Blindness

A simulation of a headset user's view of the world

Good Thinking

Headset keeps blind users on a collision-free course

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

Some of the SUITCEYES prototypes, including the most-recently-created checkerboard vest

Good Thinking

Haptic-feedback clothing designed to guide the deafblind

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.

The therapeutic contact would be applied just like a normal lens, one of which is pictured here

Medical

Hydrogel contact lens could save wearers' vision

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.

The Facing Emotions app detects and displays peoples' emotions, plus it alerts blind users to them using musical cues

Good Thinking

Huawei app lets blind users hear other people's emotions

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.

The implant is activated via externally-applied magnetic fields

Medical

Eye implant uses magnets to manage glaucoma

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.

The Port Delivery System incorporates an implanted drug reservoir, which is externally refilled

Medical

Eye implant could more effectively prevent a common form of blindness

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness in older people, with the "wet" form of the disease being responsible for about 90 percent of all cases of AMD-related severe vision loss. There may be new hope, however, in the form of an experimental eye implant.

Researchers have restored vision in mice born blind by reprogramming Müller glial cells in the retina to develop into rod photoreceptors

Medical

Reprogramming retina cells found to reverse blindness in mice

In future, the Three Blind Mice might be able to avoid running into the farmer’s wife. In a study, scientists managed to restore vision in mice born with congenital blindness, using gene therapy to reprogram base retinal cells into functioning rod photoreceptors.

This is the first study to comprehensively reveal how blue light turns safe molecules in the retina into cell killers

Science

Researchers reveal how blue light exposure is damaging our eyes

In today’s connected world we are increasingly having blue light beamed into our eyes at all times of day. A new study from the University of Toledo has homed in on exactly how blue light can damage our eyes and the researchers recommend avoiding looking at cell phones and tablets in the dark.

The device incorporates a thin sheet of gold studded with an array of microscopic pixels

Medical

Rudimentary artificial retina made with tattoo pigment

Located on the back of the eye, the retina is a layer of nerve cells that convert incoming light to electrical signals – allowing us to see. Now, scientists have developed a rudimentary artificial retina, that could conceivably one day restore sight to the blind.

The lenses incorporate tiny vials of tritium

Health & Wellbeing

Could diabetic blindness be prevented by glowing contact lenses?

In the more advanced stages of diabetes, the patient has a real risk of going blind. While there are treatments to help keep this from happening, they're invasive and often painful. There may be new hope, though, in the form of glowing contact lenses.

The FDA has approved a gene therapy for treating a rare form of inherited vision loss

Medical

FDA approves another gene therapy, this time for treating inherited vision loss

It's been a truly historic year for modern medicine with the FDA for the first time approving several gene therapies for public use. The latest approval, this time for treating a rare form of inherited vision loss, marks 2017 as a milestone year in the field of medicine.

A breakthrough gene therapy for a rare form of hereditary blindness is close to FDA approval

Medical

Landmark gene therapy for hereditary blindness closes in on FDA approval

In August, the FDA approved the first gene therapy for general use in the United States. Now another gene therapy is on the cusp of approval, this time to treat a form of blindness. If approved, this therapy could pave the way for a whole host of treatments for genetically-based vision problems.