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LASIK Armed With 3D Eye Model Provides Better Vision Correction

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An advanced form of LASIK eye surgery that uses a virtual 3D model of a person’s eye appears to offer patients better vision, a new study says. About 98% of eyes treated with the “wavelight plus” form of LASIK gained improved vision, compared to 82% of eyes treated with a competing process called SMILE Pro, researchers reported Saturday in Orlando, Florida, at a meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “The wavelight plus results are particularly encouraging for the future of the field,” lead researcher Dr. John Kanellopoulos said in a news release. He’s a clinical professor of ophthalmology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City. To perform LASIK, doctors open a thin flap in the cornea, through which they use lasers to reshape the tissue beneath to correct a person’s vision, researchers said in background notes. The wavelight plus version of LASIK creates a 3-D digital model of the eye undergoing correction, based on more than 100,000 data points from each eye. This allows doctors to go into the procedure with a highly personalized plan of action. For the new study, researcher recruited 60 patients who got wavelight plus LASIK in one eye and SMILE Pro in the other. In SMILE Pro, doctors don’t have to open a flap in the cornea, which proponents say offers better structural integrity of the…  read on >  read on >

LASIK Armed With 3D Eye Model Provides Better Vision Correction

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An advanced form of LASIK eye surgery that uses a virtual 3D model of a person’s eye appears to offer patients better vision, a new study says. About 98% of eyes treated with the “wavelight plus” form of LASIK gained improved vision, compared to 82% of eyes treated with a competing process called SMILE Pro, researchers reported Saturday in Orlando, Florida, at a meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “The wavelight plus results are particularly encouraging for the future of the field,” lead researcher Dr. John Kanellopoulos said in a news release. He’s a clinical professor of ophthalmology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City. To perform LASIK, doctors open a thin flap in the cornea, through which they use lasers to reshape the tissue beneath to correct a person’s vision, researchers said in background notes. The wavelight plus version of LASIK creates a 3-D digital model of the eye undergoing correction, based on more than 100,000 data points from each eye. This allows doctors to go into the procedure with a highly personalized plan of action. For the new study, researcher recruited 60 patients who got wavelight plus LASIK in one eye and SMILE Pro in the other. In SMILE Pro, doctors don’t have to open a flap in the cornea, which proponents say offers better structural integrity of the…  read on >  read on >

Some Antidepressants Linked to Weight, Heart Health Changes

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Antidepressants are widely used to treat depression and anxiety, but a new study finds that some of these medications can cause noticeable changes in weight, heart rate and cholesterol levels. The study, published Tuesday in The Lancet, analyzed data from more than 58,000 participants to compare 30 different antidepressants or a placebo for an average of eight weeks. Researchers found what they called “clinically significant” differences in how each medication affected the body’s metabolism and blood flow. For example, people taking maprotiline gained an average of 4 pounds, while nearly half of users of amitriptyline experienced some weight gain. In contrast, agomelatine was linked to an average weight loss of 5.5 pounds among 55% of participants. Heart rate changes also differed. Some drugs, like nortriptyline, increased heart rate by about 14 beats per minute, while fluvoxamine caused a decrease of around 8 beats per minute. Researchers emphasized that while these findings highlight important differences, antidepressants remain effective treatments for depression and anxiety. The results show the need for personalized prescriptions so that doctors can better match a drug to patient’s health needs. “We do know that these medications are life-saving and life-changing, but they can have variation from person to person depending on a person’s metabolism, their age (and) what other medications they’re on,” psychiatrist Dr. Sue Varma told CBS News after reviewing the findings.…  read on >  read on >

