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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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Two boys smile at the camera. Asymmetric dark spots block parts of the image, representing vision loss from diabetic retinopathy.

MSU researchers discover link between cholesterol and diabetic retinopathy

September 5, 2023

Researchers found that diabetes, age-related health conditions and other metabolic disorders can lead to a buildup of cholesterol in the retina, which could contribute to diabetic retinopathy.
Transplanted microglia

Scientists develop new therapeutic model for potentially treating incurable eye diseases

August 25, 2023

Researchers have successfully transplanted human microglia into mouse retina to create a model for studying eye disease treatments, such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.
Close up of woman's face.

Study identifies how diabetes slows healing in the eye

July 19, 2023

Cedars-Sinai researchers uncover disease-related changes to the cornea and propose potential therapeutic approaches to correct diabetic wound healing.
Artistic rendering of retinal blood vessels with blood vessel damage.

Experimental drug inhibits or prevents diabetic eye disease in Wilmer Eye Institute study

May 25, 2023

Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine show that experimental drug may prevent or slow vision loss in people with diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes.
Schematic showing SREDs bind to G-protein coupled receptors to promote cell survival

UCI researchers discover new drugs with potential for treating world’s leading causes of blindness

May 8, 2023

In a University of California, Irvine-led study, researchers have discovered small-molecule drugs with potential clinical utility in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
Fundus photograph of age-related macular degeneration showing drusen.

Discovery suggests new way to prevent common causes of vision loss

February 23, 2023

UVA Health scientists have discovered an unknown contributor to harmful blood vessel growth in the eye that could lead to new treatments for blinding macular degeneration and other common causes of vision loss.

Early anti-VEGF treatment of diabetic retinopathy yields no benefit to visual acuity

February 7, 2023

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.
Mexico and U.S. flags

US-Mexico Symposium highlights international collaborations, diabetic eye disease research

January 31, 2023

Session topics included assessing the global burden of diabetes-related eye disease; preventing, treating, and managing disease; and collaborating internationally.
A person with diabetes checks their blood sugar

Researchers unravel why episodes of low blood sugar worsen eye disease in people with diabetes

January 26, 2023

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have linked transient low blood sugar levels that occur in people with diabetes with a molecular pathway that is turned on in oxygen-starved cells in the eye.
Animation of abnormal blood vessels bleeding into the center of the eye due to proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Photo credit: National Eye Institute. Watch video.

Type 1 diabetes: Maintaining the enzyme ACE2 in the gut prevents diabetic blindness

January 13, 2023

Study from University of Alabama at Birmingham suggests that a leaky small intestine that weakens the barrier between gut bacteria and the blood system may drive diabetic retinopathy.