Visual Impairment

The definition of vision impairment by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says a visually impaired person’s eyesight cannot be corrected to a “normal level”.

What is visual impairment?

The definition of vision impairment by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says a visually impaired person’s eyesight cannot be corrected to a “normal level”.

Diagnosis of visual impairment

Treatment of visual impairment

Does looking at a computer damage your eyes?

Nearsightedness and Farsightedness

Latest Visual Impairment News and Research

Experts identify five elements of brain-based visual impairment in children

Experts convened by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have identified five elements of a brain-based condition that has emerged as a leading cause of vision impairment starting in childhood in the United States and other industrialized nations.

20 Nov 2024

Study reveals inadequacy of time extensions for Braille users in complex exams

Students often appear for high-stakes tests that hold significant weight in determining their futures. One such examination, the Common Test for University Admissions, currently allows examinees using braille an extended examination time of 1.5 times the standard duration.

8 Nov 2024

WHO confirms elimination of trachoma in South Asia

The world moved closer to eliminating trachoma this month after the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed India and Pakistan as being free of the disease, a leading cause of blindness.

16 Oct 2024

A novel approach to understanding protein compartmentalization

In physics, a system composed of two substances can be modeled in accordance with classical mixture theory, which considers the fraction corresponding to each constituent and the interactions among constituents. Examples include the coexistence of high- and low-density phases in supercooled water and the coexistence of metal puddles in an insulating matrix in the Mott metal-insulator transition.

14 Oct 2024

Researchers boost natural defenses to fight cataracts and delay the need for surgery

Researchers have reviewed strategies to increase glutathione levels in the eye lens, focusing on endogenous molecular mechanisms to prevent cataracts by countering oxidative stress.

3 Oct 2024

Using advanced AI screening tools to improve early detection of myopic maculopathy

Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is on the rise, especially among children.

3 Oct 2024

Gene therapy improves vision in patients with Bothnia dystrophy

Bothnia dystrophy is a form of hereditary blindness, prevalent in the region Västerbotten in Sweden. A new study at Karolinska Institutet published in Nature Communications shows that gene therapy can improve vision in patients with the disease.

10 Sep 2024

New preclinical model offers a unique platform for studying Parkinson's disease process

A new preclinical model offers a unique platform for studying the Parkinson's disease process and suggests a relatively easy method for detecting the disease in people, according to a new study led by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers.

23 Jul 2024

Saffron: A golden remedy for modern health challenges

Review highlights saffron's potential in preventing and treating various human diseases through its bioactive compounds. Clinical and preclinical studies confirm saffron's benefits in conditions like maculopathy, depression, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.

21 Jul 2024

Omics-based approaches to age-related macular degeneration

A new editorial paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 16, Issue 12, entitled, "Aging retinal pigmented epithelium: omics-based insights into vision decline."

9 Jul 2024

Evaluating the efficacy of harmol in treating herpes simplex virus-induced keratitis

The antiviral efficacy and therapeutic potential of harmol in treating herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) induced keratitis

29 May 2024

AI offers hope for enhanced cataract surgery in developing nations

While the adequate surgical treatment of cataract is guaranteed in high-income countries, the surgical results in the Global South are often inadequate.

15 Apr 2024

Does visual impairment influence mental disorders?

Whether visual impairment (VI) affects mental disorders in the older population.

31 Jan 2024

Preterm babies at higher risk of long-term neurodevelopmental issues, study finds

Children born moderately (32-33 weeks) or late preterm (34-36 weeks) have higher long-term risks of neurodevelopmental difficulties that can affect their behavior and ability to learn, finds a study of over one million children published by The BMJ today.

24 Jan 2024

Machine learning predicts the long-term future of shortsighted eyes

Machine learning has been found to predict well the outcomes of many health conditions. Now, researchers from Japan have found a way to predict whether people with severe shortsightedness will have good or bad vision in the future.

13 Dec 2023

EU funds the international "BEHIND-MS" consortium to tackle multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, affects more than 1 million people in Europe and an estimated 2.8 million worldwide.

7 Dec 2023

Study highlights lack of clinical research to address sight loss in working-age people

A new study has highlighted a lack of clinical research to address the leading causes of severe sight impairment (SSI) among the working-age UK population, which costs the UK economy an estimated £7.4bn annually.

2 Nov 2023

Researchers discover new mechanism in the progression of age-related macular degeneration

Research led by Nicolas Bazan, MD, PhD, Boyd Professor, Ernest C. and Yvette C. Villere Chair for the Study of Retinal Degeneration, and Director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, suggests that age-related macular degeneration (AMD) decreases an essential fatty acid, preventing the formation of a class of protective molecules and reducing repair potential. The discovery may also open new therapeutic avenues for AMD.

12 Sep 2023

Ciliopathies: A new understanding of the role of the NSL complex

The non-specific lethal (NSL) complex is a chromatin-associated factor that has been shown to regulate the expression of thousands of genes in both fruit flies and mammals.

25 Aug 2023