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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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Artist’s rendering of neural activity in the retina. Light that enters the eye activates rod and cone photoreceptors, which then activates retinal ganglion cells. A signal travels to the brain via the retinal ganglion cell axons. Photo credit: National Eye Institute

Let there be 'circadian' light

Researchers at UW Medicine have decoded what makes good lighting – lighting capable of stimulating the cone photoreceptor inputs to specific neurons in the eye that regulate circadian rhythms.
David Schmidtke

Unlocking the mystery of corneal healing

New research by bioengineer David Schmidtke is helping understand how corneal repair cells called keratocytes sometimes result in scarring and blindness.
Patient undergoes and eye exam. Courtesy National Eye Institute.

For Aging Patients, One Missed Doctor’s Visit Can Lead to Vision Loss

Missing a single ophthalmology appointment over a two-year period was associated with decreased visual acuity for patients with macular degeneration according to a new Penn Medicine study.
Small baby sleeping in hospital.

Tech that detects cause of preemie blindness gets federal nod

An artificial intelligence algorithm that can detect a potentially devastating cause of childhood blindness better than most human experts has been granted breakthrough status by the FDA.
Brad Gelfand, Ph.D., in the laboratory

Potential Way to Halt Blinding Macular Degeneration Identified

Researchers at the University of Virginia have successfully treated age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in mice after finding an unexpected link between the two main forms of the blinding eye disease.
Research team at Virginia Tech

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists shed light on surprising visual development patterns

In a new study from Virginia Tech, neuroscientists reveal a surprising clue about how the intricate visual processing system forms during early brain development.
Man reading a book

Reward improves visual perceptual learning — but only after people sleep

A new study from Brown researchers finds that rewards improve performance on a visual perceptual task only if participants sleep after training.
Eye Exam

Neuroscientists Discover Brain Pressure Controls Eye Pressure, Revealing New Avenues for Glaucoma Treatment

Researchers at the University of South Florida have discovered a novel feedback pathway from the brain to the eye that modulates eye pressure – a significant advancement in the effort to diagnose and treat glaucoma.
Fly eye in red, green and yellow

How Do Fruit Flies See in Color?

Study from Columbia University uncovers human-like brain circuit at work. Their findings lay the groundwork for mapping mechanisms of color vision.
Model of protein structure with 4 protein chains

UNH Researchers Solve Protein Structure Associated with Inherited Retinal Diseases

Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have reported the first structural model for a key enzyme, and its activating protein, that can play a role in some genetically inherited eye diseases like retinitis pigmentosa and night blindness.