Visual Impairment News and Research

Latest Visual Impairment News and Research

Study: Specific class of drugs can be repurposed to treat genetic diseases

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have published a study showing a promising approach to using drug repurposing to treat genetic diseases.

17 Dec 2020

New clue to protect neurons and encourage their growth found

Many neurodegenerative conditions, from glaucoma to Alzheimer's disease, are characterized by injury to axons -; the long, slender projections that conduct electrical impulses from one nerve cell to another, facilitating cellular communications. Injury to axons often leads to neuronal impairment and cell death.

14 Dec 2020

Studies examine rates of blindness and vision impairment worldwide

Sobering new statistics released by the Global Burden of Disease study found no significant reduction in the number of people with treatable sight loss worldwide since 2010 as public health services failed to meet World Health Organization (WHO) targets.

2 Dec 2020

Study uncovers a promising therapeutic target for retinal dystrophies

A team of LSU Health New Orleans researchers reports for the first time that deleting one of the inhibitors of the RPE65 gene in a mouse model that carries a human disease mutation prevents degeneration of cone photoreceptors that are used for daytime high-resolution color vision.

1 Dec 2020

New innovation could restore sight to the blind

Researchers have made significant steps towards developing a brain implant that will restore sight to those affected by visa impairment and blindness.

1 Dec 2020

Non-invasive point of care imaging can aid rapid diagnosis of corneal infections

Simple, non-invasive imaging at the point of care can aid the diagnosis of corneal infections, reducing the risk of sight loss and helping patients' vision return to pre-infection levels.

20 Nov 2020

Researchers identify CLCN6 as disease gene for severe lysosomal neurodegenerative disorder

A mutation in the CLCN6 gene is associated with a novel, particularly severe neurodegenerative disorder. Scientists from the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie and the Max Delbrück Center für Molekulare Medizin, together with an international team of researchers, have now analyzed the effect of a point mutation that was found in three unrelated affected children.

19 Nov 2020

For people with visual impairments, truly secret ballots are elusive

Norma Crosby remembers when she relied on blind faith to cast her vote.

27 Oct 2020

Study provides possible explanation for progressive course of multiple sclerosis in mice

People with multiple sclerosis gradually develop increasing functional impairment. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have now found a possible explanation for the progressive course of the disease in mice and how it can be reversed.

16 Oct 2020

WHO’s report may lead to greater awareness and deliver better eye health for all

Of the world's 7.8 billion people, 2.2 billion have impaired vision. Of this number, about half are treatable. In effect, they are one-eyed kings who are better off than the 39 million who are completely blind. Nevertheless, they are handicapped for normal living, as we gleaned from the first world report on vision by WHO.

9 Oct 2020

Federal restrictions on corneal donations prevent vision-restoring surgery

Some forms of blindness and visual impairment can be cured with a corneal transplant surgery using donated eye tissue. However, federal regulations in the United States and Canada severely restrict the ability of sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating their eye tissue.

24 Sep 2020

Study reveals how people with retinal degenerative disease can maintain night vision

New insight on how people with retinal degenerative disease can maintain their night vision for a relatively long period of time has been published today in the open-access eLife journal.

22 Sep 2020

Nonharmful stress promotes disease resilience in offspring, shows study

Research led by Jeff Gidday, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, and Physiology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, reports what is believed to be the first study in a mammalian model documenting the reprogramming of heritability to promote disease resilience in the next generation.

10 Sep 2020

FDA approves drug for treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Enspryng (satralizumab-mwge) for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in adults with a particular antibody - patients who are anti-aquaporin-4 or AQP4 antibody-positive.

17 Aug 2020

Newly identified gene could improve treatment for multiple sclerosis

The disease multiple sclerosis (MS) attacks the central nervous system and, with time, can give rise to muscle tremors and loss of balance.

14 Aug 2020

Multifocal contact lenses reduce worsening nearsightedness in children

Children wearing multifocal contact lenses had slower progression of their myopia, according to results from a clinical trial funded by the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.

11 Aug 2020

Dual sensory impairment in older adults linked to higher risk for dementia

Older adults with both hearing and visual impairments—or dual sensory impairment—had a significantly higher risk for dementia in a recent study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring.

8 Jul 2020

Hungarian physician to receive the Körber Prize for European Science 2020

The Körber Prize for European Science 2020, which is endowed with one million euros, is being awarded to the Hungarian physician Botond Roska.

23 Jun 2020

Oxidative stress and growth factors associated with development of high myopia

According to the first world report on vision published by the WHO in 2019, a third of the planet's population suffers from myopia, and around 400 million people suffer the most harmful version of the disease: high myopia.

4 Jun 2020

Study shows how our eyes recycle vitamin A

Many of us will remember been told as kids when we refused to eat our vegetables that 'carrots are good for your eyes'. Although our parents may not have fully understood it at the time, there is some truth to this. Carrots are a rich source of the vitamin A essential for healthy vision.

11 May 2020