Blindness News and Research

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New AI imaging technique enhances retinal disorder diagnosis

Population-based studies have shown retinal disorders are the most common cause of irreversible blindness in developed countries and the second most common cause of blindness after cataracts in developing countries.

12 Sep 2024

New research aims to target IL-6 for treating diabetic retinopathy

Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University are searching for a new treatment target for a common complication of diabetes that can cause retinal blood vessels to break down, leak, or become blocked.

12 Sep 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

Gene therapy shows dramatic vision improvement for rare inherited condition

The vision of people with a rare inherited condition that causes them to lose much of their sight early in childhood was 100 times better after they received gene therapy to address the genetic mutation causing it.

5 Sep 2024

Global study reveals widespread micronutrient deficiencies across all age groups

More than half of the global population consumes inadequate levels of several micronutrients essential to health, including calcium, iron, and vitamins C and E, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).

29 Aug 2024

Study reveals personalized brain connectivity in blind individuals

A study led by Georgetown University neuroscientists reveals that the part of the brain that receives and processes visual information in sighted people develops a unique connectivity pattern in people born blind. They say this pattern in the primary visual cortex is unique to each person - akin to a fingerprint.

31 Jul 2024

UW research contradicts Musk's vision of high-resolution implants

Elon Musk recently declared on X that Blindsight, a cortical implant to restore vision, would have low resolution at first "but may ultimately exceed normal human vision." That pronouncement is unrealistic at best, according to new research from the University of Washington.

30 Jul 2024

Xanthones show promise in diabetes with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties

Research reveals xanthones as promising agents in diabetes management, offering antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and insulin-sensitizing benefits.

29 Jul 2024

Combination therapy incorporating three existing drugs shows potential for treating retinal degenerations

Drug repurposing shows promise in the treatment of retinal degenerations, according to a new study by an international team of researchers, published in Nature Communications.

22 Jul 2024

Advanced imaging reveals hidden vision loss in AMD

New research by the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) in cooperation with the University of Bonn has shown for the first time that certain early changes in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can lead to a measurable local loss of vision. This discovery could help to improve the treatment and monitoring of this eye disease in older patients, which otherwise slowly leads to central blindness, and to test new therapies.

11 Jul 2024

Four years non-diabetic status after impaired glucose tolerance diagnosis cuts cardiovascular risks

Maintaining non-diabetic status for at least four years after impaired glucose tolerance diagnosis significantly lowers the risk of cardiovascular complications and mortality.

10 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

Semaglutide linked to increased risk of severe eye condition NAION in new study

Research shows semaglutide users face a significantly higher risk of developing non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) compared to users of other medications for diabetes and obesity.

8 Jul 2024

Case Western Reserve University receives $1.5M grant for oral drug trial to prevent blindness in RP patients

There's only one U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved therapy for an inherited retinal disease, and dozens of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) genes for which no therapy is available.

8 Jul 2024

Study hints at a promising approach for treating wet age-related macular degeneration

A new study in mice hints at the promise of an eventual alternative treatment option for the "wet" version of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

2 Jul 2024

Genetic variation in people of African ancestry linked to increased risk of diabetes complications

A genetic variation common in people of African ancestry is associated with an increased risk of complications from diabetes, including diabetic retinopathy, according to a report published June 25 in the journal Nature Medicine.

25 Jun 2024

Revolutionary anti-ceramide immunotherapy could prevent blindness in diabetic patients

Patients with diabetes face a host of potential health problems as they work to manage the chronic disease.

17 Jun 2024

Mutated TREX1 gene linked to catastrophic DNA damage and deadly rare disease

TREX1 is a gene that is supposed to direct the maintenance of the entire body's DNA, but new research shows that when people are born with mutated TREX1, it causes catastrophic damage to the DNA over time, resulting in a deadly rare disease called retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy (RVCL).

13 Jun 2024

Doxycycline shows promise in reducing deaths and seizures from nodding syndrome

A new study suggests that a course of the drug doxycycline can decrease acute seizure-related hospitalization and deaths related to nodding syndrome.

8 Jun 2024

Study sheds light on the rate and nature of mutations in mitochondrial DNA

A new study from deCODE genetics uses pedigrees and sequence data from 64,806 Icelanders to shed light on the rate and nature of mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and the peculiar dynamics of its maternal transmission.

7 Jun 2024