Blindness News and Research

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Experts describe structure of protein complex vital for proper cell function

Mitochondrial diseases exhibit different symptoms like muscle weakness, severe fatigue, even blindness. Most genetic diseases are the result of mitochondrial defects.

8 Oct 2021

Researchers identify the mechanism leading to deafness in Norrie disease

A team of Mass Eye and Ear Scientists led by Albert Edge, PhD, working with research fellow Yushi Hayashi, MD, PhD, has identified the mechanism that can lead to deafness in the rare syndrome, Norrie disease.

6 Oct 2021

New approach could lead to better treatments for mitochondrial diseases

Mutant DNA sequences inside cellular mitochondria can be eliminated using a bespoke chemical compound. The approach, developed by scientists at Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Science (iCeMS) in Japan, could lead to better treatments for mitochondrial diseases.

31 Aug 2021

Researchers identify a novel pathomechanism leading to Usher syndrome

Human Usher syndrome (USH) is the most common form of hereditary deaf-blindness. Sufferers can be deaf from birth, suffer from balance disorders, and eventually lose their eyesight as the disease progresses.

12 Jul 2021

Consuming large amounts of daily caffeine may increase the risk of glaucoma

Consuming large amounts of daily caffeine may increase the risk of glaucoma more than three-fold for those with a genetic predisposition to higher eye pressure according to an international, multi-center study.

8 Jun 2021

Study reveals genetic mutation associated with exfoliation syndrome

A team of researchers from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's (A*STAR) Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI), as well as Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), have identified a genetic mutation (functionally defective CYP39A1 gene) associated with exfoliation syndrome, the most common cause of glaucoma.

5 May 2021

Genetic flaw shows promise for treating eye disease

A genetic flaw may hold the key to delay or prevent the onset of a serious eye disorder that can result in blindness and vision loss.

From Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) 17 Mar 2021

Alzheimer’s proteins linked to age-related vision loss

A recently published study has demonstrated a close correlation between proteins linked to age-related vision loss and Alzheimer’s disease.

11 Mar 2021

First-in-human clinical trial to test safety, efficacy of gene therapy for Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have launched a first-in-human Phase I clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of a gene therapy to deliver a key protein into the brains of persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a condition that often precedes full-blown dementia.

From UC San Diego 19 Feb 2021

Researchers identify potential new treatments for blindness

Vision loss associated with inherited genetic disease or aging is predicted to affect as many as 16 million people in the world.

27 Nov 2020

Study reveals process for regenerating neurons in the eye and brain

The death of neurons, whether in the brain or the eye, can result in a number of human neurodegenerative disorders, from blindness to Parkinson's disease.

6 Oct 2020

New insight into how people with retinal degenerative disease can maintain night vision

New insight on how people with retinal degenerative disease can maintain their night vision for a relatively long period of time has been published today in the open-access eLife journal.

23 Sep 2020

Researchers develop new gene therapy for congenital blindness

Retinitis pigmentosa is the most prevalent form of congenital blindness. Using a retinitis pigmentosa mouse model, researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians Universitaet (LMU) in Munich have now shown that targeted activation of genes of similar function can compensate for the primary defect.

3 Sep 2020

Elevated levels of heart failure marker increase risk for diabetes-related complications

Healthy people - especially women - with elevated levels of the heart failure marker NT-proBNP have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

19 Aug 2020

Gene therapy to the inner retina prevents blindness in Cln3-deficient mice

Gene therapy to the inner retina prevented blindness in a mouse model of the neuro-degenerative disorder CLN3 Batten disease.

11 Aug 2020

Boosting metabolic resources in the brain could be a way to slow neurodegeneration

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have shown for the first time that when one optic nerve in the eye is damaged, as in glaucoma, the opposite optic nerve comes to the rescue by sharing its metabolic energy.

From Vanderbilt University 22 Jul 2020

A new method to fortify shellfish for tackling human nutrient defiiciencies

Cambridge scientists have developed a new way to fortify shellfish to tackle human nutrient deficiencies which cause severe health problems across the world. The team is now working with major seafood manufacturers to further test their microencapsulation technology, or "Vitamin Bullets".

20 Jul 2020

A new approach to combat drug resistance in aggressive age-related macular degeneration

An international team of researchers led by Baylor College of Medicine and Houston Methodist has discovered a strategy that can potentially address a major challenge to the current treatment for choroidal neovascularization (CNV), an aggressive form of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the elderly.

17 Jul 2020

Study: Specific mechanism of Cyclocarya paliurus shows promise for treating type 2 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are the two main types of diabetes, while T2DM accounts for 90%-95% of those with diabetes.

14 Jul 2020

New approach spurs production of antibiotic or antiparasitic compounds in bacteria

Researchers have developed a method to spur the production of new antibiotic or antiparasitic compounds hiding in the genomes of actinobacteria, which are the source of drugs such as actinomycin and streptomycin and are known to harbor other untapped chemical riches.

26 Jun 2020