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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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Dr. John Guy and colleagues added a homing signal to a virus in order to deliver the ND4 gene into mitochondria. A marker for the gene is shown in red and the ND4 protein is shown in green, inside retinal ganglion cells in the mouse eye. The nuclei of retinal ganglion cells are shown in blue. Credit: Dr. Hong Yu, Bascom Palmer.

Scientists Test New Gene Therapy for Vision Loss From a Mitochondrial Disease

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a novel mouse model for the vision disorder Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), and found that they can use gene therapy to improve visual function in the mice.
The findings suggest that people may be able to lower their risk of AMD by eating a healthy diet, exercising and by not smoking.

Diet, Exercise, Smoking Habits and Genes Interact to Affect AMD Risk

People with a genetic predisposition for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) significantly increased their odds of developing the blinding eye disorder if they had a history of smoking and did not exercise or eat enough fruits and vegetables.
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...
Object motion and amacrine cells in retina

Circuit in the Eye Relies on Built-In Delay to See Small Moving Objects

When we move our head, the whole visual world moves across our eyes. Yet we can still make out a bee buzzing by or a hawk flying overhead, thanks to unique cells in the eye called object motion sensors.
NIH study raises doubt about any benefits omega-3 and dietary supplements like these may have for cognitive decline. (Photo courtesy of NEI)

NIH Study Shows no Benefit of Omega-3 or Other Nutritional Supplements for Cognitive Decline

While some research suggests that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids can protect brain health, a large clinical trial by researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that omega-3 supplements did not slow cognitive decline in older persons.
Schematic of microbiota interacting with ocular immune system.

In Uveitis, Bacteria in Gut May Instruct Immune Cells to Attack the Eye

The inflammatory eye disorder autoimmune uveitis occurs when a person’s immune system goes awry, attacking proteins in the eye.
Mice with AQP0 mutations (top) had disorderly fiber cells compared to mice with healthy AQP0.

Defective Lens Protein Implicated in Cataract Shown Culprit in Presbyopia

Loss or defects of a protein previously shown to play a key a role in cataract, the clouding of the lens that commonly strikes people in their seventies, has now been shown to contribute to presbyopia.
Images of the brain generated by diffusion tensor imaging, a type of MRI. The red highlights show visual pathways in the brain that deteriorate in patients with LCA, but appear to improve with gene therapy to the retina. Credit: Dr. Manzar Ashtari, University of Pennsylvania.

With LCA Gene Therapy, a Rare Glimpse of the Adult Brain Adapting to New Experience

When people lose the ability to see, how do the visual parts of the brain change in response? And if they regain their sight, are the changes reversed?
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.
A microglial cell (green) extends spider-like arms to capture and consume rod photoreceptor cells (blue). Credit: Dr. Wai Wong, NEI.

In Blinding Eye Disease, Trash-Collecting Cells go Awry, Accelerate Damage

Spider-like cells inside the brain, spinal cord and eye hunt for invaders, capturing and then devouring them. These cells, called microglia, often play a beneficial role by helping to clear trash and protect the central nervous system against infection.

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