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NEI Research News

Thanks to the work of NEI scientists and grantees, we’re constantly learning new information about the causes and treatment of vision disorders. Get the latest updates about their work — along with other news about NEI.

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29 items
Diagram of the eye showing location of the lens.

FAU lands $1.9 million NIH grant for novel way to treat degenerative disease

Florida Atlantic University researchers Lisa A. Brennan and Marc Kantorow will determine the novel mechanisms that convert immature eye lens precursor cells into functional transparent cells.

NEI-led studies point to potential development of a cataract drug

Researchers at the National Eye Institute and their collaborators have identified a protein, known as RNF114, that reverses cataracts, a clouding of the eye’s lens that occurs commonly in people as they age.
A woman, putting on goggles, sits at a workbench with tools. Image in black and white.

Study explains why the brain can robustly recognize images, even without color

A new study from MIT offers a possible explanation for how the brain comes to be adept at identifying both color and color-degraded images, even though the human visual system has sophisticated machinery for processing color.
Nitin Verma

Filling the eye care gap down under

Nitin Verma visited NIH and shared his lifetime perspective on the delivery of vision care to underserved populations in the Australia/South Pacific region—roughly 50-million people scattered across vast stretches of land and ocean.
Brain pathways for visual processing

Scientists discover anatomical changes in the brains of the newly sighted

Following cataract removal, some of the brain’s visual pathways seem to be more malleable than previously thought.
Illustration of a woman wearing sunglasses and a hat.

Protecting your eyes from the sun’s UV light

Did you know the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays can also damage the eyes? Here are some common questions and answers about UV light and how to protect your eyes from the sun.
Nicholas Delamere in the laboratory

Maintaining Transparency: Study to Focus on Causes of Cataracts

Researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson are leading a study to identify the biological mechanisms that cause cataracts in the hopes that new, nonsurgical treatments may be developed.
Man with patch over his eye.

Cataract surgery does not cause disease progression in people with AMD

People with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can undergo cataract surgery without fear of worsening their disease.
Man getting eye exam

Study: Cataract surgery linked with lessened dementia risk

Cataracts affect most older adults at risk for dementia, and now researchers are finding strong evidence that cataract surgery is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia.
Image shows eye globe, optic nerve, lens, cornea, pupil, meshwork, angle, and where fluid forms and exits the front of the eye.

Cataract surgery in infancy increases glaucoma risk

Children who undergo cataract surgery as infants have a 22% risk of glaucoma 10 years later, whether or not they receive an intraocular lens implant. The findings come from the National Eye Institute (NEI)-funded Infant Aphakic Treatment Study.