https://medicalxpress.com/ophthalmology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Ophthalmology Researchers in the WashU Medicine Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences have discovered key neuroprotective genes that could lead to the development of gene therapies to treat retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited form of retinal degeneration that causes blindness. The findings, published in Neuron, point to new therapeutic strategies to maintain retinal health and protect against degeneration. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-genome-wide-screen-yields-gene.html Mon, 11 May 2026 16:40:04 EDT news697733926 A major international study led by Flinders University has identified a genetic contributor to juvenile glaucoma. Published today in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology, the study marks another important step toward treating multiple forms of glaucoma with the support of genetic testing. While glaucoma typically affects older adults, many people are unaware it can affect younger people too. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-gene-duplication-juvenile-glaucoma-patients.html Thu, 07 May 2026 13:20:02 EDT news697378081 A type of drug used to prevent migraine may be associated with a reduced risk of glaucoma, according to a study published in Neurology. The study compared 36,822 people who took calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitor drugs to prevent migraine to the same number of people who took other types of migraine prevention drugs. However, the results do not prove that CGRP inhibitor drugs directly cause the reduced risk of glaucoma; they only show an association. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-migraine-drugs-glaucoma.html Wed, 06 May 2026 19:20:03 EDT news697305841 Groundbreaking research from the University of Houston shows that a single low-dose atropine eye drop can produce daylong effects in managing myopia, or nearsightedness, which affects roughly one-third of U.S. adults. Professor of Optometry Lisa Ostrin and postdoctoral researcher Barsha Lal are reporting that even one drop in the eye of low-dose atropine (0.01%–0.1%) produces clear changes in pupil size and focusing ability that persist for at least 24 hours. Importantly, they also found that the drop shows no short-term structural effects on the eye, with only temporary changes in blood flow inside the retina. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-dose-eye-adult-myopia-hours.html Mon, 04 May 2026 15:00:08 EDT news697123801 National Eye Institute (NEI) scientists have found that the way the retina metabolizes glucose directly controls which genes get switched on and off in light-sensing photoreceptors. The findings suggest that metabolic disruptions seen in aging and disease may directly destabilize the gene expression needed to keep photoreceptors healthy, opening new avenues for treating retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss. The work is published in PLOS Genetics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-sugar-fuels-sight-glucose-metabolism.html Mon, 04 May 2026 13:40:03 EDT news697117741 Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have successfully demonstrated that disrupting an eye structure long suspected of blocking the growth and survival of transplanted nerve cells may help restore vision in people with optic nerve damage. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-advance-efforts-vision-transplanted-neurons.html Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:00:04 EDT news696676981 An inherited form of blindness directly comparable to a common inherited optic nerve disease in humans has been discovered in rhesus macaques at the California National Primate Research Center at the University of California, Davis. The work, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could lead to a better understanding of autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA), and potentially to new treatments. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-macaques-reveal-human-genetic-inherited.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:00:03 EDT news696610020 Pickleball-related eye injuries are on the rise in the United States, according to a study published in the journal Eye and led by Houston Methodist. The findings underscore a public health concern tied to one of America's fastest-growing sports. In addition, the research also revealed that dodgeball and kickball continue to cause significant eye-related trauma, primarily among younger individuals. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-america-fastest-sport-eye-injury.html Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:40:04 EDT news696071582 There may be some truth to the saying "the eyes are the window to the soul." Age-related changes are reflected in the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Recent research shows that a photo of the retina may also reveal potential risks for major diseases like diabetes. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-photo-eye-retinal-age.html Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:40:09 EDT news695992861 The more precisely we want to examine the human retina, the more clearly one of the fundamental limits of physics becomes apparent. In cellular-resolution eye imaging, the same tradeoff has applied for years—tiny structures can be seen with impressive sharpness, but only within a very thin layer of tissue. To view the entire retina, researchers usually have to refocus and acquire several separate scans in a repetitive manner. Now an international team led by Dawid Borycki and Maciej Wojtkowski from ICTER, together with Zhuolin Liu and Daniel X. Hammer from the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), has shown that this limitation can be overcome. