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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
Two boys smile at camera. Dark spot in center of image represents vision loss from AMD.

HtrA1 augmentation is potential therapy for age-related macular degeneration

Research from the University of Utah explains why people with genetic variants may develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and identifies a potential therapeutic pathway for slowing disease progression.
Tiarnan Keenan

Patients use device to monitor AMD at home

Tiarnan Keenan, NEI Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications, and colleagues found that people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can successfully use the Notal Home OCT device to monitor their disease.
eye anatomy graphic

Melanoma of the eye: preclinical tests show path toward treatment

Researchers at UAB have discovered a small molecule inhibitor that dampens the potent drivers of uveal melanoma.
neurons

How neurons get past "no"

When looking at a complex landscape, the eye needs to focus in on important details without losing the big picture. Now, a new study by Salk scientists shows how inhibitory neurons play a critical role in this process.z
bacteria

E.U. - U.S. NIH collaborative symposium and workshop on AMD and the microbiome

NEI and European researchers hosted international investigators on June 18, 2021, to present and discuss recent advances in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its relationship to the microbiome.
Brain illustration with recycling logo

NIH-funded study shows children recycle brain regions when acquiring new skills

Scientists studied the brain activity of school-aged children during development and found that regions that activated upon seeing limbs (hands, legs, etc.) subsequently activated upon seeing faces or words when the children grew older.
Cells with red nuclei and long green processes

Scientists unravel the function of a sight-saving growth factor

Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have determined how certain short protein fragments, called peptides, can protect neuronal cells found in the light-sensing retina layer at the back of the eye.
Box of tissues

What makes us sneeze?

A team led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified, in mice, specific cells and proteins that control the sneeze reflex.

As novel sights become familiar, different brain rhythms, neurons take over

A new study by researchers at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory substantially advances understanding of how a mammalian brain enables “visual recognition memory.”
A mug of coffee

High caffeine consumption may be associated with increased risk of blinding eye disease

Consuming large amounts of daily caffeine may increase the risk of glaucoma more than three-fold for those with a genetic predisposition to higher eye pressure according to an international, multi-center study.