Could 'Zaps' to the brain help fight glaucoma?

Electrical pulses to the brain may help restore vision in some partially blind patients, German researchers report.
Glaucoma and other types of damage to the eye's optic nerve typically cause permanent damage. But, the new technique appears to kick-start the brain's visual control centers, the researchers explained.
A 10-day treatment regimen -- entailing upwards of nearly an hour a day of electrical pulses aimed directly into the eye -- improved vision among patients who were losing their sight, the researchers said.
"By giving currents through the eye, we force retinal cells connected to the brain to fire intensely," explained study author Dr. Bernhard Sabel, a member of the medical faculty at the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg. "This activates the brain's [vision] cells to function better again. And, 'what fires together, wires together.' "
According to the U.S. National Eye Institute, glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve, a bundle of 1 million-plus nerve fibers that links the eye's retina to the brain's vision processing center.
The Glaucoma Research Foundation says roughly 3 million Americans have the disease, which to date has no known cure. An estimated 120,000 Americans are blind as a result of glaucoma.
If caught early, a combination of eye drops, pills and laser and conventional surgery (to relieve fluid and/or pressure buildup) can slow disease progression and sometimes prevent serious vision loss.
But because it is symptomless and painless, glaucoma is often caught late, when partial to total vision loss is largely considered irreversible, doctors say.
In the new study, investigators focused on 82 partially blind adult patients between 2010 and 2012. Thirty-three had glaucoma, while the rest had other types of optic nerve damage.
A little more than half (45) the group was assigned to receive electrical stimulation therapy; the rest received a placebo treatment.
    
    HealthDay

Could Zaps to the brain help fight glaucoma?

Electrical pulses to the brain may help restore vision in some partially blind patients, German researchers report. Glaucoma and other types of damage to the eyes optic nerve typically cause permanent damage. But, the new technique appears to kick-start the brains visual control centers, the researchers explained. A 10-day treatment regimen -- entailing upwards of nearly an hour a day of electrical pulses aimed directly into the eye -- improved vision among patients who were losing their sight, the researchers said. By giving currents through the eye, we force retinal cells connected to the brain to fire intensely, explained study author Dr. Bernhard Sabel, a member of the medical faculty at the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg. This activates the brains [vision] cells to function better again. And, what fires together, wires together. According to the U.S. National Eye Institute, glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve, a bundle of 1 million-plus nerve fibers that links the eyes retina to the brains vision processing center. The Glaucoma Research Foundation says roughly 3 million Americans have the disease, which to date has no known cure. An estimated 120,000 Americans are blind as a result of glaucoma. If caught early, a combination of eye drops, pills and laser and conventional surgery (to relieve fluid and/or pressure buildup) can slow disease progression and sometimes prevent serious vision loss. But because it is symptomless and painless, glaucoma is often caught late, when partial to total vision loss is largely considered irreversible, doctors say. In the new study, investigators focused on 82 partially blind adult patients between 2010 and 2012. Thirty-three had glaucoma, while the rest had other types of optic nerve damage. A little more than half (45) the group was assigned to receive electrical stimulation therapy; the rest received a placebo treatment. HealthDay