Some Antidepressants Linked to Weight, Heart Health Changes

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Antidepressants are widely used to treat depression and anxiety, but a new study finds that some of these medications can cause noticeable changes in weight, heart rate and cholesterol levels. The study, published Tuesday in The Lancet, analyzed data from more than 58,000 participants to compare 30 different antidepressants or a placebo for an average of eight weeks. Researchers found what they called “clinically significant” differences in how each medication affected the body’s metabolism and blood flow. For example, people taking maprotiline gained an average of 4 pounds, while nearly half of users of amitriptyline experienced some weight gain. In contrast, agomelatine was linked to an average weight loss of 5.5 pounds among 55% of participants. Heart rate changes also differed. Some drugs, like nortriptyline, increased heart rate by about 14 beats per minute, while fluvoxamine caused a decrease of around 8 beats per minute. Researchers emphasized that while these findings highlight important differences, antidepressants remain effective treatments for depression and anxiety. The results show the need for personalized prescriptions so that doctors can better match a drug to patient’s health needs. “We do know that these medications are life-saving and life-changing, but they can have variation from person to person depending on a person’s metabolism, their age (and) what other medications they’re on,” psychiatrist Dr. Sue Varma told CBS News after reviewing the findings.…  read on >  read on >

Gum Disease May Raise Stroke Risk, Even Damage the Brain

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If you need another reason to brush and floss, here it is: Research suggests keeping your mouth healthy might also protect your brain and heart. Two new studies published Oct. 22 in Neurology Open Access linked gum disease and cavities to a higher risk of stroke and brain damage. In the first study, adults with gum disease were more likely to have white matter changes in their brains. “Gum disease is associated with a higher chance of inflammation, and inflammation has been tied to atherosclerosis as well as hardening of the small blood vessels, as we saw in this study,” study author Dr. Souvik Sen, a professor of neurology at the University of South Carolina, told CBS News. In the second study, Sen’s team found that people with both gum disease and cavities had an 86% higher risk of stroke compared to those with healthy teeth and gums. “If you have cavities on top of gum disease, it is double trouble. It means your risk of stroke or adverse heart event doubles,” Sen explained. The good news: Regular oral care can make a big difference. Brushing and flossing daily, along with routine dental visits, were linked to an 81% lower risk of stroke among participants who maintained those healthy oral habits, Sen said. While the research does not prove that poor oral health directly causes…  read on >  read on >

Gum Disease May Raise Stroke Risk, Even Damage the Brain

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If you need another reason to brush and floss, here it is: Research suggests keeping your mouth healthy might also protect your brain and heart. Two new studies published Oct. 22 in Neurology Open Access linked gum disease and cavities to a higher risk of stroke and brain damage. In the first study, adults with gum disease were more likely to have white matter changes in their brains. “Gum disease is associated with a higher chance of inflammation, and inflammation has been tied to atherosclerosis as well as hardening of the small blood vessels, as we saw in this study,” study author Dr. Souvik Sen, a professor of neurology at the University of South Carolina, told CBS News. In the second study, Sen’s team found that people with both gum disease and cavities had an 86% higher risk of stroke compared to those with healthy teeth and gums. “If you have cavities on top of gum disease, it is double trouble. It means your risk of stroke or adverse heart event doubles,” Sen explained. The good news: Regular oral care can make a big difference. Brushing and flossing daily, along with routine dental visits, were linked to an 81% lower risk of stroke among participants who maintained those healthy oral habits, Sen said. While the research does not prove that poor oral health directly causes…  read on >  read on >

Any Drinking Can Cause Blood Pressure To Increase, Study Says

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Any boozing can cause your blood pressure to go up, a new study shows. Even slight increases in alcohol consumption are associated with higher blood pressure, researchers reported Oct. 22 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Stopping drinking, or even cutting back, might lead to reductions in blood pressure that would lower a person’s risk of stroke or heart disease, researchers said. The results challenge long-standing assumptions that a drink here or there won’t meaningfully affect a person’s blood pressure, experts said. “Our study shows that when it comes to BP, the less you drink, the better. The more alcohol you drink, the higher your BP goes,” said lead researcher Dr. Takahiro Suzuki, a cardiologist at St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo. “In the past, scientists thought that small amounts of alcohol might be okay, but our results suggest that no alcohol is actually best,” Suzuki said in a news release. “This means that stopping drinking, even at low levels, could bring real heart health benefits for both women and men.” For the study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 360,000 annual check-ups at St. Luke’s between 2012 to 2024. As part of their check-up, patients reported their alcohol intake. Researchers divided the roughly 59,000 patients into two groups: those who were drinkers at the time of their first check-up, and those who…  read on >  read on >

