Vision Loss News and Research

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Bacteria exploit nerve cells in the meninges to facilitate brain invasion

A new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School details the step-by-step cascade that allows bacteria to break through the brain's protective layers -; the meninges -; and cause brain infection, or meningitis, a highly fatal disease.

1 Mar 2023

UVA research provides new insight into common causes of vision loss

UVA Health scientists have discovered an unknown contributor to harmful blood vessel growth in the eye that could lead to new treatments for blinding macular degeneration and other common causes of vision loss.

24 Feb 2023

OHSU researchers confirm first-ever nonhuman primate model of Usher syndrome

Those with Usher Syndrome -- the leading hereditary cause for simultaneous deafness and blindness, for which there is no treatment -- may have a new reason for hope now that researchers have confirmed the first-ever nonhuman primate model of their disease.

13 Feb 2023

Scientists find microRNAs in human pancreatic cells that are strongly linked with type 2 diabetes

In a new large-scale genetic analysis, scientists have found a set of small RNA molecules, called microRNAs, in human pancreatic cells that are strongly associated with type 2 diabetes.

9 Feb 2023

Study reports two cases of ocular MPox in HIV-infected patients

Researchers review the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of ocular Mpox syndrome in men living with HIV infection.

7 Feb 2023

Early treatment of diabetes-related eye disease does not improve visual acuity

While early treatment of diabetes-related eye disease slowed progression to severe disease, it did not improve visual acuity compared with treating more severe disease once it developed, according to a clinical study from the DRCR Retina Network.

7 Feb 2023

New smart contact lens for monitoring and control of intraocular pressure in glaucoma

Glaucoma is a common ocular disease in which the optic nerve malfunctions due to the increased intraocular pressure (IOP) caused by drainage canal blocking in the eye.

1 Feb 2023

Scientists explore potential new ways to prevent and treat optic nerve hypoplasia

As the number of children born with a vision-impairing condition known as optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) increases, scientists with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC are investigating potential ways to prevent and treat the disease.

30 Jan 2023

Study reveals why hypoglycemic episodes worsen diabetic retinopathy

People with diabetes who experience periods of low blood sugar — a common occurrence in those new to blood sugar management — are more likely to have worsening diabetic eye disease.

26 Jan 2023

Altered amino acid metabolism could contribute to diabetes-associated peripheral neuropathy

Approximately half of people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes experience peripheral neuropathy-;weakness, numbness, and pain, primarily in the hands and feet.

25 Jan 2023

Therapeutic small molecule can restore visual functions after optic nerve injury

Traumatic injury to the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve in the central nervous system (CNS) are the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide.

20 Jan 2023

Transient ischemic attack needs emergency assessment to help prevent a full-blown stroke

Stroke symptoms that disappear in under an hour, known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA), need emergency assessment to help prevent a full-blown stroke, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published today in the Association's journal Stroke.

19 Jan 2023

Rural seniors benefit from pandemic-driven remote fitness boom

Eight women, all 73 or older, paced the fellowship hall at Malmo Evangelical Free Church to a rendition of Daniel O'Donnell's "Rivers of Babylon" as they warmed up for an hourlong fitness class.

17 Jan 2023

New UC San Diego Shiley EyeMobile for Children visits schools to serve low-income families

The new UC San Diego Shiley EyeMobile for Children has started its engine and is driving to schools in San Diego County to serve low-income families in need of eye exams.

12 Jan 2023

Study may help explain how excess weight can contribute to diabetes

People who are overweight or obese have a significantly increased risk of developing diabetes, but exactly how that happens is not well understood.

11 Jan 2023

Study: Two separate eye diseases may contribute to age-related macular degeneration

Two separate eye diseases may contribute to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to a new study from New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.

9 Jan 2023

NIH scientists use patient stem cells and 3D bioprinting to produce eye tissue

Scientists used patient stem cells and 3D bioprinting to produce eye tissue that will advance understanding of the mechanisms of blinding diseases.

22 Dec 2022

Major funding to support studies of the PRPH2 gene linked to macular dystrophy

In healthy vision, a gene called PRPH2 provides instructions to make a protein called peripherin 2 (PRPH2), which plays a key role in the normal functioning of photoreceptors that detect light and color and which line the back of the eye.

16 Dec 2022

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.