FRIDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Eating plenty of antioxidant-rich food such as blueberries, artichokes and pecans may help protect against macular degeneration, the leading cause of age-related blindness in the United States and other developed countries.

U.S. researchers found that antioxidants disrupt a link between two processes in the retina that, in combination, contribute to macular degeneration. Antioxidants also extend the lifetime of irreplaceable photoreceptors and other retinal cells.

FRIDAY, Aug. 29 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to ear wax, it's best to leave it alone, new national guidelines state.

While many people feel they need to remove ear wax -- technically called cerumen and a mixture of secretion, hair and dead skin -- it is actually protective since it has lubricating and antibacterial properties, said Dr. Peter Roland, an ear specialist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. He chaired a panel that released new guidelines Friday from the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists from the United States and China have identified the first gene directly associated with the onset of severe "dry" macular degeneration, one of two forms of age-related macular degeneration that currently threatens the vision of up to nine million older Americans.

As we age, our eyes inevitably take on a baggy look. Now scientists think they know why.

Fat in the eye socket expands.

The finding could prove useful to the growing number of people not satisfied with the natural look.

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MONDAY, Aug. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Add increased suffering for people with ragweed allergies to the list of problems caused by climate change, a new study suggests.

Recent research indicates that increasing global temperatures and carbon dioxide levels are causing longer ragweed seasons and more concentrated pollen counts, says the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, which has devoted the September issue of its Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology to examining the effects of climate change on allergic disease.

MONDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) -- About half of all American adults don't have the 20/20 vision physicians consider optimal because they are nearsighted, farsighted, or have an irregular corneal curve known as astigmatism, a large, new study reports.

The study revealed that such common eye-focus problems -- collectively known as "refractive errors"-- affect young, middle-aged and older adults of all races. Corrective care for such problems amounts to an estimated $3.8 billion to $7.2 billion annually, the researchers said.

FRIDAY, Aug. 8 (HealthDay News) -- A new method of freezing damaged cells in the esophagus to prevent them from turning cancerous is being used by gastroenterologists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

A condition called Barrett's esophagus can result from ongoing heartburn, in which stomach acid constantly splashes into the esophagus. Untreated, this can become Barrett's with dysplasia, in which cells start to transform.

THURSDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have discovered a gene mutation that may cause a rare eye disease in dogs, and possibly humans as well.

A specific variation on chromosome 5 was associated with cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) in wire-haired dachshunds, according to a study in the Aug. 8 online issue of Genome Research.

If the mutation is also linked to the condition in humans, and researchers think it might be, this could point the way to new therapies.

FRIDAY, July 25 (HealthDay News) -- A clean, fresh-smelling home may actually be bad for your health, depending on what type of cleaning and air freshening products you use.

Recent research suggests that exposure to cleaning products or air fresheners that contain a certain volatile organic compound (VOC) called 1,4 dicholorobenzene (1,4 DCB), can reduce lung function by 4 percent. Another study found that the use of spray household cleaners could increase the risk of developing asthma by nearly 50 percent.

THURSDAY, July 24 (HealthDay News) -- A genetic mutation that causes a congenital eye movement disorder called Duane syndrome has been identified by American and U.K. researchers, who said the finding may improve understanding of how the visual system develops.

People with Duane syndrome, which affects nerve growth in the eye, have limited sideways eye movement. The condition, which is more prevalent in women and in the left eye, affects about half a million people worldwide.