Blindness News and Research

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People with vision impairment have higher risk of all-cause mortality

The global population is aging, and so are their eyes. In fact, the number of people with vision impairment and blindness is expected to more than double over the next 30 years.

5 Mar 2021

Gold nanocomposite contact lenses for correcting color blindness

Imagine seeing the world in muted shades -- gray sky, gray grass. Some people with color blindness see everything this way, though most can't see specific colors.

3 Mar 2021

Smartphones could be used to reveal early-warning signs of glaucoma

Smartphones could be used to scan people's eyes for early-warning signs of glaucoma - helping to prevent severe ocular diseases and blindness, a new study reveals.

25 Feb 2021

Covid vaccine websites violate disability laws, create inequity for the blind

Many Covid vaccination registration and information websites at the federal, state and local levels violate disability rights laws, hindering the ability of blind people to sign up for a potentially lifesaving vaccine, a KHN investigation has found.

25 Feb 2021

Scientists find new therapeutic approach to effectively treat age-related macular degeneration

Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) has been linked to retinal neovascularization and the development of abnormal blood vessels, which result in vision loss in diabetic retinopathy.

22 Feb 2021

Novel vectors reduce the risks associated with ocular gene therapies

Strategies based on the use of gene therapy to mitigate the effects of mutations that cause blindness are undergoing rapid development.

22 Feb 2021

Researchers launch new study to explore face blindness in children

Researchers have launched a new study into a little-known phenomenon that prevents people from recognizing members of their own immediate family or sometimes even their own reflection.

19 Feb 2021

UC San Diego researchers launch clinical trial to test gene therapy for Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have launched a first-in-human Phase I clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of a gene therapy to deliver a key protein into the brains of persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a condition that often precedes full-blown dementia.

18 Feb 2021

Improving eye health globally can have substantial benefits for economic, social prosperity

An estimated 1.1 billion people were living with untreated vision impairment in 2020, but researchers say more than 90 per cent of vision loss could be prevented or treated with existing, highly cost-effective interventions.

17 Feb 2021

Study sheds light on the recurrence of herpes simplex virus

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have shed light on what causes herpes simplex virus to flare up, explaining how stress, illness and even sunburn can trigger unwanted outbreaks.

12 Feb 2021

ASDS releases new recommendations for physicians performing injectable filler procedures

The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) multispecialty Soft-tissue Fillers Guideline Task Force has released its evidence-based recommendations for physicians performing injectable filler procedures.

8 Feb 2021

Research shows how mutation linked with CLN3-Batten disease could lead to vision loss

Progressive vision loss, and eventually blindness, are the hallmarks of juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (JNCL) or CLN3-Batten disease.

8 Feb 2021

New method can help evaluate potential sight-preserving properties

Scientists like the John A. Moran Eye Center's Paul S. Bernstein, MD, PhD, know a special class of lipids, or fatty acids, found in the retina of the eye and in just a few other parts of the body play an important role in maintaining vision.

5 Feb 2021

Spark Therapeutics launches gene therapy clinical trial for late-onset Pompe disease

Pompe disease is a hereditary genetic disorder caused by a deficiency of acid alpha-glucosidase leading to build-up of glycogen in the lyosomes, which then causes cell damage in various tissues, in particular the heart, the muscles, the liver and the nervous system.

3 Feb 2021

Remyelinating drug shows potential to improve vision in patients with MS

A team led by a biomedical scientist at the University of California, Riverside, reports a drug -- an estrogen receptor ligand called indazole chloride (IndCl) -- has the potential to improve vision in patients with multiple sclerosis, or MS.

2 Feb 2021

Complication of severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia results in persistent cortical blindness: Case report

A study recently published in the journal Cureus has described a case report of a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient who presented with pneumonia, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), and persistent cortical blindness. A detailed clinical presentation of the patient is provided in the report.

31 Jan 2021

Study finds locations of early prion protein accumulation in the eye

The earliest eye damage from prion disease takes place in the cone photoreceptor cells, specifically in the cilia and the ribbon synapses, according to a new study of prion protein accumulation in the eye by National Institutes of Health scientists.

29 Jan 2021

FDA takes action on alcohol-based hand sanitizers from Mexico

As part of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's continuing efforts to protect consumers from potentially dangerous or subpotent hand sanitizers, the agency has placed all alcohol-based hand sanitizers from Mexico on a countrywide import alert to help stop products that appear to be in violation from entering the U.S. until the agency is able to review the products' safety.

26 Jan 2021

Gene editing shows potential to correct mutations causing inherited retinal degeneration

Gene editing therapies, including CRISPR-Cas systems, offer the potential to correct mutations causing inherited retinal degenerations, a leading cause of blindness.

20 Jan 2021

Novel low molecular weight dextran-sulphate could play a key role in glaucoma treatment

Scientists at the University of Birmingham, UK, have shown that a novel low molecular weight dextran-sulphate, ILB® could play a key role in treating open angle glaucoma (OAG), a neurodegenerative disease that affects over 70 million people worldwide and causes irreversible blindness.

7 Jan 2021