Blindness News and Research

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As measles exploded, officials in Texas looked to CDC scientists. Under Trump, no one answered.

As measles surged in Texas early this year, the Trump administration's actions sowed fear and confusion among CDC scientists that kept them from performing the agency's most critical function — emergency response — when it mattered most, an investigation from KFF Health News shows.

25 Aug 2025

Electromechanical reshaping could be a gentler alternative to LASIK

Millions of Americans have altered vision, ranging from blurriness to blindness. But not everyone wants to wear prescription glasses or contact lenses.

18 Aug 2025

Research shows GLP-1 drugs safeguard vision despite small retinopathy risk

A large study of over 185,000 adults with type 2 diabetes found that GLP-1 receptor agonist use was linked to a slight increase in new diabetic retinopathy cases but fewer severe eye complications, including a reduced risk of blindness. Patients with existing retinopathy on these drugs also needed fewer invasive eye treatments over two years.

13 Aug 2025

Patients face vitamin deficiencies years after bariatric surgery

A review reveals dangerous vitamin deficiencies post-bariatric surgery, highlighting the need for improved follow-up to prevent life-threatening complications.

30 Jul 2025

Ivermectin mass treatment shows great promise in reducing malaria transmission

Ivermectin administered to the whole population significantly reduces malaria transmission, offering new hope in the fight against the disease.

24 Jul 2025

UC Davis researchers pioneer safer gene therapy for vision loss

The UC Davis Department of Ophthalmology has received a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Eye Institute to explore a new way to treat vision loss using gene therapy.

22 Jul 2025

Senegal becomes ninth African country to eliminate trachoma

The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Senegal as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. Senegal becomes the ninth country in WHO's African Region to have achieved this feat.

15 Jul 2025

Novel AI-powered retina tracker detects eye disease in under one second

A novel AI-powered retina tracker can analyze retinal images with near-perfect accuracy in under one second, according to a study being presented Monday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

15 Jul 2025

Burundi eliminates trachoma and sets example for disease control in Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Burundi as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, making it the eighth country in WHO's African Region to reach this important milestone.

11 Jul 2025

Retinal cells rewire to preserve vision in retinitis pigmentosa

Scientists at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA have discovered that certain retinal cells can rewire themselves when vision begins to deteriorate in retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic eye disease that leads to progressive blindness.

7 Jul 2025

Circadian misalignment in the blind may impact daily brain functions

This study investigates how blindness affects sleep, dreams, and spatial awareness, revealing links between circadian rhythms and cognitive performance.

7 Jul 2025

N2 deep sleep powers your next aha moment, study reveals

A new study in PLOS Biology shows that deep N2 sleep, rather than light N1 sleep, dramatically boosts the likelihood of “aha” moments in a challenging perceptual task. The researchers also reveal that aperiodic brain activity during sleep best predicts who will gain insight after a nap.

30 Jun 2025

Study identifies potential way to slow or block progression of age-related macular degeneration

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis identifies a possible way to slow or block progression of age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in people over age 50.

24 Jun 2025

Driving breakthroughs for the NF community at the 2025 NF Conference

A new era is unfolding for the NF community. With two FDA-approved treatments now on the market - including the first-ever therapy for adults with NF1 - and cutting-edge advances in AI, drug repositioning, and precision medicine, momentum is building like never before.

20 Jun 2025

Herpes virus reshapes the human genome's architecture to aid its replication

Viruses are entirely dependent on their hosts to reproduce. They ransack living cells for parts and energy and hijack the host's cellular machinery to make new copies of themselves.

19 Jun 2025

What matters more for diabetes risk: lifestyle or body weight?

A large, multi-ethnic US cohort study found that combining healthy lifestyle factors—non-smoking, regular physical activity, a healthy diet, and moderate alcohol consumption into a Lifestyle Risk Factor Index (LSRI) was linked to a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes. However, BMI was a stronger predictor of diabetes risk, and the impact of lifestyle varied across ethnic groups.

18 Jun 2025

Study links gestational hypertension to increased seizure risk in offspring

A new study led by researchers at University of Iowa Health Care has revealed a significant association between high blood pressure during pregnancy (gestational hypertension) and an increased risk of seizures in children.

16 Jun 2025

Novel sensor quickly detects small amounts of methanol in breath

Breathalyzers are a frequently used tool to measure the amount of ethanol in someone's breath, which relates to their blood alcohol content. However, alcoholic beverages contaminated by methanol (sometimes called wood alcohol) are hard to identify and toxic if ingested.

11 Jun 2025

AI transforms sightseeing for visually impaired users

The VIPTour AI system empowers visually impaired individuals to explore unfamiliar environments, enhancing emotional engagement and cognitive mapping accuracy.

8 Jun 2025

New retinal prosthesis restores vision in blind mice and detects near-infrared light in macaques

A new prosthesis for the retina weaved with nanowires partially restored vision in blind mice and allowed detection of near-infrared light in macaques, according to a new study.

6 Jun 2025