Vision

Antibody Drugs And Pediatric Ophthalmology- Benefits Versus Side Effects

A new class of antibody drugs may help in treatment of childhood eye diseases but specialists need to be alert for the possibility of serious side effects, according to an editorial in the August Journal of American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 3 2009 - 11:55am

Creative Brain: Gene Therapy Trial For Blindness Yields Unexpected Surprise

Even in adults born with extremely impaired sight, the brain can rewire itself to recognize sections of the retina that have been restored by gene therapy.  This surprising adaptability comes a year after three blind volunteers received doses of corrective ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 12 2009 - 6:47pm

Lateral Line System- Sixth Sense Seeing In The Dark

Fish and some amphibians possess a unique sensory capability that allows them to 'feel' objects around them without physical contact and see in the dark. Colloquially this is called a 'sixth sense' but scientifically it is called a late ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 28 2009 - 3:38pm

Coloboma: Humans With "Cat Eyes"

As the story was told to me, the realization that my eyes were “different” wasn’t discovered until I’d been home from the hospital for a couple weeks. You know how it is- newborns sleep a lot, and eye contact is a bit limited when you’ve got a little one t ...

Article - Kimberly Crandell - Sep 7 2009 - 12:28am

The Value Of Being Aloof: Or, How Not To Get Absorbed In Someone Else’s Abdomen

Male anglerfish are born with an innate desire to not exist. As soon as a male reaches maturity, he acquires an urge to find a female, sink his teeth into her, and grow into her. This evolved because anglerfish live in the dark ocean abyss with few mating ...

Article - Mark Changizi - Sep 10 2009 - 9:44am

The Topography Of Language

Reading pervades every aspect of our daily lives, so much so that one would be hardpressed to find a room in a modern house without words written somewhere inside. Many of us now read more sentences in a day than we listen to. Not only are we highly compet ...

Article - Mark Changizi - Sep 17 2009 - 12:39pm

Prosthetic Retina- 'Bionic Eye' Artificial Vision Enhancers Being Put To The Test

In a survey conducted about patients’ expectations of electronic retina prostheses (retina implants) a decade ago, visually impaired or blind patients with degenerative retina conditions stated they would be happy if they were able to regain some mobility ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 20 2009 - 11:31am

Despite The Joke, Humans Don't Think All Foreign People Look Alike

Individuals use a variety of cues to identify their own kin and humans can also detect resemblances in families other than their own, in defiance of 'you all look alike to us' jokes.   A new study says that our success in doing so is the same eve ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 21 2009 - 10:32am

The Hue Of Hefner: How Color Made An Empire Possible

Dear Hugh Hefner: Ever wondered  why you’re rich?   Yes, yes, you’re a savvy businessman who succeeded where thousands have failed.   But there are deeper reasons underlying why your business model works at all. When one digs deeply enough one finds that c ...

Article - Mark Changizi - Oct 4 2009 - 10:11pm

Alien Vision Revolution (Halloween Edition)

Later this evening I’ll be giving a talk to a group of astronomers on what its like to see like an alien. The beauty of this is that I can speculate until the cows come home without fear of any counterexamples being brought to my attention. And even if an ...

Article - Mark Changizi - Oct 26 2009 - 1:51am