Page 5 ARTICLE BY: INVISION Staff 04 September 2018 Anyone in an ER could perform a test with this technology. CHAMPAIGN, IL — A new point-of-care rapid-sensing device can detect a key marker of eye injury in minutes, a time frame crucial to treating eye trauma, according to a University of Illinois press release. Researchers at the university developed a gel laden with gold nanoparticles that changes color when it reacts with a teardrop containing ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C, released from a wound to the eye. In a study published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics, the researchers used the sensor, called OjoGel, to measure ascorbic acid levels in artificial tears and in clinical samples of fluid from patients’ eyes. “We expect a significant potential impact of this biosensor for evaluating the eye in post-surgical patients as well as trauma patients,” said study leader Dipanjan Pan, a University of Illinois professor of bioengineering and the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. Pan’s group collaborated with Dr. Leanne Labriola, an ophthalmologist at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, to develop OjoGel. “OjoGel technology may allow for faster identification of serious eye injuries,” Labriola said. “With a rapid point-of-care device such as this, anyone in an emergency department could perform a test and know within minutes if the patient needs urgent surgery to save their vision.” Color-Changing Sensor Can Detect Eye Damage in Minutes Outbreak of Rare Eye Infection Reported in Contact Lens Wearers ARTICLE BY: INVISION Staff 21 September 2018 It can cause blindness. An outbreak of a rare eye infection that can cause blindness has been identified in contact lens wearers, researchers say. A team led by University College London and Moorfields Eye Hospital researchers team found a threefold increase in Acanthamoeba keratitis since 2011 in South-East England. Reusable contact lens wearers with the eye infection are more likely to have used an ineffective contact lens solution, have contaminated their lenses with water or reported poor contact lens hygiene, according to the findings, which were published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. "This infection is still quite rare, usually affecting 2.5 in 100,000 contact lens users per year in South East England, but it’s largely preventable," said the study’s lead author, Professor John Dart (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust). " This increase in cases highlights the need for contact lens users to be aware of the risks." Acanthamoeba keratitis is an eye disease that causes the cornea to become painful and inflamed. Acanthamoeba is a cyst-forming microorganism. The most severely affected patients (a quarter of the total) have less than 25 percent of vision or become blind following the disease and face prolonged treatment. Overall 25 percent of people affected require corneal transplants to treat the disease or restore vision. Our condolences go out to the Casey family. We were sadden to hear about the passing of Patricia Casey. Patricia was the wife of the late Dennis Casey. Dennis passed away in August 2016 and was a fellow Optician as well as a member and friend of OANY. Do you have a special event you want to share with us? Just let us know and we’ll get it into our newsletter. Please contact our Director, Phil Feldman at philfeldman1125@gmail.com