https://medicalxpress.com/ophthalmology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Ophthalmology Nearly 40,000 bottles of a widely sold eye drop are being pulled from shelves nationwide because the maker cannot guarantee the product is sterile. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-eyes-eye-recalled-nationwide-sterility.html Tue, 25 Aug 2026 23:00:01 EDT news706881287 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 Cataract surgery—one of the most common operations paid for by Medicare—typically leaves enrollees owing a few hundred dollars. Some patients pay more to have their vision corrected during the procedure. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-medicare-paying-cataract-surgery-eye.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:20:03 EDT news706528962 Researchers from National Taiwan University (NTU) and National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) have developed an injectable antioxidant hydrogel that protects retinal neurons and promotes visual recovery following acute optic nerve injury. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-antioxidant-hydrogel-retinal-neuroprotection-visual.html Fri, 21 Aug 2026 16:00:01 EDT news706537741 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 multifaceted surgical safety intervention is effective and sustainable in reducing the incidence of postoperative endophthalmitis (POE) following ophthalmic surgery, according to a study published in Eye Discovery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-safety-intervention-incidence-postoperative-endophthalmitis.html Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:00:04 EDT news706438475 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 Around 75% of American adults need vision correction, but access to eye care remains uneven, particularly in rural communities and for patients with mobility limitations. To help close those gaps, Dr. Nick Panzo and Dr. Hamza Memon, Texas A&M University School of Engineering Medicine (EnMed) graduates, are developing portable eye exam equipment about the size of a virtual reality headset. The device is designed to make comprehensive eye exams more accessible by bringing a key piece of ophthalmology equipment out of clinics and into a wider range of health care settings. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-portable-eye-exam-equipment-aims.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:00:06 EDT news705643861 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 Letters to patients from ophthalmology services—the highest-volume outpatient specialty in U.K. health care—include too much complex language and medical terminology that patients are likely to find hard to understand, according to an analysis of more than 4 million letters from one large hospital trust, published in the open-access journal BMJ Health & Care Informatics. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-analysis-patient-letters-eye-clinics.html Tue, 04 Aug 2026 18:30:04 EDT news704965154 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 Renal impairment and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are interrelated, with higher odds of AMD among individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a review published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-renal-impairment-linked-age-macular.html Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:40:05 EDT news704621525 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 Plasma exchange can help treat people with a rare inflammatory disease that can cause blindness, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in Neurology. Plasma exchange led to recovery for most people with the disease, which is called myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD), and side effects were rare. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-plasma-exchange-treatment-options-rare.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:00:05 EDT news703915047 Children exposed to opioids before birth may face increased risks of difficulties with vision, attention, behavior and learning during their school years, according to a new study. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-links-prenatal-opioid-exposure-term.html Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:00:14 EDT news703922881 An international study co-led by The University of Western Australia has created the equivalent of infant growth curve charts for children's eyes to help clinicians identify warning signs of myopia. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-children-eyes-global-myopia-epidemic.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:40:09 EDT news703843502 For adults with irregular corneas, a four-zone scleral lens demonstrates high effectiveness in improving visual performance, according to a study published in the September issue of Eye Discovery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-zone-scleral-lens-visual-irregular.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:00:05 EDT news703780999 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 An NSAID-related compound called ampyrone appears to safely boost production of the pigment melanin in human skin, according to a preclinical study led by Weill Cornell Medicine and National Eye Institute investigators. The discovery could lead to the development of an ampyrone-derived treatment for hypopigmentation disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-discovery-drug-therapy-hypopigmentation-conditions.html Sun, 19 Jul 2026 09:30:01 EDT news703255463 An estimated 27% of U.S. adults with diabetes are using glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs)—a type of medication that mimics the GLP-1 hormone—to lower blood sugar and support weight loss. Some research has suggested that their use can reduce the risk of developing other diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-semaglutide-glp-drugs-linked-degenerative.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 11:40:06 EDT news703505994 Faculty members at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine are working together across academic departments to learn more about how menopausal hormone therapy, sometimes referred to as hormone replacement therapy, affects women's bodies. Among their many focuses is eye health. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-potential-menopausal-hormone-therapy-ocular.html Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:20:01 EDT news703485242 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