Blindness News and Research

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Researchers discover way to find genetic tumor information of retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma is a cancer that forms in the light-detecting cells in the back of the eye. It often appears in children under two years of age and can lead to blindness or eye removal. Most cancers are biopsied and studied so that medical research can design targeted treatments. Unfortunately, this is not possible with retinoblastoma.

4 Nov 2019

Genetic mutation of APOE gene may provide protection against Alzheimer's disease

A team of researchers has identified that a genetic mutation of the APOE gene, the major susceptibility gene for late-onset Alzheimer's disease, may provide protection against the devastating neurological illness.

4 Nov 2019

Three UCLA researchers receive multimillion-dollar grant from state's stem cell agency

Three researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have received awards totaling more than $18 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the state's stem cell agency.

31 Oct 2019

Discovery in monkeys could pave way for treatment of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome

A genetic mutation that leads to a rare, but devastating blindness-causing syndrome has been discovered in monkeys for the first time. The finding offers a promising way to develop gene and cell therapies that could treat the condition in people.

25 Oct 2019

Study pinpoints cell types linked to age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of blindness in the elderly, affecting more than 2 million people in the United States and leading to progressive loss of central vision.

25 Oct 2019

New collaboration aims to develop gene-based cures for sickle cell disease and HIV

The National Institutes of Health plans to invest at least $100 million over the next four years toward an audacious goal: develop affordable, gene-based cures for sickle cell disease and HIV.

23 Oct 2019

LSU Health New Orleans awarded $1.74 million to advance research on Usher syndrome

Jennifer J. Lentz, PhD, Associate Professor at LSU Health New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence and Departments of Otorhinolaryngology, Genetics and Ophthalmology, in collaboration with Robert K. Koenekoop MD, PhD and Professor of Pediatric Surgery, Human Genetics and Ophthalmology at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, has been awarded a $1.74 million USD grant to advance research on Usher syndrome.

22 Oct 2019

Rutgers launches nation's first peer support helpline for the legally blind

Rutgers has launched the nation's first peer support helpline for the legally blind and their families.

21 Oct 2019

AI detects over 95 percent of diabetic retinopathy cases

A new study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmologists (AAO) on October 14, 2019 reports an astonishing 95.% yield when artificial intelligence (AI) is used to screen a real life population for diabetic retinopathy.

15 Oct 2019

Ophthalmologists honored at AAO 2019 for exceptional service in medical and surgical eye care

The American Academy of Ophthalmology is honoring ophthalmologists who have improved eye care for millions worldwide through their commitment to their patients and their profession. The honorees will be recognized during AAO 2019, the 123rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

15 Oct 2019

How Is Ophthalmology Changing To Meet New Challenges?

Ophthalmology, a highly dynamic space in vision loss and age-related eye diseases with approximately 1.3 billion people living with vision impairment.

From Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. 15 Oct 2019

Study: Automated AI screening system accurately detects diabetic retinopathy 95.5% of the time

New research shows that an automated, artificial intelligence (AI) screening system accurately detects diabetic retinopathy 95.5 percent of the time.

14 Oct 2019

Sleep apnea is a risk factor for developing diabetic macular edema, study shows

New research from Taiwan shows that severe sleep apnea is a risk factor for developing diabetic macular edema, a complication of diabetes that can cause vision loss or blindness. Diabetic macular edema was also more difficult to treat in patients with severe sleep apnea.

14 Oct 2019

Antibody-based eye drop treatment reduces signs and symptoms of dry eye disease

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are the first to identify the presence of a specific type of antibody, called anti-citrullinated protein autoantibodies, or ACPAs, in human tear fluid.

11 Oct 2019

New gene therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration is on the horizon

Gene therapy is showing promise for one of the most common causes of blindness. Data presented today shows that six patients with wet age-related macular degeneration have, so far, gone at least six months without the need for continued injections to control a disease that typically requires treatment every four to six weeks.

11 Oct 2019

Study pinpoints a gene that allows chlamydia to pick up DNA from host environment

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chlamydia trachomatis is the most commonly reported sexually transmitted bacterial disease in the U.S., totaling 1.7 million cases in 2017. Rates are highest among teenagers and young adults. Left untreated, chlamydia can cause blindness and sterility.

10 Oct 2019

World Report on Vision highlights urgent need for sustainable global outreach efforts

Staggering new statistics released by the World Health Organization in its first World Report on Vision estimate more than 1 billion people are visually impaired because they don't get the care they need - a finding that brings renewed urgency for sustainable global outreach efforts.

10 Oct 2019

WHO’S first world report on vision

Vision is the most compelling contributor to the quality of our senses, and yet eye care lags behind many other areas in the importance it commands in public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said, in its report timed for World Sight Day (October 10), that over 2.2 billion people around the world (out of a total of 7.7 billion) are blind, completely or partially.

9 Oct 2019

Report: Aging populations, changing lifestyles are main drivers of vision impairment

More than 1 billion people worldwide are living with vision impairment because they do not get the care they need for conditions like short and far sightedness, glaucoma, diabetes, and cataracts, according to the first-ever World Report on Vision issued by the World Health Organization.