Eye Disease News and Research

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Eye diseases are widespread around the globe. According to the World Health Organization, the most important three eye diseases or conditions that are a potential threat to the global population are diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. One more vital reason for visual harm is refractive errors. Some of the important reasons for vision loss or low vision are age, healthcare, gender, genetic problems and the prevalence of family history.

AI and polarized light improve early detection of keratoconus

Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease that weakens and thins the cornea, the clear front surface of the eye. In its early, subclinical stage, the cornea can still appear normal on routine exams.

4 May 2026

Manuka honey eye drops outperform artificial tears for dry eye relief

A clinical study reveals Manuka honey eye drops significantly improve dry eye symptoms after cataract surgery, outperforming traditional treatments.

1 May 2026

Type 1 diabetes preserves fitness but alters oxygen use in teens

The study highlights early microvascular impairment in adolescents with type 1 diabetes, emphasizing the importance of monitoring vascular health in this group.

24 Apr 2026

AI eye exams accurately identify heart disease risk during routine visits

A new system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assess cardiovascular risk based on images of the eye captured during eye exams demonstrated strong correlation with a standard cardiovascular risk assessment, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

30 Mar 2026

Study reveals limitations of large language models in medical diagnostics

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming healthcare. AI systems can now detect diabetic eye disease from retinal photos and analyze CT images for signs of early-stage lung cancers and stroke.

16 Mar 2026

Smoking triggers epigenetic damage linked to macular degeneration

Through a series of experiments supported by the National Institutes of Health, Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) researchers say they have advanced understanding of how smoking damages the eye and contributes to the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading worldwide cause of visual impairment and blindness among people 50 and older.

26 Feb 2026

Scientists reveal how the body senses cold and menthol

When you step outside on a winter morning or pop a mint into your mouth, a tiny molecular sensor in your body springs into action, alerting your brain to the sensation of cold.

22 Feb 2026

WHO validates Libya’s success in eliminating trachoma nationwide

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced that Libya has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, a landmark victory for public health in WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region.

19 Feb 2026

Metformin linked to lower odds of intermediate macular degeneration in people with diabetes

A five-year image-based study in people with type 2 diabetes found metformin use was associated with lower odds of developing intermediate age-related macular degeneration. The observational findings suggest a potential protective link but do not establish causation and warrant prospective clinical trials.

4 Feb 2026

Everday diabetes medicine linked to less progression of age-related macular degeneration

Doctors have found that metformin, an everyday medicine for diabetes, is associated with less progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the commonest cause of blindness in western countries.

3 Feb 2026

AI predicts health outcomes for premature newborns from blood samples

An artificial intelligence-based tool can predict the medical trajectories of individual premature newborns from blood samples collected soon after they are born, a Stanford Medicine-led study has shown.

21 Jan 2026

Study reveals immune traffic controller hijacked by common virus

In a major scientific breakthrough, researchers from Monash University and the Lions Eye Institute have discovered a tissue protein that acts as a central 'traffic controller' for immune cells and can be hijacked by a virus to weaken immune responses.

21 Jan 2026

Lifestyle prevention of diabetes may halve carbon footprint associated with treating complications

Preventing high blood glucose (pre-diabetes) from turning into type 2 diabetes with lifestyle changes could more than halve the carbon footprint associated with treating the complications of the disease, suggests a modelling study, published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

20 Jan 2026

Petrolatum ointments cause microshunt swelling, rupture in glaucoma patients

Widely-used eye ointments can cause glaucoma implants to swell and potentially rupture, according to new research from Nagoya University in Japan.

13 Jan 2026

Cardiovascular risk scores predict future development of serious eye diseases

A new study from UCLA Health shows that a cardiovascular risk score already used routinely in primary care can predict who will develop serious eye diseases years later.

7 Jan 2026

New tear gland organoids shed light on the biology of dry eye disease

An estimated 5-15% of people have problems with dry eyes, with symptoms including eye redness, stinging, or burning sensation, and eye fatigue. Dry eye disease (DED) occurs when the eyes' tear glands produce insufficient or poor-quality tears which can be due to allergy or autoimmune disease, hormonal changes, aging, etc.

18 Dec 2025

Genetic differences in surfactant proteins influence retinopathy of prematurity risk

A new study from the University of Oklahoma suggests that small genetic differences in two proteins – previously known for their role in premature infants' lungs – may also influence how their eyes develop, potentially affecting the risk of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

12 Dec 2025

New platform enables unbiased evaluation of AI algorithms for diabetic eye screening

Researchers have developed the world's first real-world head-to-head testing platform to determine whether commercial artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are fit for NHS use to detect disease in a fair, equitable, transparent and trustworthy way, using diabetic eye disease as the first example.

24 Nov 2025

VR raises eye temperature and thickens protective tear layer

VR gaming impacts tear film dynamics, increasing lipid layer thickness and eye temperature, but fails to enhance tear stability or alleviate dry eye symptoms.

14 Nov 2025

Novel method uses VR headsets for real-time observation of tear film dynamics

Virtual reality (VR) gaming has gained significant attention in recent years, with an increasing number of users integrating VR and immersive headsets into their daily lives.

11 Nov 2025