Factors associated with human vision

Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 1:09 pm Post in All the other information of vision care

The body’s abnormal immune responses can damage brain and nerve cells, resulting in multiple sclerosis, muscle weakness as well as vision problems. In 2007, a study conducted by Johns Hopkins Hospital claimed that an eye test named optical coherence tomography (OCT) could be used to identify and monitor multiple sclerosis. OCT could be used to test health conditions of nerve cells and only cost one-tenth of the fees of performing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Israeli researchers pointed out in 2007 that children born during summer months were more likely to have severe nearsightedness because of longer, sunnier days. A comparison was made between babies born in June and July and those born in December and January. The study showed that the former group had a 24% higher risk of getting serious myopia than the latter group. One explanation of the study results may be that the body’s pineal gland secretes less melatonin pigment in brighter conditions.

In the July issue of Nature Medicine, study results described that properly high omega-3 fatty acids in the diet of mice had been discovered to reduce abnormal blood vessel growth in the retina, thus decreasing the risk of retinal diseases such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity. These results provided a possible means to prevent retinal diseases in human. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in nuts, flaxseed oil an old-water fish such as salmon. In contrast, another type of fatty acid known as omega-6 fatty acids was reported to raise the risk of abnormal blood vessel growth.

To some extent, blind people also have their advantages. Researchers from Hebrew University have evaluated memory skills of some individuals who are born with blindness. Results of their study published in the online journal Current Biology reveal that the blind population has excellent memory skills, especially in remembering serial events. One researcher says that the exceptional ability of the blind may be achieved through long-term practice. In blind people, the outside world they experience every day is somewhat a sequence of events. After decades of daily lives, super memories skills may form.