Vision Loss News and Research

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Promising gene therapy could restore vision in humans

It was surprisingly simple. University of California, Berkeley, scientists inserted a gene for a green-light receptor into the eyes of blind mice and, a month later, they were navigating around obstacles as easily as mice with no vision problems.

15 Mar 2019

New therapy could help prolong useful vision and delay total blindness

Millions of Americans are progressively losing their sight as cells in their eyes deteriorate, but a new therapy developed by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, could help prolong useful vision and delay total blindness.

14 Mar 2019

Ebola survivors in Liberia have higher prevalence of health issues, study shows

Survivors of Ebola virus disease in Liberia had a higher prevalence of certain health issues--including uveitis (eye redness and pain), abdominal, chest, neurologic, and musculoskeletal abnormalities upon physical exam--when compared to a control group of household and community members who did not have a history of EVD, according to findings from an ongoing study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

8 Mar 2019

Laser-based technique allows doctors to image the whole eye in 3D

Scientists have developed a laser-based technique that can produce a full 3D image of all the layers of the retina, allowing doctors to better diagnose and treat eye diseases such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and cancer.

6 Mar 2019

Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month: How visual impairment affects older adults

As Age-Related Macular Degeneration/Low Vision Awareness Month comes to a close, we’re sharing three stories by Bonnielin Swenor, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

5 Mar 2019

Drug increases melanin production in some people with albinism

A small pilot clinical study at the National Eye Institute suggests that the drug nitisinone increases melanin production in some people with oculocutaneous albinism type 1B, a rare genetic disease that causes pale skin and hair and poor vision.

21 Feb 2019

First gene therapy operation for macular degeneration is a success

A new treatment is the first to target the underlying genetic cause of AMD, which affects more than 600,000 people in the UK alone.

20 Feb 2019

Heavy smoking could lead to vision loss, study finds

Smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day can damage your vision, a study co-authored by a Rutgers researcher finds.

18 Feb 2019

NIH scientists zero in on genes associated with AMD

National Eye Institute scientists led a collaborative study and zeroed in on genes associated with age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss and blindness among people age 65 and older.

12 Feb 2019

Individualized diets more effective in controlling blood glucose levels, study finds

An individualized diet based on a person's genetics, microbiome and lifestyle is more effective in controlling blood glucose (sugar) levels than one that considers only nutritional composition of food, Mayo Clinic researchers have confirmed.

11 Feb 2019

Scientists explore new treatment targets for retinal damage

Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University are looking at new treatment targets for the retinal damage that often accompanies diseases like diabetes, glaucoma and hypertension.

31 Jan 2019

People with sight problems could benefit from new surgical trial

People with sight problems could benefit from a surgical trial advance that has been shown to help restore the surface of the eye.

29 Jan 2019

NIH grants awarded to Nanoscope to recruit talent and develop optogenetic delivery platforms

Retinal dystrophies such as Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are a major cause of vision loss in aging populations. National Eye Institute (NEI) estimates that the prevalence of advanced AMD will grow to nearly 3 million by 2020.

29 Jan 2019

Defective molecular master switch could lead to age-related macular degeneration

A signaling pathway controlled by transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) could be involved in the progression of age-related macular degeneration.

22 Jan 2019

FDA approves generic drug for treating focal seizures

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first generic version of Sabril (vigabatrin) 500 mg tablets for treating complex partial seizures, also called focal seizures, as an adjunctive therapy (given with another primary treatment) in patients 10 years and older who have responded inadequately to several alternative (refractory) treatments.

16 Jan 2019

Researchers examine benefits of oral supplement for patients with thyroid eye disease

Fight for Sight and the Thyroid Eye Disease Charitable Trust are funding research to establish the benefits of using a type of oral supplement for UK patients with thyroid eye disease, which affects around 300,000 people in the UK.

11 Jan 2019

RFID helps Kellogg providers to make visits meaningful for patients and reduce wait times

Technology that retailers use to make a shopping experience more efficient could also benefit your next eye appointment.

9 Jan 2019

Researchers use AI to diagnose diabetes-related eye disease

Researchers have used artificial intelligence to support the instant diagnosis of one of the top causes of blindness, diabetes-related eye disease, in its earliest stages.

8 Jan 2019

Study investigates whether home eye tests could help patients and reduce burden on NHS

Researchers from Queen's University Belfast, in collaboration with the University of Bristol, are leading a cutting-edge project, named the "MONARCH" study, that could benefit eye disease patients whilst saving both time and money within the NHS.

20 Dec 2018

Active ingredient in eye drops shows promise for treating aggressive blood cancer

An active ingredient in eye drops that were being developed for the treatment of a form of eye disease has shown promise for treating an aggressive form of blood cancer. Scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Cambridge, University of Nottingham and their collaborators have found that this compound, which targets an essential cancer gene, could kill leukemia cells without harming non-leukemic blood cells.

19 Dec 2018