Blindness News and Research

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Youth football accounts for nearly one in five sports-related brain injuries

Youth football accounts for the largest share of sports‑related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in children and young adults, nearly one in every five TBIs, according to a preliminary study released March 4, 2026, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 78th Annual Meeting taking place April 18-22, 2026, in Chicago and online.

5 Mar 2026

Study offers new insight into the earliest steps of cataract formation

Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness worldwide and are considered a priority disease by the World Health Organization.

4 Mar 2026

Engineered proteins track gene expression in living primate brains

Gene therapy has been successfully used to treat a number of diseases, including immune deficiencies, hereditary blindness, hemophilia and, recently, Huntington's disease, a fatal neurological disorder.

27 Feb 2026

Acoziborole receives positive opinion for single-dose sleeping sickness treatment

The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has granted a positive opinion to Acoziborole Winthrop (acoziborole) as a single-dose oral treatment for both early- and advanced-stage gambiense sleeping sickness in adults as well as in adolescents 12 years and older weighing at least 40 kilograms.

27 Feb 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

US measles and pertussis outbreaks expose policy failures, not just vaccine hesitancy

A recent commentary argues that US measles and pertussis outbreaks are not simply the result of vaccine hesitancy but reflect weakened immunization policies, permissive exemptions, and underfunded public health systems. The authors contend that policy environments determine whether pockets of low coverage escalate into large-scale, preventable outbreaks.

24 Feb 2026

Brain's remarkable adaptation to upper limb difference aids children's daily lives

A unique study imaging brain activity in children born with upper limb difference – for example, one hand – has shown the amazing ability of the brain to adapt to compensate and support their daily lives.

24 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

Study examines the relationship between leukocyte telomere length and age-related cataract

Cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness worldwide among adults over 50, despite major advances in surgical treatment.

12 Feb 2026

WHO urges faster cataract surgery access to end blindness

The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to accelerate efforts to ensure that millions of people living with cataract can access simple, sight‑restoring surgery – one of the most effective and affordable interventions to prevent avoidable blindness.

11 Feb 2026

Defective ASTN1 gene linked to developmental delay and neurological disorders

Nearly 30 years ago, researchers began studying the gene Astn1, which encodes the cell adhesion protein astrotactin 1 in mice, and its role in brain development.

10 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

Sleeping without pillows may help reduce nighttime eye pressure in glaucoma

Sleeping without pillows may help lower high internal eye pressure, build-up of which causes optic nerve damage and glaucoma-the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide–in people with the condition, suggests preliminary research, published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

27 Jan 2026

New contact lens technology offers high-sensitivity, real-time intraocular pressure monitoring

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness among people who are unable to monitor and manage their intraocular pressure (IOP) daily. The current tools for IOP measurement are not portable, convenient, easily accessible, or capable of continuous (24/7) monitoring.

27 Jan 2026

WVU researchers explore how to restore vision in people with inherited blindness

A research team at the WVU is studying how to restore vision in people who develop a form of inherited blindness.

26 Jan 2026

Colorblindness linked to delayed bladder cancer detection and higher mortality

Recognizing the sight of blood in urine, the most common first sign of bladder cancer, is often the impetus that leads people to a diagnosis.

24 Jan 2026

Targeted uterine mRNA treatment boosts fertility outcomes in mice

Researchers from the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine Center for Nanomedicine - which designs nanotechnology-based platforms for clinical translation across specialties - developed a strategy for delivering therapeutic messenger RNA (mRNA) to the inner lining of the uterus (endometrium) in mice via modified lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), which are small capsules made of fatty molecules.

22 Jan 2026

UK glaucoma cases expected to rise sharply due to aging population

The number of people over 40 in the UK living with glaucoma-the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide-is already higher than expected and is projected to surge to more than 1.6 million by 2060, finds research published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

20 Jan 2026

Silent thief of sight: Rutgers Health experts highlight glaucoma risks, early detection

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, prompting Rutgers Health experts to underscore the importance of early detection and public awareness.

14 Jan 2026

Trial finds no benefit of anti-inflammatory therapy in trachomatous trichiasis surgery

John Kempen, MD, MPH, PhD, MHS, Director of Epidemiology for Ophthalmology at Mass Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School, is the lead author of a paper published in The Lancet Global Health, "Evaluation of fluorometholone as adjunctive medical therapy for trachomatous trichiasis surgery (FLAME): a parallel, double-blind, randomised controlled field trial in the Jimma Zone, Ethiopia."

12 Jan 2026