America’s retina specialists are warning the public that millions in the US who don’t know the facts about common retinal conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy are at risk for preventable blindness or vision loss from these sight stealing conditions.
Tag: Blindness
NIH-funded modern “white cane” brings navigation assistance to the 21st century
Equipped with a color 3D camera, an inertial measurement sensor, and its own on-board computer, a newly improved robotic cane could offer blind and visually impaired users a new way to navigate indoors.
Research to Prevent Blindness and American Academy of Ophthalmology Award Grants for Big Data Research to Improve Patient Care
The American Academy of Ophthalmology and Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) today announced the recipients of the Research to Prevent Blindness/American Academy of Ophthalmology Award for IRIS® Registry Research.
The Second Annual TGF Art Challenge to Celebrate Vision
This summer, enjoy celebrating art while you double the impact of your contribution to glaucoma research.
Recycling of the Eye’s Light Sensors Is Faulty in Progressive Blindness of Older Adults
With the National Eye Institute reporting that about 11 million older adults in the U.S. endure a condition that leads to progressive blindness, known as age-related macular degeneration, University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers are starting to understand what goes wrong in the disease, in order to develop new therapies to treat it.
Coenzyme Q10 May Protect against Possible Blindness from Mom’s Pregnancy Diet
New research in rats suggests a common antioxidant supplement may protect the next generation from a leading cause of blindness stemming from a high-sugar diet during pregnancy. The study is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Mount Sinai Ophthalmologists Develop New Technique to Assess Progression of Sickle Cell Retinopathy
(New York, NY – May 10, 2021)- Ophthalmologists at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai have created a new technique to evaluate patients with sickle cell retinopathy and assess the disease before it progresses and leads to…
Audacious projects develop imaging technology to aid eye tissue regeneration
As regenerative therapies for blinding diseases move closer to clinical trials, the National Eye Institute’s functional imaging consortium, a part of the NEI Audacious Goals Initiative (AGI), is pioneering noninvasive technologies to monitor the function of the retina’s light-sensing neurons and their connections to the brain.
Gene Therapy Shows Promise in Initial Trial for Patients with Childhood Blindness
A new gene therapy for one of the most common forms of congenital blindness was safe and improved patients’ vision, according to initial data from a clinical trial.
A Single Injection Reverses Blindness in Patient with Rare Genetic Disorder
A Penn Medicine patient with a genetic form of childhood blindness gained vision, which lasted more than a year, after receiving a single injection of an experimental RNA therapy into the eye.
Scientists Take Important Step Toward Using Retinal Cell Transplants to Treat Blindness
Retinal cells derived from a cadaver human eye survived when transplanted into the eyes of primate models, an important advance in the development of cell therapy to treat blindness, according to a study published on January 14 in Stem Cell Reports.
Researchers Say We’re Watching The World Go Blind
Three University of Michigan researchers say eye care accessibility around the globe isn’t keeping up with an aging population, posing challenges for eye care professionals over the next 30 years.

Research Finds Little Progress on Worldwide Blindness in a Decade
Sobering new statistics released by the Global Burden of Disease study found no significant reduction in the number of people with treatable sight loss worldwide since 2010 as public health services failed to meet World Health Organization (WHO) targets.
Scientists speed up artificial organoid growth and selection
The method currently used to produce stem cell-derived tissues has a very limited throughput. By semi-automating tissue differentiation, researchers from MIPT and Harvard have made the process nearly four times faster, without compromising on quality. The new algorithm is also useful for analyzing the factors that affect cell specialization.

HIV drugs could prevent diabetes, study suggests
Patients taking drugs called NRTIs to treat HIV and hepatitis B had a 33% lower risk of developing diabetes.
Dermatologists warn consumers about the dangers of buying cosmetic injectables — such as fillers — online
A new article published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reveals just how common these illicit products are on popular e-commerce sites, increasing the public’s risk for severe and potentially long-term complications, including blindness, disfiguration, and stroke.
Low-Carbohydrate Diet May Be Associated With Lower Risk of Blinding Eye Disease
Following a long-term diet that’s low in carbohydrates and high in fat and protein from vegetables may lower the risk of the most common subtype of glaucoma
New electrically activated material could improve braille readers
Researchers now report an improved material that could take braille displays to the next level, allowing those who are blind or who have low vision to more easily understand text and images, while lowering cost.
Potential Way to Halt Blinding Macular Degeneration Identified
It would be the first treatment for “dry” age-related macular degeneration and could significantly improve treatment for wet AMD.

UPMC First in the U.S. to Implant Wireless Retinal Device
UPMC is the first center in the U.S. to implant a wireless retinal device to treat advanced age-related macular degeneration.
Rutgers Launches Helpline for Legally Blind
Rutgers University has launched the nation’s first peer support helpline for the legally blind and their families.

7-year-old receives FDA-approved gene therapy
University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center is helping to save a child’s eyesight with gene therapy.
Research to Prevent Blindness and American Academy of Ophthalmology Award Grants for Big Data Research to Improve Patient Care
The American Academy of Ophthalmology (the Academy) and Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) today announced this year’s recipients of the Research to Prevent Blindness/American Academy of Ophthalmology Award for IRIS® Registry Research. The grant supports researchers who want to conduct big data research in ophthalmology and blindness prevention.