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-exam-retina-complications.html Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:00:03 EDT news695917381 Scientists led by Botond Roska at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB) have developed MitoCatch, a system that enables targeted delivery of healthy mitochondria to specific cell types affected by disease. This innovation is a major step toward precision mitochondrial therapy. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-mitocatch-healthy-mitochondria-diseased-cells.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:00:07 EDT news695394961 A new Yale School of Medicine (YSM) study has uncovered surprising new details about how our eyes process what we see. When we look at something, our visual system breaks down different aspects of the scene—such as color, contrast, and motion—and processes those components separately. It's called parallel visual processing and it's what allows our brains to work out what we're seeing so quickly. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-eye.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 17:20:12 EDT news694946205 A virus that typically infects marine animals, such as shrimp and fish, has jumped to humans and is causing chronic eye disease in some people, according to a study published in the journal Nature Microbiology. In recent years, the number of people in China with a condition called persistent ocular hypertension viral anterior uveitis (POH-VAU) has been increasing with no clear explanation as to why. Symptoms include extremely elevated eye pressure and inflammation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-virus-seafood-linked-persistent-eye.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 15:00:03 EDT news694788010 The human eye functions like an exceptionally precise, high-end camera, one with a resolution of around 576 megapixels. What makes it intriguing is that although our eyes can focus on light at only one wavelength at a time, the result isn't fragmented or blurry. What we see feels seamlessly sharp and rich in details. This raises the question of which color it chooses to focus on when the scene we are looking at has multiple colors. A recent study published in Science Advances presents a mechanism that guides the choice. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-eye-focuses-sharpness.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 07:50:01 EDT news694752973 The human eye can see with exceptional detail, allowing people to read fine print, recognize faces across the room, and take in the features in nature. Scientists have long debated how this sharp vision works at the cellular level and whether the brain and eyes work together to make it possible. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-reveals-sharp-vision-cone-cells.html Sat, 04 Apr 2026 10:20:03 EDT news694516237 Imagine being able to assess how healthy the front of our eyes are not only in hospitals, but also in remote eye-screening camps, elderly-care facilities, pharmacies, or even train stations. That is the future a research team led by Professor Toru Nakazawa at the Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University is working toward with a newly developed portable AI-powered scanning slit-light device. This convenient device hopes to make ophthalmic care more accessible, so patients can be assessed any place and any time. The findings are published in Scientific Reports. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-powered-portable-eye-scanner.html Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:40:02 EDT news694341301 Getting past the barrier surrounding the eye is a difficult but necessary part of treating retinoblastoma (RB)—a form of eye cancer that is more common in children. Once the barrier is penetrated, RB responds well to treatment. However, current methods, such as injections, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, are painful and often cause vision loss and other serious side effects. But, a new method, described in a study published in Science Advances, might offer a safer, more effective way to treat RB. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-effective-delivery-method-eye-cancer.html Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:40:01 EDT news694177788 Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that light plays a key role in how animals perceive environmental threats, findings that have the potential to improve the understanding of risk avoidance behaviors and related disorders in humans, according to a study published in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-impacts-brain-threats.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:40:04 EDT news694094521 Scientists led by Botond Roska at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB) and collaborators have identified genetic pathways and compounds capable of protecting cone photoreceptors from the degeneration that underlies conditions like age-related macular degeneration. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-lab-grown-human-retinas-reveal.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:00:06 EDT news693829621 Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and often goes undiagnosed until vision loss is advanced. Population-wide screening has long been considered impractical, but recent advances in AI may provide a more viable option. According to a paper published in The Lancet Primary Care, a new AI-based screening tool reduces the number of unnecessary referrals for glaucoma by half, while maintaining a similar level of accuracy to eye doctor diagnoses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-screening-ai-unnecessary-glaucoma-referrals.html Fri, 13 Mar 2026 08:40:01 EDT news692609941