Blindness

Impressive new work has demonstrated a potential way to restore vision in those suffering from degenerative diseases of the retina. A single injection of nanoparticles was found to create a working artificial retina, restoring vision to blind rats.

An international team of scientists has developed technology that could detect diabetes-induced blindness in its early stages, using a smartphone as the basis for a low-cost diagnostic method that could greatly improve care in developing regions.

Scientists in the UK have been putting an AI to the test for diagnosing glaucoma, with the results of the trial indicating it can pick up on progression of the disease 18 months earlier than current methods.

Blind readers will likely be familiar with refreshable braille displays, in which raised dots rise and fall from a flat surface in order to form braille characters. A new material, however, could make such displays cheaper and more useful than ever.

The CRISPR gene-editing tool has been used inside the human body for the first time. In a new clinical trial, scientists at Oregon Health and Science University are testing the technique as a treatment for a genetic mutation that causes blindness.

Age-related macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of blindness, and there may now be new hope for treating or even preventing it. An international team of scientists has identified a specific protein that may be the cause of the disorder.

Artificial retinas have the potential to restore some sight to people with certain kinds of blindness, but they contain complex electronics that can overheat. Now a Stanford team has found a way to potentially bypass the issue.

In recent tests, it has been shown that a depth perception-boosting headset could help legally-blind users to avoid collisions.

​Haptic signing is a process in which a hearing, sighted person conveys information to a deaf and blind individual by touching their back or other parts of their body. It's effective, but what happens if the deafblind person wants to be more independent? New haptic-feedback clothing could help.

​Caused by autoimmune diseases, chemical burns, or sometimes even as a side effect of eye surgery, corneal melting is an incurable disease that's a major cause of blindness. It could someday be treated using a contact lens, however, which is currently in the works.

​Most people will agree that phone conversations are more awkward than face-to-face chats, since you can't gauge the other person's mood by seeing their facial expressions. This is a constant challenge for the blind, which is why Huawei has developed the "face-reading" Facing Emotions app.

​Glaucoma occurs when a blockage causes aqueous humor fluid to accumulate within the eye faster than it can drain out. This increases intraocular pressure, which can in turn damage the optic nerve, causing blindness. A new implant, however, may be particularly effective at reducing that pressure.