Skip to content

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.

Source
847 items
Individual cilia grow from the basal body of a cell with assistance from distal and subdistal appendages (Credit: Shobi Veleri, Ph.D., National Eye Institute)

NIH study reveals gene critical to the early development of cilia

Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have described the functions of a gene responsible for anchoring cilia — sensory hair-like extensions present on almost every cell of the body.
A healthy mouse retina (left) and distinctive folds in a mouse retina damaged by autoimmune uveitis (right). Credit: Wang et al. Nature Medicine, April 2014.

Soothing cells, peaceful protein could hold promise for treating autoimmune uveitis

Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have found a unique cell type that, in tests on mice, can protect against uveitis—a group of inflammatory diseases that affect the eye and can cause vision loss.
National Eye Institute

NEI Welcomes New Council Members

The National Eye Institute recently appointed two new members to its National Advisory Eye Council.
Grantee News

Researchers Use Human Stem Cells to Create Light-Sensitive Retina in a Dish

Using a type of human stem cell, researchers have created a three-dimensional complement of human retinal tissue in the laboratory, which notably includes functioning photoreceptor cells capable of responding to light
National Eye Institute

Unas nuevas investigaciones exploran como los rayos UV contribuyen a las cataratas

Un nuevo estudio ofrece una explicación de cómo la exposición constante a la luz solar puede aumentar el riesgo de desarrollar cataratas, una opacidad del cristalino que suele ocurrir con la edad.
An age-related cataract. Credit: National Eye Institute.

New Research Sheds Light on How UV Rays May Contribute to Cataract

A new study offers an explanation for how years of chronic sunlight exposure can increase the risk of cataract, a clouding of the eye lens that typically occurs with aging.
Grantee News

JHU Biologists Identify New Neural Pathway in Eyes that Aids in Vision

A type of retina cell plays a more critical role in vision than previously known, a team led by Johns Hopkins University researchers has discovered.
From left to right: Drs. Miriam and Frederick Ferris, Dr. Emily Chew, Keller Johnson-Thompson, who is the great-grandniece of Helen Keller, and Dr. Robert Murphy, who is Dr. Chew's husband.

NEI's Ferris and Chew receive Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research

Frederick L. Ferris III, M.D., and Emily Y. Chew, M.D., who are director and deputy director of the NEI Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications, have received the Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research.
On the left is a normal optic nerve (light circle at center) and on the right is the optic nerve swelling seen in IIH. Courtesy of Dr. Michael Wall, University of Iowa.

Glaucoma Drug Helps Women with Blinding Disorder Linked to Obesity

An inexpensive glaucoma drug, when added to a weight loss plan, can improve vision for women with a disorder called idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Grantee News

IU School of Optometry study: New technique detects microscopic diabetes-related eye damage

Indiana University researchers have detected new early-warning signs of the potential loss of sight associated with diabetes. This discovery could have far-reaching implications for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic retinopathy