Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a debilitating disease affecting 2.5 million older adults in Canada. Characterized by two main types — dry and wet — the disease targets central vision, impacting activities requiring fine motor skills such as reading or driving.
Artificial intelligence (AI) applications are revolutionizing health diagnostics and precision medicine, yet how they identify patterns of disease in layers of data has largely remained a mystery. Research led by Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Dr.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss among older adults, affecting approximately 2.5 million Canadians. The condition progressively affects the macula, a part of the retina that plays a crucial role in our vision precision. With time, AMD can result in blurred vision or a blind spot in the centre of a person's field of vision.
May is Vision Health Month. With screens ever-present — and the time we spend staring at them ever-increasing — eye fatigue is a common occurrence. The inability to focus, intermittent mild blurry vision, tension headaches and dry or itchy eyes are all signs that you may need to see your optometrist for a checkup. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Dr. David Albiani answers a few common questions related to eye strain and screen time.
In the first study of its kind, a global team of researchers are investigating the safety and effectiveness of the CorNeat KPro synthetic cornea in people with corneal blindness. The fully artificial cornea could be a game-changer for patients with corneal blindness, replacing the need for human donations and providing a much-needed alternative for patients who did not respond to current technology.
For Bowen Islander Elisabeth Pocklington, good eyesight is at the heart of all her activities. An avid knitter and greeting card maker, the 69-year-old former teacher was recently diagnosed with non-infection uveitis—an inflammation of the inner eye. Left untreated, the condition can become painful and result in blurred vision. In some severe cases, it can even cause blindness.
Blake Covernton’s 12th year of life was a scary one. Now 64 years old, the North Shore resident recalls losing a lot of weight, feeling dizzy and excessively tired. His mother took him to see their family doctor who gave them a diagnosis of insulin-dependent Type 1 diabetes.
“It definitely scared me. I was told that blindness was a real possibility with diabetes, along with limb loss and other things.”
One of the most prevalent and concerning complications diabetes patients face is diabetic retinopathy (DR), which can lead to partial or complete vision loss. Now, a clinical trial based out of Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) could uncover clues about how the disease progresses, enabling clinicians to intervene quickly and only when necessary.
