NEI Research News

Using vision to efficiently move through an area by foot uses a unique region of the brain’s cortex, according to a small study funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI).

Researchers supported by the NEI are developing artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML)-based systems that not only screen for AMD but also predict which patients will likely progress to late within two years.

Questions remain about artificial tears linked to an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections involving 68 people in 16 states, including 5 cases of vision loss, as well as lung and urinary tract infections, and one death.

While early treatment of diabetes-related eye disease slowed progression to severe disease, it did not improve visual acuity compared with treating more severe disease once it developed, according to a clinical study from the DRCR Retina Network.

Session topics included assessing the global burden of diabetes-related eye disease; preventing, treating, and managing disease; and collaborating internationally.

In the vision field, researchers turn to a variety of small, non-mammalian animal models to help bridge gaps in our scientific knowledge.

Developed by NIH scientists, the model also sheds light on developmental eye disorders such as coloboma.

Scientists used patient stem cells and 3D bioprinting to produce eye tissue that will advance understanding of the mechanisms of blinding diseases.

Using a new stem-cell based model made from skin cells, scientists found the first direct evidence that Stargardt-related ABCA4 gene mutations affect a layer of cells in the eye called the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE).

Scientists have discovered a mechanism by which an area of a protein shape-shifts to convert vitamin A into a usable form for the eye’s light-sensing photoreceptor cells.