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Ending human bait practices in river blindness monitoring

New research shows that it's possible to end the practice of using people as 'human bait' to catch and test the blackflies that spread river blindness (onchocerciasis).

13 Nov 2025

Egypt achieves milestone in eliminating trachoma as a public health problem

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced that Egypt has successfully eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, marking a historic public health milestone for the country and WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO EMR). It is the seventh country in WHO EMR to achieve this milestone.

12 Nov 2025

Clinical trial confirms ivermectin safety in very young children down to 5 kg

Millions of very young children currently excluded from treatment with the drug ivermectin could be safely included in ongoing campaigns against challenging and often neglected tropical diseases such as intestinal worms, scabies and river blindness, according to results from a clinical trial presented today at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH).

10 Nov 2025

NIH grant supports research on how the immune system responds to serious eye infections

New research that sheds light on how the immune system responds to serious eye infections is underway at Wayne State University, supported by a $2.3 million federal grant from the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

3 Nov 2025

New study sheds light on vision loss in idiopathic intracranial hypertension

If untreated, a disorder of high brain pressure called idiopathic intracranial hypertension can lead to vision loss. But this disorder can develop without noticeable symptoms, making it hard to catch.

30 Oct 2025

Wireless retinal implant restores sight in patients blinded by advanced macular degeneration

A new trial shows that a wireless subretinal implant, the PRIMA system, restored central vision in patients with geographic atrophy caused by age-related macular degeneration. After one year, 81% achieved clinically meaningful vision gains and most could read at home using prosthetic vision.

28 Oct 2025

AI-driven eye screening aims to close the diabetic vision gap in community clinics

A new trial will evaluate whether integrating autonomous AI screening for diabetic retinopathy into U.S. federally qualified health centers can boost screening completion and accelerate early detection. The DRES-POCAI protocol tests a real-world, point-of-care model that links FDA-cleared AI with electronic health records to close gaps in diabetes eye care.

22 Oct 2025

New chip restores reading ability for macular degeneration patients

A tiny wireless chip implanted in the back of the eye and a pair of high-tech glasses have partially restored vision to people with an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration. In a clinical trial led by Stanford Medicine researchers and international collaborators, 27 out of 32 participants had regained the ability to read a year after receiving the device.

21 Oct 2025

Prima implant offers new hope for vision restoration in atrophic AMD

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes progressive vision loss in many elderly people, and no treatment is available for the so-called atrophic form of the disease.

20 Oct 2025

WHO congratulates Fiji on eliminating trachoma as a public health threat

In a landmark public health achievement, Fiji has been validated by the World Health Organization (WHO) for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem.

20 Oct 2025

Developing a transparent artificial cornea for people with visual impairments

Damage to the cornea affects millions of people worldwide. Empa researchers are working on a transparent, biocompatible implant from the 3D printer.

14 Oct 2025

Protected areas of defined geographic zones may have unintended impacts on children’s diet

Protected areas of defined geographic zones can slow biodiversity loss and bolster conversation efforts, but they may have unintended impacts on the diets of children who live nearby, according to new research from scientists at Penn State.

7 Oct 2025

Live retinal imaging uncovers early signs of diabetic eye disease

A new method of taking microscopic images of a live mouse's retina through the eye allows to record the reaction of brain cells to disease and treatment.

6 Oct 2025

New protein map could improve diagnosis and understanding of rare ciliopathies

Attached to nearly every human cell is an antenna-like structure known as the primary cilium, which senses the cell's environment and controls how it responds to signals from its surroundings.

3 Oct 2025

Restoring delta cell function may prevent dangerous hypoglycemic events in diabetes

A new study by the University of California, Davis, shows how cells work together to avoid a sudden drop in blood sugar. Understanding these feedback loops could improve the lives of people with diabetes and help them avoid dangerous hypoglycemia.

3 Oct 2025

New eyedrop raises hopes for less invasive treatment of serious vision conditions

A new eyedrop has shown early success in delivering protective compounds to where they're needed most in the eye, raising hopes for less invasive treatment of serious vision conditions.

22 Sep 2025

GLP-1 drugs found to protect against diabetic retinopathy

GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs protect against diabetic retinopathy, a common complication of diabetes that can lead to sight loss, suggests new research being presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria (15-19 September) and published in the journal Pharmaceutics.

17 Sep 2025