Focus: Vision Channel Featured Story TOP

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People born blind have never seen that bananas are yellow but Johns Hopkins University researchers find that like any sighted person, they understand two bananas are likely to be the same color and why. Questioning the belief that dates back to philosopher John Locke that people born blind could never truly understand color, the team of cognitive neuroscientists demonstrated that congenitally blind and sighted individuals actually understand it quite similarly.

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Frequent caffeine intake could more than triple risk of glaucoma for those genetically predisposed to higher eye pressure

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Early treatment with anti-VEGF injections slowed diabetic retinopathy in a clinical study from the DRCR Retina Network (DRCR.net). However, two years into the four-year study its effect on vision was similar to standard treatment, which usually begins at the onset of late disease.

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The National Eye Institute (NEI) Data Commons now enables researchers to access data from patients with macular degeneration who participated in the Age-related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2). The database complements newly available stem cell lines created by the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute (NYSCF) from blood cells of AREDS2 study participants.

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Less than twenty years ago, most people diagnosed with advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) were destined to become legally blind. Today, advances in the diagnosis and treatment of AMD made possible by retina specialists allow many patients with advanced AMD to keep reading, driving and enjoying their independence.

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In experiments in mouse tissues and human cells, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they have found that removing a membrane that lines the back of the eye may improve the success rate for regrowing nerve cells damaged by blinding diseases. The findings are specifically aimed at discovering new ways to reverse vision loss caused by glaucoma and other diseases that affect the optic nerve, the information highway from the eye to the brain.

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In older people with type 1 diabetes, damage to the retina may be linked to memory problems and other cognitive conditions.BOSTON – (December 31, 2020) – As they age, people with diabetes are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders than are people without diabetes. Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center now have shown that routine eye imaging can identify changes in the retina that may be associated with cognitive disorders in older people with type 1 diabetes.

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Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) report that a brain region in the superior temporal sulcus (fSTS) is crucial for processing and making decisions about visual information.

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Researchers at Harvard Medical School have successfully reversed age-related vision loss in animals as well as eye damage stemming from with a condition mimicking human glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness around the world.

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A study led by the Cedars-Sinai Department of Neurosurgery has identified certain regions in the retina – the lining found in the back of the eye – that are more affected by Alzheimer's disease than other areas. The findings may help physicians predict changes in the brain as well as cognitive deterioration, even for patients experiencing the earliest signs of mild impairment.

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A breakthrough study, led by researchers from the University of California, Irvine, results in the restoration of retinal and visual functions of mice models suffering from inherited retinal disease.

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During the pandemic, the amount of screen time for many people working and learning from home as well as binge-watching TV has sharply increased. New research finds that wearing blue-light glasses just before sleeping can lead to a better night's sleep and contribute to a better day's work to follow.

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Chinese and Australian researchers have combined studies of more than 170,000 people and found conclusive evidence that regular physical exercise reduces the risk of age-related cataracts, the cause of blindness in an estimated 13 million people worldwide.

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Aye-ayes possess small “pseudothumbs” – complete with their own fingerprints – that may help them grip objects and branches as they move through trees. This is the first accessory digit ever found in a primate.

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Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School and a team of EPFL researchers have developed a conformable electrode implant that will allow people with a dysfunctional inner ear to hear again. This new technology would improve existing auditory brainstem implants, which have a number of shortcomings.

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New research shows that an automated, artificial intelligence (AI) screening system accurately detects diabetic retinopathy 95.5 percent of the time.

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More than 25,000 are expected to attend the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s 123rd annual meeting, AAO 2019, from Oct. 12-15 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

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More than 1 billion people worldwide are living with vision impairment because they do not get the care they need for conditions like short and far sightedness

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University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center is helping to save a child's eyesight with gene therapy.

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Neuroscience researchers will detail new technologies at the cutting edge of replacing lost sensory and motor functions, at the October 12 Pre-Meeting Symposium of the American Neurological Association 2019 Annual Meeting from 6–9 p.m. at the Marriott St. Louis Grand.

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There are a lot of myths and misinformation out there about children’s eye health. The American Academy of Ophthalmology debunks seven common myths about children’s eye health.

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The American Academy of Ophthalmology (the Academy) and Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) today announced this year’s recipients of the Research to Prevent Blindness/American Academy of Ophthalmology Award for IRIS® Registry Research. The grant supports researchers who want to conduct big data research in ophthalmology and blindness prevention.

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Medical marijuana is legal in Michigan and glaucoma patients are substituting traditional treatment methods for a marijuana cigarette. But does it hurt more than it helps? A University of Michigan expert weighs in.

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Preliminary applications for one-year Shaffer Grants in the amount of $50,000 are being accepted until July 15, 2019 through the Glaucoma Research Foundation website.