Any Drinking Can Cause Blood Pressure To Increase, Study Says

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Any boozing can cause your blood pressure to go up, a new study shows. Even slight increases in alcohol consumption are associated with higher blood pressure, researchers reported Oct. 22 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Stopping drinking, or even cutting back, might lead to reductions in blood pressure that would lower a person’s risk of stroke or heart disease, researchers said. The results challenge long-standing assumptions that a drink here or there won’t meaningfully affect a person’s blood pressure, experts said. “Our study shows that when it comes to BP, the less you drink, the better. The more alcohol you drink, the higher your BP goes,” said lead researcher Dr. Takahiro Suzuki, a cardiologist at St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo. “In the past, scientists thought that small amounts of alcohol might be okay, but our results suggest that no alcohol is actually best,” Suzuki said in a news release. “This means that stopping drinking, even at low levels, could bring real heart health benefits for both women and men.” For the study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 360,000 annual check-ups at St. Luke’s between 2012 to 2024. As part of their check-up, patients reported their alcohol intake. Researchers divided the roughly 59,000 patients into two groups: those who were drinkers at the time of their first check-up, and those who…  read on >  read on >

Early Exposure Guidelines Cut Down Peanut Allergy Cases

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Encouraging parents to introduce peanuts to their infants early has led to a significant drop in new allergy diagnoses, according to researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Their study —  published in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics — is the first large-scale analysis to show the real-world impact of the new feeding recommendations and a successful public health intervention. Anaphylactic food allergies — in which the immune system overreacts to foods like milk, egg or peanut — affect about 4% of children and can cause immediate, severe reactions such as hives, swelling and difficulty breathing.  Peanut is among the most common causes of these reactions, which are also known as immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated. The shift in public health policy was driven by the 2015 Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) trial, which found that regularly feeding peanut products to high-risk infants (those with severe eczema or egg allergy) reduced their risk of developing a peanut allergy by 81%. Following the LEAP trial, major pediatric and allergy organizations released guidelines in 2015 and 2017 focused on high-risk children.  These were broadened in 2021 to support having caregivers introduce major food allergens like peanut and egg at 4 to 6 months of age for all children without a history of a prior reaction. “Everyone has been wondering whether these landmark public health interventions have…  read on >  read on >

Early Exposure Guidelines Cut Down Peanut Allergy Cases

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Encouraging parents to introduce peanuts to their infants early has led to a significant drop in new allergy diagnoses, according to researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Their study —  published in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics — is the first large-scale analysis to show the real-world impact of the new feeding recommendations and a successful public health intervention. Anaphylactic food allergies — in which the immune system overreacts to foods like milk, egg or peanut — affect about 4% of children and can cause immediate, severe reactions such as hives, swelling and difficulty breathing.  Peanut is among the most common causes of these reactions, which are also known as immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated. The shift in public health policy was driven by the 2015 Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) trial, which found that regularly feeding peanut products to high-risk infants (those with severe eczema or egg allergy) reduced their risk of developing a peanut allergy by 81%. Following the LEAP trial, major pediatric and allergy organizations released guidelines in 2015 and 2017 focused on high-risk children.  These were broadened in 2021 to support having caregivers introduce major food allergens like peanut and egg at 4 to 6 months of age for all children without a history of a prior reaction. “Everyone has been wondering whether these landmark public health interventions have…  read on >  read on >