Week in review: Disney eyes, Google Doodle, Viagra vision

A weekly roundup of ophthalmic news from around the web.

“People live by the philosophy that if a little bit is good, a lot is better,” said Richard Rosen, MD, director of retina services at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. But sometimes that strategy falls through. For example? A 31-year-old man, whose story is told in the latest issue of Retinal Cases, developed a permanent red tint to his vision after consuming “much more” than the recommended 50-mg dose of sildenafil citrate, the active ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra. Imaging studies by Rosen and colleagues revealed irreversible microscopic damage to retinal cones, similar to what is seen in retinitis pigmentosa or cone-rod dystrophy. Mount Sinai

Cataracts could raise the risk of bone fracture or osteoporosis by 29%—but cataract surgery nearly halves these odds, researchers say. The findings emerged from a massive Taiwanese study that followed 57,972 cataract patients and an equal number of matched controls for more than 6 years. A diagnosis of cataracts, researchers report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, ups the risk of osteoporosis by 43%, hip fracture by 16%, vertebral fracture by 25% and other fractures by 24%. While the mechanism linking cataracts to bone fracture remains cloudy, there’s a bright side: Cataract surgery appears to cut the overall risk of bone fracture or osteoporosis by 42%. EurekAlert!

Strangers often marvel at the “Disney princess eyes” of a 2-year-old Minnesota girl, her mother told newspapers. Her enchanting eyes, however, stem from Axenfeld-Riger syndrome. Doctors diagnosed the little girl with the rare disorder shortly after birth, and glaucoma soon after. Despite almost non-existent irises, she is expected to live a healthy, normal life. Daily Mail

If you missed Google’s October 1 Doodle, it’s not too late to check it out! The site recently celebrated the 100^th birthday of Indian ophthalmologist Govindappa Venkataswamy, MD. “Known as Dr. V to colleagues and patients, Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy, founded the Aravind Eye Hospital, which started as an 11-bed facility and has grown into a network of clinics providing life-changing care to citizens of a nation struggling with high rates of blindness.” Google

A discovery by Nottingham researchers could simplify corneal transplants. Their study in the American Journal of Ophthalmology reveals that the Descemet membrane rolls in a direction dictated by the content and distribution of elastin. This direction can be reversed by treating the membrane with an enzyme that dissolves elastin, possibly easing the tricky step of unrolling donor tissue during DMEK. University of Nottingham