Ulcer Treatment – Steroids Found To Heal Corneal Ulcers (NIH-supported)
February 29, 2012
Study gives hope to those suffering from severe cases of bacterial corneal ulcers, which can lead to blindness if left untreated. The use of topical corticosteroids in a randomized controlled trial was found to be neither beneficial nor harmful in the overall patient population in the study. However, it helped patients who had more serious forms of bacterial corneal ulcers.

NantWorks Releases iPhone App that Helps the Blind to See (NIH-supported)
February 29, 2012
LookTel Recognizer, now available in the iTunes App Store, enables blind or visually impaired users to recognize an object instantly by simply pointing their iPhone camera at it and listening to the phone tell them what it is. Recognition happens in real time, with no need to hold the camera still or take a photo. The app will identify packaged goods in the pantry or the grocery store, identity cards, CDs in a music collection and many other everyday objects. It can identify locations such as the entrance of a home or office and signs above store entrances or restrooms.

How Does Nearsightedness Develop in Children? (NIH-supported)
March 1, 2012
The researchers analyzed repeated measurements of vision and eye growth performed over several years in children aged 6 to 14. The study focused on the growth of the two key parts of the eye affecting normal vision: the cornea, the transparent front part that lets light into the eye; and the lens, located behind the cornea, which focuses light rays on the retina at the back of the eye.

Scientists Gain New Insight Into Prefrontal Cortex Activity (NIH-supported)
March 5, 2012
To gain insight into how learning a new task affects the prefrontal cortex, the researchers analyzed the electrical activity of neurons before and after training for the performance in two short-term memory tests. Two monkeys initially looked at a computer screen while various shapes, such as squares and circles, were displayed, and researchers recorded the electrical activity occurring in the brain. The same animals were then trained to recognize the various shapes, and to remember whether two symbols matched each other.

Genetic Link Between Visual Pathways of Hydras and Humans Discovered (NIH-supported)
March 5, 2012
What good is half an eye? Evolutionary biologists studying the origins of vision get that question a lot, and new research points to a possible answer. Findings indicate that, even in the absence of eyes altogether, some creatures display a light-sensitivity that uses the same visual pathway that allows humans to see.

Stem Cells Can Repair a Damaged Cornea
March 5, 2012
A new cornea may be the only way to prevent a patient going blind -- but there is a shortage of donated corneas and the queue for transplantation is long. Scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy have for the first time successfully cultivated stem cells on human corneas, which may in the long term remove the need for donators.

App Turns Tablet into Math Aid for Visually Impaired Students
March 5, 2012
Kira is one of two visually impaired high school students who are testing a new Android app, one designed to assist students like her in mastering algebra, geometry, graphing and other subjects that are particularly hard to comprehend without the aid of normal vision.

Glaucoma Characterized in New Research as a Neurologic Disorder Rather than Eye Disease
Marach 9, 2012
A new paradigm to explain glaucoma is rapidly emerging, and it is generating brain-based treatment advances that may ultimately vanquish the disease known as the "sneak thief of sight."

Scientists Produce Eye Structures from Human Blood-Derived Stem Cells (NIH-supported)
March 13, 2012
For the first time, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have made early retina structures containing proliferating neuroretinal progenitor cells using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from human blood.

Eyes a Window into Brain Health: Study (NIH-supported)
March 15, 2012
People who have mild vascular disease that damages the eyes' retinas are more likely to have vascular disease in the brain that causes thinking and memory problems, new research indicates.

Targeted X-Ray Treatment of Mice Prevents Glaucoma (NIH-supported)
March 19, 2012
Jackson Laboratory researchers have demonstrated that a single, targeted X-ray treatment of an individual eye in young, glaucoma-prone mice provided that eye with apparently life-long and typically complete protection from glaucoma.