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NEI Research News

Thanks to the work of NEI scientists and grantees, we’re constantly learning new information about the causes and treatment of vision disorders. Get the latest updates about their work — along with other news about NEI.

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30 items
Glaucoma and the optic nerve

U.S.-India joint effort targets genes and traits to improve glaucoma screening, prevention, and treatment

Researchers from the U.S. and India have begun a new collaborative project to identify genetic risk factors and traits related to glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness worldwide.
Sheila West, Ph.D.

Hopkins Vision Researcher Links Environmental Change to Eye Health Hazards

Another reason to worry about climate change: Expanding areas of arid land, air pollution, and greater exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation all present potential health hazards to your eyes.
Dr. Rachel Bishop and Dr. Allen Eghrari, from the Johns Hopkins University Wilmer Eye Institute, shown here with the advanced imaging technologies being used for the PREVAIL III study in Monrovia, Liberia.

NEI Team in Liberia Investigates Ocular Effects Among Ebola Survivors

Following the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa that took the lives of more than 11,200 people in the region, the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, has deployed a team of clinicians and technical experts to Monrovia...
Children who slept near a cooking fire were four times as likely to develop severe trachoma compared with children who slept in ventilated rooms without cooking fires. This child’s severe trachoma led to loss of vision in his left eye. Photo courtesy of Raul Vasquez/Orbis.

Trachoma Risk Tied to Sleeping Near Cooking Fires, Lack of Ventilation

Children who sleep in unventilated rooms with cooking fires are at greater risk for severe trachoma, a leading cause of preventable blindness in developing countries.
Ebola virus, isolated in November 2014 from patient blood samples obtained in Mali. The virus was isolated on Vero cells in a BSL-4 suite at NIAID Rocky Mountain Laboratories. Credit: NIAID

Study of Ebola Survivors Opens in Liberia

The Liberia-U.S. clinical research partnership known as PREVAIL has launched a study of people in Liberia who have survived Ebola virus disease (EVD) within the past two years.
Leaders from the University of Philippines (UP) and Philippine NIH (PNIH) met with NEI staff in May 2015. From L to R: Dr. Fielding Hejtmancik; Dr. Marie Carmela M. Lapitan, director of research management and translation, PNIH; Dr. Arlene Samaniego, vice chancellor, UP; Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-de la Paz, vice chancellor for research and executive director, PNIH; Dr. Belinda Seto; Dr. Carmencita Padilla; Dr. Paul A. Sieving; Dr. Gyan Prakash, Dr. Patricia Cabrera; and Dr. Manuel Datiles.

Dr. Patricia Cabrera: Learning Genetics and Linking NEI to the Philippines

A delegation from the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Philippine National Institutes of Health recently visited NEI on May 21, 2015. It was an opportunity to renew old collaborations and discuss new ones...
National Eye Institute logo.

Seven genetic risk factors found to be associated with common eye disorder

An international group of researchers has discovered seven new regions of the human genome—called loci-that are associated with increased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness.
National Eye Institute logo.

Antibiotic Effective Against Leading Cause of Blindness Throughout the World

A clinical trial funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has concluded that a single dose of azithromycin taken by mouth after surgery reduces by one-third the recurrence of a vision-threatening...
National Eye Institute logo.

Agreement Signed to Expand Vision Research Collaborations between the United States and India

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced the signing of a United States-India Statement of Intent for collaboration on expansion of vision research.
National Eye Institute logo.

Gene Found to Increase Risk of the Most Common Cause of Blindness

Investigators have identified a gene that is “strongly associated” with a person’s risk for developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).