Vision Loss News and Research

RSS

Newly identified genetic mutation may be a root cause of severe childhood glaucoma

An international team of scientists led by Mass Eye and Ear, a member of Mass General Brigham, and Boston Children's Hospital, has discovered a new genetic mutation that may be a root cause of severe cases of childhood glaucoma, a devastating condition that runs in families and can rob children of their vision by 3 years of age.

1 Dec 2022

Scientists discover new potential mechanism for vision loss

Visual cells in the human retina may not simply die in some diseases, but are mechanically transported out of the retina beforehand.

1 Dec 2022

Study compares the performance of two most popular AMD drugs

A pilot, "look-back" study of information about 106 patients with "wet" age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treated at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Medicine has revealed that nearly half of patients treated with aflibercept could safely stop eye injection therapy after one year without further vision loss.

30 Nov 2022

Scientists report new target to combat coronary artery disease

Soon after cholesterol and fat start depositing on the lining of the blood vessels that supply your heart, the smooth muscle cells that give the blood vessels strength and flexibility start to get bigger and multiply.

29 Nov 2022

Repetitive stress induces features of accelerated aging in the eye

New research from the University of California, Irvine, suggests aging is an important component of retinal ganglion cell death in glaucoma, and that novel pathways can be targeted when designing new treatments for glaucoma patients.

21 Nov 2022

UH researcher aims to find causal pathways to developmental disabilities among children in rural Zambia

Of the 2.6 billion children in the world, 11% or 291.2 million are estimated to have one of four developmental disabilities – epilepsy, intellectual disability, vision loss and hearing loss. Ninety-five percent of these children live in low- and middle-income countries, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, according to recent estimates.

20 Nov 2022

Poor sleep increases the risk of glaucoma

Snoring, daytime sleepiness, insomnia, and sleep duration may increase the risk of glaucoma.

8 Nov 2022

Can monkeypox spread through contaminated food?

In a recent study published in the journal Microbial Risk Analysis, a team of researchers from France performed a qualitative risk assessment to determine the probability of transmission of monkeypox through the handling and consumption of food.

1 Nov 2022

Discovery points to a new understanding of Stargardt disease progression

Using a new stem-cell-based model made from skin cells, scientists found the first direct evidence that Stargardt-related ABCA4 gene mutations affect a layer of cells in the eye called the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE).

27 Oct 2022

Low-carb diet may be a useful approach for preventing and treating Type 2 diabetes

While low-carb diets are often recommended for those being treated for diabetes, little evidence exists on whether eating fewer carbs can impact the blood sugar of those with diabetes or prediabetes who aren't treated by medications.

26 Oct 2022

Discovery provides better understanding of retinal protein's structure and function

Scientists have discovered a mechanism by which an area of a protein shape-shifts to convert vitamin A into a form usable by the eye's light-sensing photoreceptor cells.

26 Oct 2022

What are the complications, preventative measures, and treatments of ocular monkeypox?

A CDC report recently discussed ocular complications of monkeypox and discussed the treatments and preventative measures for ocular monkeypox.

20 Oct 2022

NEI researchers create a high-resolution map of retinal cell chromatin contract points

National Eye Institute researchers mapped the organization of human retinal cell chromatin, the fibers that package 3 billion nucleotide-long DNA molecules into compact structures that fit into chromosomes within each cell's nucleus.

7 Oct 2022

New analysis highlights the need to prioritize addressing preventable vision loss in children in America

An analysis of the nation's first and largest comprehensive eye disease registry, the IRIS® Registry, sheds new light on what we thought we knew about childhood blindness in the United States: The leading causes appear to be retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), nystagmus, and cataract, mostly treatable and preventable causes.

3 Oct 2022

Mortality prediction model for dementia patients may help guide decisions on end-of-life care

A mortality prediction model for older adults with dementia may help clinicians frame discussions with patients and their families relating to end-of-life care, such as at-home support and nursing homes.

26 Sep 2022

Researchers uncover a key process involved in diabetes-related vision loss

Researchers at Queen's University Belfast have uncovered a key process that contributes to vision loss and blindness in people with diabetes.

22 Sep 2022

Father of modern corneal science honored with the 2022 António Champalimaud Vision Award

Claes H. Dohlman, MD, PhD, whose pioneering research at Mass Eye and Ear and in the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School (HMS) has forever changed the way conditions of the cornea are understood and treated, has been presented with the 2022 António Champalimaud Vision Award for his vast contributions to vision research.

15 Sep 2022

New technology reveals cellular changes across neural-epithelial-vascular complex in choroideremia

By combining traditional eye imaging techniques with adaptive optics - a technology that enhances imaging resolution - researchers at the National Eye Institute have shown for the first time how cells across different tissue layers in the eye are affected in people with choroideremia, a rare genetic disorder that leads to blindness.

13 Sep 2022

New gene therapy approach could help prevent blindness in children with Leber congenital amaurosis

Researchers from the National Eye Institute have developed a gene therapy that rescues cilia defects in retinal cells affected by a type of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a disease that causes blindness in early childhood.

8 Sep 2022

Study helps reveal the molecular secrets of macular degeneration

Research led by Sanford Burnham Prebys professor Francesca Marassi, Ph.D., is helping to reveal the molecular secrets of macular degeneration, which causes almost 90% of all age-related vision loss.

7 Sep 2022