https://medicalxpress.com/ophthalmology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Ophthalmology Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes progressive damage to the optic nerve, leading to vision loss. One major risk factor is an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP), or pressure inside the eye. This pressure fluctuates throughout the day and is known to rise at night. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms behind this increase have not been fully understood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-glaucoma-day-nighttime-eye-pressure.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 12:40:02 EDT news706877701 Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative eye disease defined by the progressive death of nerve cells in the retina called retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and damage to the optic nerve. It doesn't have many warning signs, so significant and irreversible vision loss can occur before patients even realize what's happening. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-boosting-cell-cleanup-glaucoma.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:40:01 EDT news706523341 A new stem cell treatment for ARK (aniridia-related keratopathy) improved patients' vision in a first-in-human clinical trial for this previously untreatable rare genetic eye condition at Moorfields Eye Hospital and University College London (UCL), published in JAMA Ophthalmology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-stem-cell-treatment-vision-previously.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 17:20:04 EDT news706286161 Research has already shown that the more time children spend playing with screens indoors instead of outdoors, the more likely they are to develop myopia. In fact, some experts predict that nearly 5 billion people (or 50% of the world's population) will be nearsighted by 2050. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-slice-sunshine-indoor-myopia.html Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:00:06 EDT news706175461 Researchers from three institutions, including UC Santa Barbara, have demonstrated that artificial intelligence has the potential to make future visual prostheses, like a bionic eye, more precise, predictable and responsive to an individual user. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-deep-refines-bionic-eyes-communicate.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:20:03 EDT news705330842 An erectile dysfunction drug that is also used to treat symptoms, such as sudden urgency and frequency, associated with an enlarged prostate in men may heighten the risk of glaucoma, a serious eye condition, a large comparative study published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology finds. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-erectile-dysfunction-drug-enlarged-prostate.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 18:30:01 EDT news704965160 Researchers at the University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital have conducted the world's first randomized clinical trial to test cortisone eyedrops to slow the progression of serious eye disease in extremely premature babies. The results suggest that the intervention can reduce the need for invasive treatment for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a disease that causes blindness in 35,000 children worldwide each year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-cortisone-eyedrops-sight-extremely-premature.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 12:40:06 EDT news704978641 Early vitrectomy surgery for acute endophthalmitis, a rare eye condition, may potentially benefit patients' vision more than the current antibiotic-first approach, according to a study led by researchers at University College London (UCL) and Moorfields Eye Hospital. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-early-surgery-bacterial-eye-infection.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:20:06 EDT news704648101 For decades, scientists believed that photoreceptors in the retina relied primarily on neighboring support cells, known as the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), to remove waste. While the RPE is still responsible for clearing away the worn-out tips of photoreceptors each day, new findings from the University of Oklahoma reveal that photoreceptors also perform much of their own internal housekeeping. The study is published in Cell Death & Disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-hidden-recycling-vision-cells-healthy.html Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:00:06 EDT news704551342 Researchers at the International Centre for Translational Eye Research (ICTER) have developed a prototype imaging system that can simultaneously track the cornea's mechanical response at nine locations. The technology marks an important step toward more accurate, noncontact assessment of corneal biomechanics and could improve early detection and monitoring of disorders such as keratoconus. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-imaging-method-corneal-mechanics-simultaneously.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 18:20:03 EDT news704470562 University of Oklahoma College of Medicine researcher Jody Summers, Ph.D., has long hypothesized that inflammation plays a role in the development of myopia, or nearsightedness, in which close-up vision is clear but distance vision is blurry. Her laboratory experiments have been convincing, and now she has preliminary human data to support the theory. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-human-links-inflammation-myopia-onset.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 17:00:04 EDT news703951452 For the first time, Northwestern Medicine scientists have detailed how fall and spring daylight saving time transitions affect a person's risk of developing retinal vascular disease. The study is published in Scientific Reports. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-daylight-eye-smallest-blood-vessels.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:40:10 EDT news703772545 Many of the world's leading causes of irreversible blindness, including glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, share a common problem: the buildup of fluid, waste and inflammatory debris in the back of the eye. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-eye-hidden-cleanup.html Sun, 19 Jul 2026 13:44:47 EDT news703687437 Blinding diseases caused by the degeneration of photoreceptors, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP), affect 200 million people worldwide and represent the leading causes of visual impairment and blindness. Beyond the personal impact on quality of life and independence, vision loss places a global economic burden estimated at more than $400 billion per year in health care costs and lost productivity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-drugs-sight-mice.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:10:02 EDT news703329275 Often called the silent thief of sight, glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that gradually damage the optic nerve, often without warning signs. It is linked to increased pressure (ocular hypertension) inside the eye and, if left untreated, can lead to permanent vision loss. Even with ongoing treatment, some people still face the risk of progressive vision loss. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-vitamin-b3-silent-thief-vision.html Wed, 15 Jul 2026 09:40:07 EDT news703319084 Researchers at Technion have uncovered a surprising natural mechanism through which the body repairs itself: Contrary to what was previously believed, mature, aged cells retain an extraordinary ability to "turn back time" and revert to active stem cells that regenerate damaged tissue. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-mature-eye-cells-stem-injury.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 15:00:03 EDT news703255351 A breakthrough combination of new silicone materials and advanced 3D printing technology developed by University of Waterloo researchers could transform how contact lenses are manufactured. The study, "Patient-specific hard contact lenses fabricated by vat photopolymerization printing and non-contact fluidization coating," was published in Materials & Design. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-patient-specific-3d-contact-lenses.html Tue, 14 Jul 2026 11:40:08 EDT news703245679 Mild COVID-19 can cause severe and long-lasting eye problems, according to a study from Linköping University, Sweden. The study also explains why it has been difficult for sufferers to get help: The abnormal eye behavior cannot be detected by standard methods. The researchers have developed a diagnostic model to detect COVID-related eye problems. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-diagnostic-covid-eye-problems.html Wed, 08 Jul 2026 05:00:03 EDT news702630361 Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible visual impairment worldwide. Because the disease often progresses without symptoms for years, many patients are diagnosed only after permanent damage to the optic nerve has already occurred. Earlier detection through targeted screening could help prevent vision loss. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-genetic-onset-glaucoma.html Sun, 05 Jul 2026 11:00:01 EDT news702217598