Feature Channels: Vision

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Schepens Eye Research Institute have reconstructed an ancient virus that is highly effective at delivering gene therapies to the liver, muscle, and retina. This discovery, published July 30 in Cell Reports, could potentially be used to design gene therapies that are not only safer and more potent than therapies currently available, but may also help a greater number of patients.

• share
• favorite_border

Eyes with central vision loss adapt by developing a new fixation point in a different part of the retina, called the preferred retinal location (PRL). Now for the first time, a new method makes it possible to identify PRLs in both eyes simultaneously, reports a study in the August issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

• share
• favorite_border

As the school year approaches and begins, many parents may start to hear their children complain about headaches.

• share
• favorite_border

Vision researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School (HMS) Department of Ophthalmology have taken a first step in solving a vexing problem: how to preserve photoreceptor cells and avoid irreversible vision loss in patients following retinal detachment.

• share
• favorite_border

Since 2007, clinical trials using gene therapy have resulted in often-dramatic sight restoration for dozens of children and adults who were otherwise doomed to blindness. Now, researchers have found evidence that this sight restoration leads to strengthening of visual pathways in the brain.

• share
• favorite_border

By growing two types of stem cells in a “3-D culture” and measuring their ability to produce retinal cells, a team lead by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital researchers has found one cell type to be better at producing retinal cells. The research not only reveals which stem cell type might be better for treating retinal degeneration, but it also demonstrates a standardized method for quantifying the effectiveness of different stem cells for such therapies.

• share
• favorite_border

Spider-like cells inside the brain, spinal cord and eye hunt for invaders, capturing and then devouring them. These cells, called microglia, often play a beneficial role by helping to clear trash and protect the central nervous system against infection. But a new study by researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) shows that they also accelerate damage wrought by blinding eye disorders, such as retinitis pigmentosa. NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health.

• share
• favorite_border

Physicists have found that intense visual input forces the brain into a brief moment of chaos, but the visual cortex spontaneously returns the brain to its optimal function.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have discovered a thick band of microtubules in certain neurons in the retina that they believe acts as a transport road for mitochondria that help provide energy required for visual processing.

• share
• favorite_border

Environmental factors like pool and ocean water seem harmless, but they can actually affect eye health. UAB experts break down how to stay safe this season.

• share
• favorite_border

More Americans are using soft contact lenses—especially daily disposable lenses—and taking advantage of new designs targeting vision problems that were difficult to correct with previous contact lenses, reports the July issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

• share
• favorite_border

Our brains track moving objects by applying one of the algorithms your phone’s GPS uses, according to researchers at the University of Rochester. This same algorithm also explains why we are fooled by several motion-related optical illusions, including the sudden “break” of baseball’s well known “curveball illusion.”

• share
• favorite_border

A new experiment shows that auditory melodies can enhance a musician's visual awareness of written music, particularly when the two match.

• share
• favorite_border

When cataracts encroach on the eyes, the only effective remedy is to surgically replace the eyes' lenses with synthetic substitutes. But what if scientists found a way to delay or prevent cataracts from forming in the first place? Researchers at the University of Delaware may have found such an opportunity by identifying the prime suspects in the formation of cataracts – deficiency of two genes that encode regulatory proteins.

• share
• favorite_border

Studying mice, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a neural circuit in the retina that carries signals enabling the eye to detect movement. The finding could help in efforts to build artificial retinas for people who have suffered vision loss.

• share
• favorite_border

A miniature version of the University of Iowa’s advanced driving simulator will participate in a clinical trial later this year to assess a patient’s driving ability after cataract surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

A series of immersive virtual reality experiments has confirmed that the human brain’s internal navigation system works in the same fashion as the grid cell system recently found in other mammals.

• share
• favorite_border

To observe Cataract Awareness Month in June, ophthalmologists from New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE) and The Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH) – both part of the Mount Sinai Health System – are offering prevention tips and raising awareness of options for early detection and effective treatment.

• share
• favorite_border

Trending news releases with the most views in a single day. Topics include: melanoma, relationships, color blindness, kidney replacement, oceanography, supercomputers, awards/honors.

• share
• favorite_border

A rare eye disorder marked by color blindness, light sensitivity, and other vision problems can result from a newly discovered gene mutation identified by an international research team, including scientists from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). The findings, which were published today in the online edition of Nature Genetics, could lead to new, targeted treatments for this form of color blindness.

• share
• favorite_border

People with achromatopsia, an inherited eye disorder, see the world literally in black and white. Worse yet, their extreme sensitivity to light makes them nearly blind in bright sunlight. Now, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health System have identified a previously unknown gene mutation that underlies this disorder.