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The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Academy of Optometry are joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to offer spring break safety tips so travelers spend their time on the beach, not in the emergency room

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In a new study, biologists have discovered that different versions of a single gene, called NDP (Norrie Disease Protein), have unexpected links between color patterns in pigeons, and vision defects in humans. The gene variations were likely bred into pigeons by humans from a different pigeon species and are now evolutionarily advantageous in wild populations of feral pigeons living in urban environments.

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One risk of space flight is a possible danger to vision. Retired NASA astronaut David Wolf, M.D., will discuss how space flight affects eyes on in a keynote address at a conference of leading eye physicians and surgeons, hosted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Washington, D.C. April 19.

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Many people accept deteriorating eyesight as an inevitable part of getting older, but blurry or distorted vision – such as when straight lines appear wavy – could be signs of age-related macular degeneration.

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Jakub Famulski, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Kentucky, has received an R01 grant for over $1.8 million from the National Institutes of Health to study the early formation of the anterior segment of the eye, which includes the cornea, iris, ciliary muscle, drainage canals and pupil.

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The recent approval of two novel medications for glaucoma – the first new medications for the disorder in nearly 18 years – are fruit borne from decades of foundational scientific research supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI). The two medications, Vyzulta and Rhopressa, treat elevated eye pressure. High intraocular pressure is a causal risk factor for primary open-angle glaucoma, the most common form of glaucoma and a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the U.S. and worldwide.

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Gender-based differences may influence several ocular conditions, suggesting that fluctuations in sex steroid homeostasis may have direct effects on eye physiology and the pathogenesis of conditions like Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

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In a study published today in the scientific journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Kaufman and Curtis Brandt, a fellow professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at UW-Madison, showed an improved tactic for delivering new genes into the eye's fluid drain, called the trabecular meshwork. It could lead to a treatment for glaucoma.

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Common, unavoidable eye movements may be a cause of glaucoma in people with normal intraocular pressure (normal-tension glaucoma), according to new research supported by the National Eye Institute. The findings suggest that over time eye movement strains the optic nerve, the bundle of nerve fibers between the eye and brain. The research may also explain why tension-lowering eye drops can improve normal-tension glaucoma. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide and January is Glaucoma Awareness Month.

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A team of scientists and engineers at USC has developed an on-the-spot, temperature-sensitive gel that could seal eye injuries on the battlefield.

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Study by Kellogg Eye Center reveals double vision associated with 850,000 outpatient and emergency department visits annually but life-threatening diagnoses are rare.

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A protein shaped like a "Y" makes scientists do a double-take and may change the way they think about a protein sometimes implicated in glaucoma. The Y is a centerpiece in myocilin, binding four other components nicknamed propellers together like balloons on strings.

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A medical condition that puzzled physicians, scientists and veterinarians, and remained obscure for decades, was long known by indigenous peoples in Colombia.

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A study led by researchers at Cedars-Sinai and NeuroVision Imaging LLC provides the scientific basis for using noninvasive eye imaging to detect the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s. The experimental technology, developed by Cedars-Sinai and NeuroVision, scans the retina using techniques that can identify beta-amyloid protein deposits that mirror those in the brain.

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Andrew D. Pucker, O.D., Ph.D., gives tips on safe use of contact lenses, including advice on travel, swimming and UV rays.

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At a glance: ·Newly published research reveals the presence of a blueprint for the complex visual system already present at birth. ·The observations shed light on a long-standing mystery about how and when certain cardinal features of the visual system develop. ·The findings have implications for human brain evolution and could provide explanation for some anomalies in visual activity seen in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.

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Bugs in your eyes may be a good thing. Resident microbes living on the eye are essential for immune responses that protect the eye from infection, new research shows. The study, which appears in the journal Immunity on July 11, demonstrates the existence of a resident ocular microbiome that trains the developing immune system to fend off pathogens. The research was conducted at the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

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Recent strides toward understanding dry eye are leading to better and longer-lasting therapies for the millions of people in the U.S. who are affected by the condition.

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In a small and preliminary clinical trial, Johns Hopkins researchers and their collaborators have shown that an experimental gene therapy that uses viruses to introduce a therapeutic gene into the eye is safe and that it may be effective in preserving the vision of people with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

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On May 4th, RPB-supported researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis published a study identifying a biomarker that could help to predict glaucoma damage before vision loss.

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Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a biomarker that appears linked to damage to cells in the retina of the eye. The marker may make it possible to better monitor the progression of glaucoma, as well as the effectiveness of treatment for the blinding disease.

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Using the gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health, with colleagues in China, have reprogrammed mutated rod photoreceptors to become functioning cone photoreceptors, reversing cellular degeneration and restoring visual function in two mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa.

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Research conducted at the University of Adelaide has discovered that bees have much better vision than was previously known, offering new insights into the lives of honey bees, and new opportunities for translating this knowledge into fields such as robot vision.

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In a new study, scientists find that the growth factor TGF-beta may play a role in the formation of secondary cataract, suggesting a direction for research into strategies to prevent it. The study appears in Molecular Biology of the Cell and was funded by the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.