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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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Grantee News

Ambati Laboratory Discovers New Antibody Function

An NEI-funded researcher at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine discovered with an international team a previously unrecognized function for antibodies.
Grantee News

Researchers Uncover “Predictive Neuron Orchestra” Behind Looking and Reaching Movements

A new study from NYU enhances our understanding of the decision-making process, potentially offering insights into different forms of mental illness in which this dynamic is typically impaired.
Eye Exam

Researchers Discover Three Glaucoma-Related Genes

An analysis funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has identified three genes that contribute to the most common type of glaucoma.
The researchers developed a technique to study live cells in patches of retina, shown here by confocal microscopy. After 2 hours, the vast majority of the cells are alive (green); only a few cells at the perimeter have died (stained red with a dye).

Retinal Cells Work with Little Reserve Energy; May Explain Vulnerability to Eye Diseases

Our eyes are especially demanding when it comes to energy: Along with our brain, they require a substantial amount of power to keep them functioning and healthy.
The level of alpha-crystallin in the eye declines as cataract progresses. Left: The eye of a patient with an early cataract. Right: After 20 months, the same eye has a clinically significant cataract. During that period, the level of alpha-crystallin decreased by more than 94 percent.

Space Lab Technology May Help Researchers Detect Early Signs of Cataract

As we age, proteins in the lenses of our eyes start misbehaving: They unfold and congregate in clusters that block, scatter and distort light as it passes through the lens.
Fundus photograph of age-related macular degeneration showing drusen.

International Study Reveals New Genetic Clues to Age-Related Macular Degeneration

An international study of about 43,000 people has significantly expanded the number of genetic factors known to play a role in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss among people age 50 and older.
Grantee News

Novel Mechanism Identified in Cells in Close Proximity

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University are the first to show that cells in close proximity to each other can sense when a cell is dying due to environmental stressors like UV light and smoke, and eat the cell before it becomes toxic.
device

NEI Funds Development of Co-Robot to Help Visually Impaired Grasp Objects

As part of the National Robotics Initiative (NRI), the National Institutes of Health announced that it will fund the development of three innovative co-robots—robots that work cooperatively with people.
Grantee News

Eye Drops Could Clear Up Cataracts Using Newly Identified Chemical

A chemical that could potentially be used in eye drops to reverse cataracts, the leading cause of blindness, has been identified by a team of scientists.
Grantee News

Can we unconsciously ‘hear’ distance?

Because sound travels much more slowly than light, we can often see distant events before we hear them. That is why we can count the seconds between a lightning flash and its thunder to estimate their distance.