• share
• favorite_border

New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE) joins with the International Orthoptic Association (IOA) to observe June 1st as World Orthoptics Day.

• share
• favorite_border

Using high-precision genetic tests to differentiate the thousands of bacteria that make up the human microbiome, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center suggest that they have found a possible — and potentially surprising — root cause of the increased frequency of certain eye infections among contact lens wearers.

• share
• favorite_border

Much like the automatic focus of a camera, our eyes and brains must constantly recalibrate so that we can get a clear view of the changing—and always moving—world around us. Two studies funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) show how the circuitry for this eye-brain coordination is assembled during early embryonic development.

• share
• favorite_border

Trending news releases with the most views in a single day. Topics include: genetics and cancer, diabetes and blindness, nanotech, engineering, personalized medicine, energy, and e-cigarettes.

• share
• favorite_border

Reporting on their study with lab-grown human cells, researchers at The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland say that blocking a second blood vessel growth protein, along with one that is already well-known, could offer a new way to treat and prevent a blinding eye disease caused by diabetes.

• share
• favorite_border

Driving down a dimly lit road at midnight can tax even those with 20/20 vision, but according to a recent UC Irvine study, the brain processes the experience no differently than if it were noon. The same study also reveals how quickly the brain adapts to vision loss, contradicting earlier research and opening the door to novel treatments.

• share
• favorite_border

Trending news releases with the most views in a single day. Topics include: vision research, DOE research, aging, mental health, children's health, cancer, tick-borne disease, and drone technology.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

On May 7, researchers are reporting a case study in which viable Ebola virus was present in the eye’s aqueous humor — the clear fluid in the front of the eye, between the lens and the cornea — 10 weeks after the virus was no longer detectable in the patient’s blood.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have developed a drug-releasing implant that controls pain and inflammation, eliminating the need for eye drops following cataract surgery. The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

• share
• favorite_border

A first-of-its-kind stem cell-based treatment for retinitis pigmentosa developed by UC Irvine’s Dr. Henry Klassen, Dr. Jing Yang and colleagues has received consent from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for use in a clinical trial.

• share
• favorite_border

Doctors have developed a new treatment capable of halting the progression of keratoconus, a progressive eye disease that manifests in teenagers. The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

• share
• favorite_border

Just like cameras with an autostabilization feature, our eyes execute an imperceptible reflex that prevents our vision from blurring when we are in motion. But before the reflex can work, the axons of specialized nerve cells must find their way from the retina to the correct part of the brain. New research describes how those axons accomplish this feat.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers are studying ways to get a snapshot of all the genetic material that a single retina cell uses to make proteins, revealing the health of that eye cell. The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

• share
• favorite_border

An FDA-approved oral medication, 4-phenylbutyrate (PBA), has been found to prevent vision loss in mice with Leber’s congenital amaurosis (LCA). The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

• share
• favorite_border

Trending news releases with the most views in a single day. Topics include: WWII and PTSD, stem cells, cancer, racial segregation, supplements and glaucoma, medical research, cybersecurity, vision research, and physics.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have developed a mobile app to quickly and conveniently evaluate people for strabismus, a condition involving misalignment of the eyes. The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

• share
• favorite_border

Between-hospital variations in active treatment explain much of the difference in survival rates seen in infants born at 22 to 24 weeks of gestation.

• share
• favorite_border

Preterm babies with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) treated using bevacizumab, a growth inhibitor, have been found to have lower motor scores than babies treated with traditional laser ablation. The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

• share
• favorite_border

Nurses trained to deliver eye injections for patients with the wet form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) administered the treatments as safely and effectively as doctors, according to a new study. The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have developed a new computer model to describe how cholesterol deposits, known as drusen, behave in the retina in the dry form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists have found that baicalein significantly lowers eye pressure and may act as an all-natural treatment for glaucoma. The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists have produced crude 3D tissue structures from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells under current good manufacturing practices (cGMP), an important step for eventual large-scale use in human patients. The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

• share
• favorite_border

L-DOPA, a routine drug taken by patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease, has been found to delay the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have identified a new target for stopping the progressive death of cells in the eye that leads to vision loss in glaucoma. The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have found that blocking the connections between cells in the retina can prevent toxins in one cell from spreading – and killing – its neighbors. The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Col

• share
• favorite_border

Paving the way for drug discovery efforts, researchers have found a target that – when inhibited – reduces inflammation associated with vision loss in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR). The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study found that eye drops were just as effective as eye injections for treating the wet form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo.

• share
• favorite_border

Scientists have identified new biomarkers that could distinguish Sjögren’s Syndrome (SS) from other autoimmune diseases in days or weeks, improving on a current time to diagnosis of four-plus years. The research is being presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Denver, Colo