Lazy Eye

Successful treatment of amblyopia, or lazy eye, in children requires that a patch be worn over the good eye for all or part of the day, forcing the lazy eye to work. But many kids resist this. Now research from the National Eye Institute has found that eye drops work as well as a patch and are easier to use. The drops, containing the drug atropine, are placed in the good eye, dilating the pupil and temporarily causing blurry vision in that eye.

Children who play more outdoors are smarter, leaner and stronger than kids more inclined toward indoor activities, and a new study finds they have another advantage: They're less likely to suffer from nearsightedness, in which objects in the distance appear blurry. The study , presented Monday at the American Academy of Ophthamology's  yearly meeting, culled the findings of eight studies that explored the relationship between outdoor time and myopia in more than 10,000 children.

Researchers have found a way to screen infants for lazy eye at a time when they're too young to look at charts or read. That's important because early diagnosis of the disorder can avert the vision loss and learning problems that often go undetected until a child reaches school age. The technique, devised by researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia, relies upon multiple images recorded on videotape.

It's taken nearly 10 years to get there, but the pride of the Silver Lake scene finally has been recognized by the establishment. The Silversun Pickups, who first caught widespread attention with "Lazy Eye," a sliver of woozy early Smashing Pumpkins-inspired rock from the band's 2006 debut album, "Carnavas," were nominated for a Grammy on Wednesday in the best new artist category. The Zac Brown Band, MGMT, the Ting Tings and R&B songstress Keri Hilson were also nominated. Currently on tour in Europe with Placebo, the band's frontman, Brian Aubert, was asleep when the news came in. He woke up to hundreds of voicemails and text messages.

The long-standing treatment for young children with amblyopia -- also known as lazy eye or dull eye -- is to have them wear a patch over the good or dominant eye, forcing the misaligned eye to work harder and eventually correct itself. The unanswered question has been how long the patch must be worn each day. The answer seems to be that two hours a day is as good as six.

Those who read Mary Morrissy's first novel, "Mother of Pearl," and saw that Ireland had produced yet another powerful voice--tragic and lyrical and slyly humorous in the Irish tradition, yet completely original--will be disappointed a little by these 15 stories. For some reason, the weakest tales seem to come first. They begin with a novelistic amplitude and abruptly peter out, or they conclude shockingly but flatly.

Children who play more outdoors are smarter, leaner and stronger than kids more inclined toward indoor activities, and a new study finds they have another advantage: They're less likely to suffer from nearsightedness, in which objects in the distance appear blurry. The study , presented Monday at the American Academy of Ophthamology's  yearly meeting, culled the findings of eight studies that explored the relationship between outdoor time and myopia in more than 10,000 children.

Calling the century-old "E" eye chart the most outmoded medical test in use, a researcher has demonstrated before 17,000 experts a new, high-tech system of determining visual ability. In addition to measuring visual acuity more accurately than the standard Snellen chart, the Vision Contrast Test System shows a person's ability to see under different light conditions, such as dusk or bright sunlight, Dr. Arthur Ginsburg said at the recent meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

It's taken nearly 10 years to get there, but the pride of the Silver Lake scene finally has been recognized by the establishment. The Silversun Pickups, who first caught widespread attention with "Lazy Eye," a sliver of woozy early Smashing Pumpkins-inspired rock from the band's 2006 debut album, "Carnavas," were nominated for a Grammy on Wednesday in the best new artist category. The Zac Brown Band, MGMT, the Ting Tings and R&B songstress Keri Hilson were also nominated. Currently on tour in Europe with Placebo, the band's frontman, Brian Aubert, was asleep when the news came in. He woke up to hundreds of voicemails and text messages.

Many children have blurred vision, but only one child in four complains about it, notes the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Usually, children with eye disorders do not know what they should be seeing; to them, blurred vision is normal. Parents should be aware of the signs of faulty vision and be sure that their child has regular eye examinations by an ophthalmologist, a physician who specializes in diseases and problems of the eye.

The long-standing treatment for young children with amblyopia -- also known as lazy eye or dull eye -- is to have them wear a patch over the good or dominant eye, forcing the misaligned eye to work harder and eventually correct itself. The unanswered question has been how long the patch must be worn each day. The answer seems to be that two hours a day is as good as six.

Successful treatment of amblyopia, or lazy eye, in children requires that a patch be worn over the good eye for all or part of the day, forcing the lazy eye to work. But many kids resist this. Now research from the National Eye Institute has found that eye drops work as well as a patch and are easier to use. The drops, containing the drug atropine, are placed in the good eye, dilating the pupil and temporarily causing blurry vision in that eye.

Researchers have found a way to screen infants for lazy eye at a time when they're too young to look at charts or read. That's important because early diagnosis of the disorder can avert the vision loss and learning problems that often go undetected until a child reaches school age. The technique, devised by researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia, relies upon multiple images recorded on videotape.

Those who read Mary Morrissy's first novel, "Mother of Pearl," and saw that Ireland had produced yet another powerful voice--tragic and lyrical and slyly humorous in the Irish tradition, yet completely original--will be disappointed a little by these 15 stories. For some reason, the weakest tales seem to come first. They begin with a novelistic amplitude and abruptly peter out, or they conclude shockingly but flatly.

Many children have blurred vision, but only one child in four complains about it, notes the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Usually, children with eye disorders do not know what they should be seeing; to them, blurred vision is normal. Parents should be aware of the signs of faulty vision and be sure that their child has regular eye examinations by an ophthalmologist, a physician who specializes in diseases and problems of the eye.

A week ago I put a dent and door-wide scratch onto my new Olds Cutlass, a psychic gash from which I've yet to recover. The instantaneous guilt I felt was only a little less intense than original sin. Now, I'm not one of those people who considers washing and waxing a car a sacrament, but I am an American, and for an American, taking possession of a new car is the closest thing I'll ever know to feeling like royalty.

A week ago I put a dent and door-wide scratch onto my new Olds Cutlass, a psychic gash from which I've yet to recover. The instantaneous guilt I felt was only a little less intense than original sin. Now, I'm not one of those people who considers washing and waxing a car a sacrament, but I am an American, and for an American, taking possession of a new car is the closest thing I'll ever know to feeling like royalty.

Call it the hidden side of the Lasik juggernaut: a patient who suffers sight-threatening complications after laser eye surgery, a center that engages in what one couple regards as "bait and switch" tactics, and several California surgeons who reused disposable blades without sterilizing them between patients.

Calling the century-old "E" eye chart the most outmoded medical test in use, a researcher has demonstrated before 17,000 experts a new, high-tech system of determining visual ability. In addition to measuring visual acuity more accurately than the standard Snellen chart, the Vision Contrast Test System shows a person's ability to see under different light conditions, such as dusk or bright sunlight, Dr. Arthur Ginsburg said at the recent meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.