Compound in Glaucoma Meds Effective Against TB
The sulfa-based compound ethoxzolamide, found in many glaucoma medications, may also be effective against tuberculosis (TB), scientists from Michigan State University have discovered. The study, recently published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, found the compound thwarts the TB bacterium’s ability to evade the immune system.

The researchers believe the discovery may also shorten TB treatment, thus overcoming drug resistance.

Point of Convergence Discovered
Researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands used prisms and MRI to find the point in the human brain in which the transformation to a cyclopean view of the world takes place. The transition takes place very early in image processing in the visual cortex, and researchers hope a better understanding of this process will help ongoing research on vision problems such as amblyopia.

The study findings were recently published in Current Biology. 

Seniors in Subsidized Housing Have More Vision Impairment
A study recently published in The Gerontologist found that seniors living in subsidized housing have a higher rate of vision impairment. Researchers screened residents 60 years and older in 14 federally subsidized senior housing facilities in Jefferson County, Ala., and discovered 40% failed distance vision screenings (worse than 20/40 in either eye), and 58% failed near vision screenings. The usual rate of impairment in patients older than age 60 in the general population is 10% to 20%, the study states. The study’s patient population was predominately African American (75%).