Weightlifting causes a temporary increase in intraocular pressure, and prolonged weightlifting may be a potential risk factor for the development and progression of glaucoma, according to a study in Septembers Archives of Ophthalmology. Normal-tension glaucoma is more common in individuals with frequent changes in eye pressure, the authors say, so patients with normal-tension glaucoma should be questioned about a history of weightlifting. In related news, subjects doing the yoga headstand posture (Sirsasana) double their baseline IOP when in this pose, according to a study in Augusts Ophthalmology. However, researchers found no higher prevalence of ocular hypertensives among this group, nor did these subjects have glaucoma risk factors that correlated with the IOP rise.

Elizabeth Chen, a former CEO of two Massachusetts-based biotech companies, is the first woman and the second non-O.D. to be elected president of New England College of Optometry.

A chemical compound found in shrimp and crabs, called chitosan, may discourage microbes from forming slimy, glue-like layers of infectious cells known as biofilms on mechanical heart valves, contact lenses, artificial hips, knees and breast implants, and more, according to researchers at Montana State University