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  • Week in review: Eye roll, smart signals, physician burnout

    By Anni Griswold
    Comprehensive Ophthalmology, Cornea/External Disease, Pediatric Ophth/Strabismus
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    A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

    An artificial eye surface built from human cells could help scientists test treatments for dry eye, corneal ulcers and other conditions. The surface is lubricated with each blink of a faux eyelid, crafted from a thin hydrogel film. Engineers from the University of Pennsylvania unveiled the model last week, during the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Science News

    * Image courtesy of Dan Huh Laboratory/University of Pennsylvania

    Physician burnout is starting to spill over into patient care, according to a recent report in JAMA Internal Medicine. More than 1 in 3 physicians show signs of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and are at risk of abandoning their practice and receiving ombudsman complaints. Healio

    Smart traffic signals may soon help blind pedestrians safely cross streets and catch buses, thanks to a $2 million investment from the Federal Highway Administration. The signals will communicate with pedestrian smartphones and provide extra crossing time as needed, using a spinoff of the artificial intelligence system that reshaped Pittsburgh’s traffic flow a few years back. The robotics team at Carnegie Mellon hopes to begin testing the signals later this year. EurekAlert!

    Some fish use their eyes as flashlights to illuminate prey and nearby objects, according to a new study of triplefins – small fish residing along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. These fish roll their eyes not out of disgust, but to scatter sparks of red or blue light through surrounding waters. Scientists are diving deeper into the finding to see if other fish species perform similar feats. Science

    A micro-therapeutic formulation of atropine for curbing myopia progression is one step closer to approval. The FDA has asked for only one (rather than the usual two) phase 3 pivotal trial of MicroPine. The drugmaker, Eyenovia, plans to begin a phase 3 trial in 2019. GlobeNewswire