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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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NEI researchers discover cellular events that precede neurodegenerative eye disease

Molecular and cellular changes in rod photoreceptors are detectable in a mouse model of retinal degeneration several days prior to observable morphological changes, according to researchers at the National Eye Institute.
Schematic shows blood vessel leakage on side of retina

Vision improvement is long-lasting with treatment for blinding blood vessel condition

NIH-funded study finds many patients with retinal vein occlusion have vision benefits, but require long-term monitoring and treatment

Ultrasound gave us our first baby pictures. Can it also help the blind see?

The research team in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s Department of Biomedical Engineering is exploring a non-surgical solution that could restore sight by using another of the five senses. Sound.

New UCI-led study lays foundation for establishing base editing as a one-time, durable treatment for inherited retinal degeneration

A new study indicates base editing may provide long-lasting retinal protection and prevent vision deterioration in patients with inherited retinal degeneration, specifically in Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) patients.
Photoreceptor degeneration tied to lipofuscin accumulation.

Advancing a treatment for a common eye disease that lacks one

The road from discovering a potential drug to getting the therapy into the hands of patients is a long and uncertain one. An NIH program called Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network helps basic researchers prep for clinical trials and regulatory approval.
Green retinal ganglion cell spreads dendrites in all directions.

Antabuse may help revive vision in people with progressive blinding disorders

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have found that a drug once widely used to wean alcoholics off of drinking helps to improve sight in mice with retinal degeneration.
Close up of Muller glia

Bunkers that save sight? UConn researchers take a close look

A team of neuroscientists at the University of Connecticut reports that the retina has a remarkable ability to wall off damage.

Vision scientists discover new angle on path of light through photoreceptors

Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have discovered that power-producing organelles in the eye’s photoreceptor cells, called mitochondria, function as microlenses that help channel light to these cells’ outer segments.
Artist's rendering of photoreceptor signaling a retinal ganglion cell

Implanted chip, natural eyesight coordinate vision in study of macular degeneration patients

A Stanford scientist and his colleagues show that patients fitted with a chip in their eye are able to integrate what the chip “sees” with objects their natural peripheral vision detects.
Cone photoreceptors from retinal organoids

UW study finds photoreceptor cells from retinal organoids can replicate key function of vision

Researchers from the U. of Wisconsin have shown that a retinal cell type derived from human pluripotent stem cells is capable of the complex process of detecting light and converting that signal to electrical waves.