NEI Research News

More than 72,000 clinical photographs illustrate age-related eye disease progression

In high-risk adults with type 2 diabetes, researchers have found that two therapies may slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease that is the leading cause of vision loss in working-age Americans.

Latinos have higher rates of developing visual impairment, blindness, diabetic eye disease, and cataracts than non-Hispanic whites, researchers found. These are the first estimates of visual impairment and eye disease development in Latinos.

Researchers have shown that ranibizumab eye injections, often in combination with laser treatment, result in better vision than laser treatment alone for diabetes-associated swelling of the retina.

Scientists have shown that through an eye exam, doctors can identify infants who are most likely to benefit from early treatment for a potentially blinding eye condition called retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), resulting in better vision for many children

The National Eye Institute mourns the loss of M. Velma Dobson, Ph.D., a long-time advisor and expert on NEI clinical research studies in infants and children. She passed away on Friday, April 9 from Lou Gehrig’s disease.

NEI support leading to gene therapy clinical trials for people with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) consisted of significant efforts by investigators in the intramural laboratories at the NEI.

Scientists have found that laser therapy is equivalent to two different dosages of corticosteroid medications for treating vision loss from the blockage of small veins in the back of the eye, a condition known as branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).

Eye injections of corticosteroid medication may improve patients’ vision

Three young adults who received gene therapy for a blinding eye condition remained healthy and maintained previous visual gains one year later, according to an August online report in Human Gene Therapy.