Vision Loss

Engineering a photo-switch for nerve cells in the eye and brain

(Medical Xpress)—Chemists and vision scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago have designed a light-sensitive molecule that can stimulate a neural response in cells of the retina and brain—a ...

Medical research created Nov 14, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Brain may 'see' more than the eyes, study indicates

(Medical Xpress)—Vision may be less important to "seeing" than is the brain's ability to process points of light into complex images, according to a new study of the fruit fly visual system currently published ...

Neuroscience created Nov 01, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (14) | comments 5 | with audio podcast

Stem cells improve visual function in blind mice

An experimental treatment for blindness, developed from a patient's skin cells, improved the vision of blind mice in a study conducted by Columbia ophthalmologists and stem cell researchers.

Medical research created Oct 01, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Study identifies mechanism that leads to diabetes, blindness

The rare disorder Wolfram syndrome is caused by mutations in a single gene, but its effects on the body are far reaching. The disease leads to diabetes, hearing and vision loss, nerve cell damage that causes ...

Medical research created Sep 17, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers elucidate cause of death of photoreceptor cells in retinitis pigmentosa

Research conducted at the Angiogenesis Laboratory at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, has for the first time, identified the mode of death of cone photoreceptor cells in an animal model of retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

Ophthalmology created Aug 20, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Treatment target for diabetes, Wolfram syndrome

Inflammation and cell stress play important roles in the death of insulin-secreting cells and are major factors in diabetes. Cell stress also plays a role in Wolfram syndrome, a rare, genetic disorder that ...

Inflammatory disorders created Aug 07, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

First light: Scientists regenerate the optic nerve, restore some components of vision

(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers have long tried to get the optic nerve to regenerate when injured, with some success, but no one has been able to demonstrate recovery of vision. A team at Boston Children’s Hospital ...

Medical research created May 21, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (12) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Gene therapy research cures retinitis pigmentosa in dogs

Members of a University of Pennsylvania research team have shown that they can prevent, or even reverse, a blinding retinal disease, X-linked Retinitis Pigmentosa, or XLRP, in dogs.

Genetics created Jan 23, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (15) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study shows daily aspirin intake can lead to blindness

(Medical Xpress) -- A new study published in Ophthalmology reveals that while taking a daily aspirin may reduce the risks of heart disease and stroke, a disturbing side effect has also been noted to increase the risk of dev ...

Ophthalmology created Oct 05, 2011 | popularity 3 / 5 (10) | comments 3 | with audio podcast report

Early screenings key to diagnosing glaucoma

New research is emphasizing the importance of regular screenings for glaucoma, a disease that deteriorates the optic nerve over time and is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The onset of glaucoma is associated ...

Ophthalmology created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study provides clarity on supplements for protection against blinding eye disease

Adding omega-3 fatty acids did not improve a combination of nutritional supplements commonly recommended for treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a major cause of vision loss among older Americans, ...

Ophthalmology created May 06, 2013 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

One-two punch could be key in treating blindness

Researchers have discovered that using two kinds of therapy in tandem may be a knockout combo against inherited disorders that cause blindness. While their study focused on man's best friend, the treatment ...

Ophthalmology created Apr 09, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Cholesterol-lowering eye drops could treat macular degeneration

A new study raises the intriguing possibility that drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol may be effective against macular degeneration, a blinding eye disease.

Medical research created Apr 02, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Long-suspected cause of blindness from eye disease disproved

Vision scientists long have thought that lack of very long chain fatty acids in photoreceptor cells caused blindness in children with Stargardt type 3 retinal degeneration, an incurable eye disease. But researchers at the ...

Ophthalmology created Mar 11, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study discloses new test for river blindness infection

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a telltale molecular marker for Onchocerciasis or "river blindness," a parasitic infection that affects tens of millions of people in Africa, ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Feb 25, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Vision loss or visual loss is the absence of vision where it existed before, which can happen either acutely (i.e. abruptly) or chronically (i.e. over a long period of time).

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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