The first UK clinical trials of an electronic eye implant designed to restore the sight of blind people have proved successful and “exceeded expectations”, according to scientists.

Eye experts developing the pioneering new technology said the first group of British patients to receive the electronic microchips were regaining “useful vision” just weeks after undergoing surgery.

The news will offer fresh hope for people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa (RP) – a genetic eye condition that leads to incurable blindness.

Retina Implant AG, a leading developer of subretinal implants, fitted two RP sufferers with the wireless device in mid-April as part of its UK trial. The patients were able to detect light immediately after the microchip was activated, while further testing revealed there were also able to locate white objects on a dark background, Retina Implant said.

Ten more British sufferers will be fitted with the devices as part of the British trial, which is being led by Tim Jackson, a consultant retinal surgeon at King’s College Hospital and Robert MacLaren, a professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford and a consultant retinal surgeon at the Oxford Eye Hospital.

They said: “The visual results of these patients exceeded our expectations. This technology represents a genuinely exciting development and is an import step forward in our attempts to offer people with RP a better quality of life.”

The patients will undergo further testing as they adjust to the 3mm by 3mm device in the coming months.

The subretinal implant technology has been in clinical trials for more than six years with testing also taking place in Germany. Developers are planning to seek commercial approval following the latest phase of testing.

David Head, head of charity RP Fighting Blindness, said: “The completion of the first two implants in the UK is very significant and brings hope to people who have lost their sight as a result of RP.”

RP is an inherited condition which gets worse over time and affects one in every 3,000-4,000 people in Europe.

Mom’s have been talking about the benefits of playing music for babies for quite a while.  With these Bellybuds you can play music for just the baby no matter where you’re at.  With the pair of Bellybuds attached to your stomach the music won’t be able to be heard by the rest of the room.  Plus since they’re just a pair of earphones for your belly, you can hand pick exactly what music you’d like to be played.

The Bellybuds come with several items, including 2 different sets of hydrogel adhesive rings to make sure that the buds can stay secured while your belly/the baby continues to grow.  You get one set of Bellyphones, a neoprene storage pouch with belt clip and buddons to dampen the external sound.  It comes with an audio splitter so that you can also listen to the same music or audio as the baby.  You can purchase the full set for $49.99.  You can also get a 3-pack of replacement adhesive rings for $14.99.

This report actually made me laugh, because who are you to believe? Sunscreen is supposed to protect us from cancer, but with more and more people actually getting skin cancer these days, maybe it’s these man made products and not the sun after all?  A new report from the Environmental Working Group claims that many products don’t do what they’re supposed to. Some sunscreens contains ingredients that might even trigger skin tumors, according to the 2010 Sunscreen Guide.

NEW YORK (AdAge) – Beauty product marketer Revlon has switched its nearly $100 million U.S. media-planning and -buying account from Aegis’ Carat to WPP’s MediaCom without a review, executives with knowledge of the situation have confirmed. The split is apparently due to Revlon and Carat being unable to agree to financial terms, executives have said.