https://medicalxpress.com/ophthalmology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Ophthalmology Researchers have identified distinct biological features linked to a high risk of developing a severe form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Their findings, published in Genome Medicine, could help inform future efforts to develop more targeted treatments for people at greatest risk of developing severe macular degeneration and losing their sight. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-clues-severe-age-macular-degeneration.html Tue, 12 May 2026 09:00:06 EDT news697794421 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 Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease that weakens and thins the cornea, the clear front surface of the eye. In its early, subclinical stage, the cornea can still appear normal on routine exams. Yet this is when accurate diagnosis matters most, especially when patients are being evaluated for refractive surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-keratoconus-earlier-polarization-ai.html Mon, 04 May 2026 07:00:05 EDT news697088941 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 Nonperfusion area detected by swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) may predict diabetic nephropathy (DN) severity, according to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-swept-source-optical-coherence-tomography.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 22:40:01 EDT news696597858 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 study using tiny retinas grown in a lab has revealed how subtle changes in a key growth-controlling protein can lead to a condition causing serious eye defects from birth. The findings, published in the journal Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)—Molecular Basis of Disease, shed new light on ocular coloboma, a rare congenital eye condition affecting about 1 in 5,000 births and responsible for roughly 10% of childhood blindness. Coloboma arises when a structure in the developing eye, the optic fissure, fails to close properly and often co-occurs with other tissue-fusion problems such as cleft lip and/or palate. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-lab-grown-retina-gene-clue.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 20:00:04 EDT news695290418 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 If you've been thinking about ditching your glasses or contacts, you might be wondering: Is now a good time for LASIK surgery? Is there a "best age?" Should you wait until your prescription stops changing? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-lasik-age-eligibility-recovery.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:40:01 EDT news694947541 One night, Tomás realized something was seriously wrong. He went for a stroll, along the same paths near his village that he had walked along countless times with his friends, their cheerful voices echoing in the still of the night. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-dark-treatments-hereditary.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:00:04 EDT news694870458 Dr. Yangzhi Zhu from the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation has published a research paper titled "Real-time intraocular pressure monitoring and responsive drug delivery in preclinical models by an all-polymer smart contact lens" in Science Translational Medicine. The study introduces an innovative smart contact lens that integrates AI-enabled real-time intraocular pressure monitoring with closed-loop treatment delivery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-smart-contact-lens-ai-track.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:00:04 EDT news694867198 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 geographic atrophy (GA) enlargement rate in one eye does not consistently predict the enlargement rate in the fellow eye, according to a study published online April 2 in JAMA Ophthalmology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-variable-geographic-atrophy-enlargement-fellow.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:40:04 EDT news694785453 In eye clinics and clinical trials, doctors increasingly rely on patients' own reports of how eye disease and treatment affect daily life. Yet these patient questionnaires are often long, repetitive and difficult to use in real-time care, limiting their value in both research and care improvement. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-driven-patient-feedback-vision.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:00:01 EDT news694784281 A California company has recalled more than 3.1 million bottles of lubricating eye drops because it had not properly tested—and thus could not prove—whether the products were sterile. These products are sold under several names at major retailers across the country. The company, K.C. Pharmaceuticals, initiated the recall on March 3, 2026. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-massive-eye-recall-ongoing-issues.html Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:40:03 EDT news694783142 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 Some blind people use returning echoes from their own mouth clicks to perceive external surroundings, or echolocation. New from eNeuro, Haydee Garcia Lazaro and Santani Teng, from Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, explored how the human brain creates representations of external surroundings using echolocation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-people.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 13:00:01 EDT news694428481 More than 3 million bottles of over-the-counter eye drops are being recalled after officials raised concerns about the product's safety. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-million-eye-recalled-sterility.html Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:10:01 EDT news694692001 From hospital leaflets to spoken answers in dozens of languages, new research from the University of East London (UEL) suggests artificial intelligence could dramatically improve how patients learn about serious eye conditions. A research team led by UEL's Dr. Mohammad Hossein Amirhosseini and Dr. Fatima Kalabi from Queen's Hospital in London, in collaboration with Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, and Inselspital University Hospital of Bern in Switzerland, has developed a multilingual, voice-enabled AI chatbot designed to help people understand retinal detachment—a sight-threatening condition that often requires urgent surgery. The system allows patients to ask questions in natural language and receive clear, clinically grounded answers drawn from trusted medical sources. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ai-patient-eye.html Sun, 05 Apr 2026 10:30:01 EDT news694274744 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