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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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939 items
Head-mounted robotic device for eye surgery.

Early study shows promise for retinal-surgery robot invented at the University of Utah

Researchers create a new robotic surgery device that aims to give surgeons “superhuman” hands, accounting for patients’ breathing and eye movements, along with their own involuntary hand tremors, while they work on retinal tissues.
Diagram of the eye showing location of the lens.

FAU lands $1.9 million NIH grant for novel way to treat degenerative disease

Florida Atlantic University researchers Lisa A. Brennan and Marc Kantorow will determine the novel mechanisms that convert immature eye lens precursor cells into functional transparent cells.
Doctor examines child's eye with a slit lamp.

Treatment pause leads to high rate of relapse in children with a type of autoimmune eye inflammation

According to a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded clinical study, children with a type of autoimmune arthritis and associated eye inflammation are likely to experience disease recurrence when discontinuing a biologic therapy called adalimumab.
A myopic eye grows too long from front to back. Light gets focused in front of the retina. Single-vision contact lenses focus distance vision on the retina, but peripheral light is focused behind the retina. Multifocal contact lenses focus distance vision on the retina and peripheral light in front of the retina, signaling the eye to slow growth.Multifocal contact lenses are concentric circles consisting of an add power treatment zone in the outer rings that focuses peripheral rays in front of the retina.

Contact lenses used to slow nearsightedness in youth have a lasting effect

In a follow up study, researchers found that children who wore special contact lenses to slow progression of myopia maintained the treatment benefit even after they stopped wearing the contacts as older teens.
Decorative

NEI launches video contest to inspire teens to explore science

Annual Eye on the Future Teen Video Contest inspires high school students from all backgrounds to explore science. Winners receive $2,000 and a trip to NIH.
Extracellular vesicle

Report on extracellular vesicles

A new report summarizes proceedings from an NEI workshop on extracellular vesicles (Evs) – cell-secreted nanoparticles that mediate cell-cell communication.

NEI study: New take on old marker of cell death

New findings from a National Eye Institute-led study add a twist on how a widely used cell death marker, annexin-V, can be interpreted in the lab and the clinic for tracking retinal cell death in eye diseases such as glaucoma.
optic nerves

Nerve regrowth in sight

UConn scientists led by Ephraim Trakhtenberg regrew optic nerves in mice through eye injections of fibronectin peptides (pieces of the larger protein).

UC Irvine-co-led study finds DNA damage is key factor in age-related macular degeneration

Study reveals how DNA damage, a hallmark of aging, compromises the retina’s function and accelerates vision loss. Targeting specific retinal cell types could lead to treatments that slow or stop progression.
Eye illustration

ARPA-H announces funding for development of eye transplantation

ARPA-H announced the teams to receive awards from its Transplantation of Human Eye Allografts (THEA) program.