Eye Health News and Research

Latest Eye Health News and Research

Weight loss drug tirzepatide may lower the risk of diabetic retinopathy

The popular diabetes and weight loss medication tirzepatide (brand name Mounjaro or Zepbound) may lower the risk of diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of vision loss, according to Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

11 Feb 2026

Posture-induced retinal vascular response predicts diabetic retinopathy progression

Diabetic retinopathy develops through complex microvascular damage driven by chronic hyperglycemia, yet traditional risk factors such as disease duration or glycemic control explain only part of individual risk.

11 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

End of enhanced Obamacare subsidies puts tribal health lifeline at risk

Leonard Bighorn said his mother tried for two years to get help for severe stomach pain through the limited health services available near her home on the Fort Peck Reservation in northeastern Montana.

11 Feb 2026

Addiction consults improve care for drug-related eye infections

Eric Gaier, MD, PhD, and Dean Eliott, MD, of the Department of Ophthalmology at Mass Eye and Ear, a member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, are co-authors of a paper published in Ophthalmology Retina, "Substance Use Disorder Interventions and Ophthalmic Outcomes for Injection Drug Use-Associated Endogenous Endophthalmitis."

10 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

Study links eye movements to real-time memory retrieval

The eyes may reveal how experiences are recalled according to new Baycrest research that suggests that shifts in eye movements play a critical role in memory retrieval.

9 Feb 2026

Medical AI can repeat false claims in clinical contexts

Medical artificial intelligence (AI) is often described as a way to make patient care safer by helping clinicians manage information. A new study by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collaborators confronts a critical vulnerability: when a medical lie enters the system, can AI pass it on as if it were true?

9 Feb 2026

Tear biosensor detects diabetic retinopathy biomarkers for early diagnosis

Tear fluid is emerging as an attractive source of diagnostic information because it can be collected easily and non-invasively.

9 Feb 2026

Needle-thin brain implant enables recording and targeted drug delivery

A new type of brain implant may have implications for both brain research and future treatments of neurological diseases such as epilepsy.

6 Feb 2026

Metformin linked to lower odds of intermediate macular degeneration in people with diabetes

A five-year image-based study in people with type 2 diabetes found metformin use was associated with lower odds of developing intermediate age-related macular degeneration. The observational findings suggest a potential protective link but do not establish causation and warrant prospective clinical trials.

4 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

Mouse study reveals mechanism driving first night insomnia

You check into a hotel and toss and turn all night, but your sleep improves the following night. Scientists at Nagoya University wanted to understand why this happens.

2 Feb 2026

Large gaps exist between Medicaid enrollment and actual care

Almost one-third of physicians who are enrolled in Medicaid don't actually care for a single patient covered by Medicaid insurance, according to new research led by Oregon Health & Science University.

2 Feb 2026

Playing pink noise during sleep could be harmful for children

Pink noise-often used to promote sleep-may reduce restorative REM sleep and interfere with sleep recovery.

2 Feb 2026

Blood gene signals reveal Parkinson’s risk years before diagnosis

Blood-based DNA repair and stress-response signals reveal early molecular changes in Parkinson's disease, aiding in potential early diagnosis and intervention.

2 Feb 2026

Chlamydia pneumoniae found in the eye may aggravate Alzheimer’s disease

Chlamydia pneumoniae—a common bacterium that causes pneumonia and sinus infections—can linger in the eye and brain for years and may aggravate Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study from Cedars-Sinai.

1 Feb 2026

Research reveals a link between defective DNA repair and immune-driven inflammatory disease

Unrepaired DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) – highly toxic tangles of protein and DNA – cause a process that leads to premature aging and embryonic lethality in mice.

31 Jan 2026

Blurry line between medical and vision insurance leaves patient with unexpected bill

Barbara Tuszynski was concerned about her vision but confident in her insurance coverage when she went to an eye clinic last May.

30 Jan 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