SCEI - Blog

FIREWORKS ON THE 4TH OF JULY

Posted on July 1, 2019

In the eyes of many Americans, the Fourth of July is a day for parades, barbecues and, of course, fireworks. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's most recent report showed that fireworks caused eight deaths and nearly 13,000 injuries in 2017. Two-thirds of the fireworks injuries treated in emergency rooms happened between mid-June and mid-July. They a... Continue Reading

RECENT INNOVATIONS IN GLAUCOMA MEDICATION

Posted on November 6, 2018

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, and it affects approximately 3 million people in the United States. The term refers to a group of conditions in which damage to the optic nerve from intraocular pressure, inflammation, trauma or reduced blood flow causes significant restriction of vision or total loss of sight. At the moment,... Continue Reading

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE COST OF GLAUCOMA TREATMENT

Posted on October 30, 2018

Glaucoma is the second-leading cause of blindness worldwide, and its prevalence is increasing. Because glaucoma is a serious and chronic condition, it is important for patients to have access to reliable care that is effective over the long term. Left untreated, glaucoma can lead to blindness. It is an expensive condition in terms of direct monetary costs as well as indirect costs in... Continue Reading

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT CHILDHOOD GLAUCOMA

Posted on October 23, 2018

While glaucoma typically affects older adults, the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) states that the disease can occur at any age — even in babies and children. Relatively few children develop glaucoma, with the congenital form of the disease occurring in about one out of every 10,000 births. Approximately one in every 10 ... Continue Reading

HOW 63 RAISED-DOT CHARACTERS CHANGED THE WORLD FOR THE BLIND

Posted on October 5, 2018

In the town of Coupvray, just outside Paris, Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809. His birth would change the course of how blind people everywhere would be educated. Learning to live without sight Braille, a small, sickly son of a harness maker, lost his eyesight as a child due to a horrific accident. At age 3, Braille was playing in his father... Continue Reading

THIS IS HOW THREE COMPANIES ARE CHANGING THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR

Posted on October 4, 2018

In terms of advancing the medical field, the most valuable work is being conducted by research scientists, educators and physicians employed at large scale nonprofit organizations, universities with a deep commitment to innovation and even smaller private foundations. These groups influence the growth of Convergence in Healthcare and also have a strong influence on innov... Continue Reading

SEVEN ESSENTIAL FACTS TO KNOW ABOUT SPORTS-RELATED EYE INJURIES

Posted on September 28, 2018

1. Sobering statistics According to a 2014 article on the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)’s website, approximately 42,000 annual emergency medical visits are due to sports-related eye injuries. The National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, joins the AAO in pointing out that every 13 minutes, an emergency room physician in the US trea... Continue Reading

BRAIN-BASED TECHNOLOGY OF THE FUTURE

Posted on September 27, 2018

The brain’s natural complexity is the primary reason it is difficult to study. Experts contend the largest challenge facing neurosciences is that the basics of the discipline remain largely unknown. Fortunately, academics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and other prominent US universities suggest the Convergence in Healthcare movement may hold the key t... Continue Reading

FACTS TO KNOW ABOUT DIABETES AND EYE DISEASE

Posted on September 21, 2018

Diabetes can significantly affect your eyesight and the health of your eyes. According to the World Health Organization, diabetes is one of the leading causes of blindness and visual impairment among adults around the world. The National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, states diabetes often leads to or exacerbates retinopathy, ... Continue Reading

THREE WAYS SMARTPHONES MAY BE THE HEALTH TOOL OF THE FUTURE

Posted on September 20, 2018

Since the mid-1970s, the world has been in a state of technology-driven development known as the Information (or Digital) Age, generally characterized by the development of innovative tools to allow people to transmit increasingly large amounts of data and information at faster rates. The Internet is often singled out as the most defining element of the time. Today, comp... Continue Reading

