Blindness News and Research

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New gene therapy for blindness may soon be reality

Patients who had lost their sight to an inherited retinal disease could see well enough to navigate a maze after being treated with a new gene therapy, according to research presented today at AAO 2017, the 121st Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

10 Nov 2017

Corneal donor tissue can be safely stored for longer period, study finds

Results from a large, national clinical trial show that corneal donor tissue can be safely stored for 11 days without negatively impacting the success of transplantation surgery to restore vision in people with diseases of the cornea.

10 Nov 2017

LoaScope could be valuable approach in the fight against river blindness

River blindness, or onchocerciasis, is a disease caused by a parasitic worm found primarily in Africa. The worm (Onchocerca volvulus) is transmitted to humans as immature larvae through bites of infected black flies.

9 Nov 2017

Experimental ‘golden’ potato could hold power to prevent disease in developing nations

An experimental "golden" potato could hold the power to prevent disease and death in developing countries where residents rely heavily upon the starchy food for sustenance, new research suggests.

9 Nov 2017

New discovery in beta-cell pathway shows potential to improve effectiveness of diabetes drugs

Over the past 15 years, University of Alabama at Birmingham endocrinologist Anath Shalev, M.D., has unraveled a crucial biological pathway that malfunctions in diabetes.

8 Nov 2017

Researchers identify new neuroprotective factor that holds potential to help people with glaucoma

A research team led by scientists at the Krembil Research Institute in Toronto has identified a new neuroprotective factor that has the potential to help people suffering from the common blinding disease glaucoma.

7 Nov 2017

Russian scientists design new compounds that can treat glaucoma

Glaucoma is a serious disease associated with increased intraocular pressure which often leads to blindness. One of the ways to treat glaucoma is to reduce aqueous humour secretion in the ciliary body of the eye by suppressing (inhibiting) activity of special enzymes - carbonic anhydrases.

3 Nov 2017

Longevity Biotech receives award to evaluate novel drug candidate for MS in preclinical models

Longevity Biotech, Inc. has received an award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society through Fast Forward, the Society's commercial research funding program, to evaluate LBT-3627 in preclinical models as a potential disease-modifying therapeutic agent.

28 Oct 2017

Report reveals 84% drop in global measles deaths, but disease still kills 90 000 every year

In 2016, an estimated 90 000 people died from measles - an 84% drop from more than 550 000 deaths in 2000 - according to a new report published today by leading health organizations. This marks the first time global measles deaths have fallen below 100 000 per year.

27 Oct 2017

Scientists get one step closer to reversing retinal degenerative diseases

Degenerative disorders affecting the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), such as age-related macular degeneration and autosomal recessive bestrophinopathy, can ultimately lead to blindness. Some of these life-changing disorders are the result of mutations in a single gene, called BEST1.

25 Oct 2017

LSTM researchers find new way to reduce treatment for some parasitic diseases

Researchers from LSTM's Research Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics have found a way of significantly reducing the treatment required for lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis from several weeks to seven days. By targeting Wolbachia, a bacterial symbiont that the filarial parasites need to live, the team has discovered a drug synergy that enables effective treatment over a shorter time.

24 Oct 2017

Research provides insight on Y-shape in proteins associated with glaucoma

So unheard of was what researchers discovered in a protein associated with glaucoma that for over two years they ran it through a gauntlet of lab tests and published a new research paper on it. The tests validated what they initially saw.

23 Oct 2017

Brain-training could help elderly people increase their understanding of words in noisy situations

For many people with hearing challenges, trying to follow a conversation in a crowded restaurant or other noisy venue is a major struggle, even with hearing aids. Now, Mass. Eye and Ear researchers reporting in Current Biology on October 19th have some good news: time spent playing a specially designed, brain-training audiogame could help.

19 Oct 2017

UAB experts offer Halloween safety tips and tricks for children

Parents want to know the best way to keep their kids and teenagers safe on Halloween as the ghoulish, yet fun, night approaches.

17 Oct 2017

CHOP researchers discover key differences among gene fusions in childhood brain tumors

Researchers investigating pediatric low-grade gliomas, the most common type of brain tumor in children, have discovered key biological differences in how mutated genes combine with other genes to drive this childhood cancer.

17 Oct 2017

CHLA and Keck Medicine of USC develop new liquid biopsy for tumor of the retina

Retinoblastoma is a tumor of the retina that generally affects children under 5 years of age. If not diagnosed early, retinoblastoma may result in loss of one or both eyes and can be fatal. Unlike most cancers that are diagnosed using a biopsy, retinoblastoma tumors cannot be directly biopsied.

16 Oct 2017

FDA advisory committee vote 16-0 for first even gene therapy for rare blindness

A panel of advisors to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has voted unanimously in favor of an experimental gene therapy to treat patients with a rare kind of hereditary blindness.

16 Oct 2017

Scientists identify potential treatment target for diabetic retinopathy

In oxygen-compromising conditions like diabetes, the body grows new blood vessels to help, but the result is often leaky, dysfunctional vessels that make bad matters worse.

10 Oct 2017

FDA approves FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System for adult patients with diabetes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System, the first continuous glucose monitoring system that can be used by adult patients to make diabetes treatment decisions without calibration using a blood sample from the fingertip.

27 Sep 2017

Researchers use gene therapy to restore hearing and balance in mouse model of Usher syndrome

Hearing loss, sometimes associated with other disorders such as balance defects, is the most common sensory deficit, affecting more than 280 million people worldwide, according to WHO. In France, one child in 700 is born with severe or profound hearing loss, and one in every 1,000 will lose their sense of hearing before adulthood.

22 Sep 2017