Winter's Many Challenges to Eye Health

SUNDAY, Dec. 23, 2018 -- Dry, itchy eyes are a common problem in the winter and low humidity is a major reason, one ophthalmologist says.

"On average, the humidity drops in the winter with the colder weather," said Marissa Locy, an instructor in the department of ophthalmology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Stem Cell Therapy Shows Early Promise Against Macular Degeneration

THURSDAY, Jan. 17, 2019 -- Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in seniors, and existing treatments are few.

But now, experiments in pigs and rats suggest that stem cell therapy might help curb at least one form of the disease.

Wearing Contacts 24/7 Can Bring Infection, Blindness, Doctors Warn

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 19, 2018 -- Dangerous infections, blinding ulcers in the eyes: These are just some of the troubles that can come from wearing your contacts for too long.

Contact lenses are generally considered safe, but wearing them while asleep significantly raises the risk of developing serious complications that can cause permanent visual loss, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns.

AHA: The Eyes Have It for High Blood Pressure Clues

THURSDAY, Dec. 13, 2018 (American Heart Association) -- When Dr. William White shines a bright light in his patient's eye, he's looking for more than just vision problems.

He's searching for clues indicating the effects of high blood pressure, or hypertension, and what he finds could help prevent heart attacks, strokes and other serious health problems far beyond the eye.

Another Dry Eye Harm: Slowed Reading

TUESDAY, Nov. 20, 2018 -- People with chronic dry eye may find the condition slows them down when they have to read beyond a couple of paragraphs, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that compared with people without dry eye, those with the condition read at a slower rate when they were tasked with a 7,200-word passage.