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AMBLYOPIA

Posted on September 13, 2018

Amblyopia is decreased sight in one or both eyes due to abnormal development of vision in infancy or childhood. The condition cannot be corrected with prescription lenses. Ophthalmologists estimate that between 2 and 3 percent of all Americans experience amblyopia,. The condition is typically first noticed during infancy and the preschool years. Here are a few ... Continue Reading

PIONEERING CATARACT SURGERY ADVANCES

Posted on September 6, 2018

In 1949, Sir Harold Ridley, an English ophthalmologist, performed the world’s first successful artificial intraocular lens (IOL) transplant surgery on a patient with cataracts. When he died in 2001, the Daily Telegraph obituary told of the ophthalmic surgeon’s perseverance to revolutionize cataract surgery and his undeterred work toward his goal.... Continue Reading

FOUR WAYS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS TRANSFORMING OPHTHALMOLOGY

Posted on August 30, 2018

In August 2018, the journal Nature Medicine published a paper describing exciting new research on applications of artificial intelligence (AI) to eye care. The research was conducted by staff members of Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and UCL, a subsidiary of Google’s DeepMind. The researchers used deep learning to develop an algorithm-focused software prog... Continue Reading

WHY THE UNITED STATES IS LAGGING IN MEDICAL INNOVATION

Posted on August 23, 2018

In 2016, a white paper “Convergence: The Future of Health” was published by faculty members from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to draw attention to the value and importance of the Convergence in Healthcare movement. In the 73-page report, Convergence in Healthcare is defined as an integrative approach to scientific research that incorporates concepts fro... Continue Reading

HOW THIS SIMPLE CANCER TEST COULD SAVE LIVES

Posted on August 21, 2018

In the report “Convergence: The Future of Health,” academics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and other top U.S. universities collaborated to outline the potential impact of the Convergence in Healthcare movement. In this white paper, Convergence in Healthcare is defined as the intersection of the life sciences, physical sciences, chemistry, ma... Continue Reading

THIS IS HOW NANOTECHNOLOGY IS LEADING TO ADVANCES IN CANCER RESEARCH

Posted on August 16, 2018

Based on data collected by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a part of the National Institutes of Health, an American’s lifetime risk of developing cancer at any site in the body is almost 40 percent. The NCI estimates that in 2018, more than 1.7 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States and more than 600,000 people will lose their lives to the d... Continue Reading

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE BRAIN INITIATIVE

Posted on July 3, 2018

In the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-sponsored report “Convergence: The Future of Health,” American academic leaders outlined the forthcoming impact of the Convergence in Healthcare revolution on the United States healthcare industry. Best defined as an intersectional approach to research between members of the life science, physical science, mathematics, comp... Continue Reading

THIS IS THE FUTURE OF COMMON DISEASE TREATMENT

Posted on June 7, 2018

According to a growing number of scientists and academics, the third revolution in life sciences is taking shape in the form of Convergence in Healthcare, a movement that calls for the integration of the mathematics, engineering, computing, physical sciences and life sciences disciplines. Convergence in Healthcare seeks to combine the work of experts from these fields to prod... Continue Reading

12 KEY COMPONENTS OF A COMPREHENSIVE EYE EXAMINATION

Posted on May 31, 2018

Ophthalmologists check the health and general condition of patients’ eyes and conduct diagnostic tests to determine whether any disease is present. Early detection and treatment give the patient the best possible chance to overcome eye problems and diseases and retain clear, healthy sight. Depending upon a patient’s circumstances, age and particular concerns, an ophthalm... Continue Reading

HERE IS THE ANSWER TO THE RISING COST OF U.S. HEALTHCARE

Posted on May 29, 2018

To say the modern American healthcare system is the subject of disagreement and debate is an understatement. When contemplating this subject, many people focus on the partisan disagreements between lawmakers in Washington, D.C. However, maybe the biggest problem with U.S. healthcare lies in a single, simple truth: healthcare in the United States grows more expensive for Ameri... Continue Reading

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