor Basky Thilaganathan, spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: "This work shows an association.
"At best genes like these might identify 10-15% of pre-eclampsia, so it's relative importance may not be sensational. But it may allow us to study new treatments to prevent or delay the onset of pre-eclampsia and to know which women need closer surveillance."
He said that currently the only real way to halt the condition was to deliver the baby. This can be relatively risk free if the pregnancy is nearing its natural end anyway, but can be risky if the baby is premature.

Early-warning diabetes test hope

Experts believe a simple blood test could spot diabetes up to 10 years before the first symptoms of the disease occur.

By looking at levels of five amino acids in the blood US researchers were able to correctly identify people who went on to develop type 2 diabetes.
Ultimately the Harvard team hope a test like this could be used to screen for type 2 diabetes, Nature Medicine says.
Early detection can help prevent related complications like blindness.
Risk prediction Dr Victoria King, head of research at Diabetes UK, said: "Early diagnosis and effective management of type 2 diabetes are crucial in reducing the risk of developing diabetes complications, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation.
"Therefore finding ways to identify those who are at risk of developing the condition are important.

"This research, in future, could lead to ways to help us identify those at risk as well as giving us new insights into how and why type 2 diabetes develops."

The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is strongly linked to being overweight, leading a sedentary lifestyle and eating an unhealthy diet.
In many cases the condition can be prevented or delayed by maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle, Dr King said.
Aside from keeping an eye on a person's weight and blood sugar, doctors have had little else they can use to identify at risk individuals.
The test used in the study looks for levels of small molecules in the blood. Among the 2,422 health volunteers tested, 201 later went on to develop diabetes.
And the researchers found that the early blood tests readily identified these patients years before they developed any symptoms.
Those with the highest levels of amino acids in their blood were five times as likely to develop diabetes within the following 12 years of the study.
Dr Robert Gerszten and colleagues who carried out the work say more studies are needed before the test could be recommended for general use.