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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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136 items
Retinal pigment epithelial cells stained green and magenta

CU Researchers Provide First Evidence Linking Extracellular Vesicles with Drusen Formation and Age-Related Macular Degeneration

CellSight researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine are offering the first evidence connecting drusen formation, or yellowish deposits that accumulate under the retina, with extracellular vesicles and age-related macular degeneration.
Brad Gelfand, Ph.D., in the laboratory

Prozac Pegged as Potential Treatment for a Leading Cause of Blindness

An antidepressant best known as Prozac could offer the first treatment for the leading cause of blindness among people over 50, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine suggests.

Toxic DNA Buildup May Drive Macular Degeneration

Damaging DNA builds up in the eyes of patients with geographic atrophy, an untreatable, poorly understood form of age-related macular degeneration that causes blindness, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine reveals.
Two boys smile at camera. Dark spot in center of image represents vision loss from AMD.

AMD: Reading ability crucial indicator of functional loss

In geographic atrophy, a late form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), reading ability is closely related to the altered retinal structure.
Rajendra Apte examining a patient's eye

The latest on AMD

Dr. Rajendra Apte answers common questions about age-related macular degeneration.
Female shown from overhead standing with her eye open receiving OCT scan.

NEI-funded technology promises to broaden access to retinal scanning

A National Eye Institute-funded project at Duke University has yielded a fully automated optical coherence tomography (OCT) device that does not require a trained operator and promises to broaden access to retinal imaging technology.
Two boys smile at camera. Dark spot in center of image represents vision loss from AMD.

HtrA1 augmentation is potential therapy for age-related macular degeneration

Research from the University of Utah explains why people with genetic variants may develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and identifies a potential therapeutic pathway for slowing disease progression.
Tiarnan Keenan

Patients use device to monitor AMD at home

Tiarnan Keenan, NEI Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications, and colleagues found that people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can successfully use the Notal Home OCT device to monitor their disease.
bacteria

E.U. - U.S. NIH collaborative symposium and workshop on AMD and the microbiome

NEI and European researchers hosted international investigators on June 18, 2021, to present and discuss recent advances in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its relationship to the microbiome.
Photoreceptor precursor cells (red) are shown with extended axons toward bipolar cells.

Audacious projects develop imaging technology to aid eye tissue regeneration

As regenerative therapies for blinding diseases move closer to clinical trials, the NEI's functional imaging consortium is pioneering noninvasive technologies to monitor the function of the retina’s neurons and their connections to the brain.