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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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Eye

Helping the retina regenerate

A new report gives recommendations for regenerating retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), crucial neurons in the back of the eye that carry visual information to the brain.

NIH-Funded Scientists Home in on Molecular Causes of Secondary Cataract

Four to 12 percent of people undergoing cataract surgery to replace a cloudy lens with a clear artificial one develop posterior capsule opacification (PCO).
Image of a mouse retina

NIH scientists deploy CRISPR to preserve photoreceptors in mice

Silencing a gene called Nrl in mice prevents the loss of cells from degenerative diseases of the retina, according to a new study. The findings could lead to novel therapies for preventing vision loss from human diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa.
Xu Wang with Wai Wong in lab

Breast cancer drug dampens immune response, protecting light-sensing cells of the eye

The breast cancer drug tamoxifen appears to protect light-sensitive cells in the eye from degeneration, according to a new study in mice.
Sequence of five images, spanning 28 days, shows how regeneration happens in the zebrafish retina.  Rods are shown in green, regenerating cells are shown in red, and all other cells are labeled with blue.  As the rods die, regenerating cells increase and replace the lost rods.

NIH-funded study helps explain how zebrafish recover from blinding injuries

Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, have discovered that in zebrafish, decreased levels of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) cue the retina, the light-sensing tissue in the back of the eye, to produce stem cells
Grantee News

Fighting Blindness: TSRI Scientists Bring a Key Protein into Focus

NEI-funded scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have discovered how a protein called α2δ4 establishes proper vision.
Picture of Aman George in the lab

NIH scientists identify disorder causing blindness, deafness, albinism and fragile bones

Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, have identified the genetic underpinnings of a rare disorder that causes children to be born with deafness, blindness, albinism and fragile bones.
Grantee News

Vitamin B3 Prevents Glaucoma, JAX Researchers Find

In mice genetically predisposed to glaucoma, vitamin B3 added to drinking water is effective at preventing the disease.
Grantee News

New Method to Detect Ultrasound with Light

A tiny, transparent device that can fit into a contact lens has a bright future, potentially helping a range of scientific endeavors from biomedicine to geology.

Five innovations harness new technologies for people with visual impairment, blindness

During Low Vision Awareness Month, the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, is highlighting new technologies and tools in the works to help the 4.1 million Americans living with low vision or blindness.