Vision

Unlike us, many animals can see ultraviolet light. If you're using a video screen to study their visual perception, therefore, that screen really ought to work in the UV spectrum – and a new one does just that.

One common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) is vision impairment, and it can progress to blindness in some cases. Now, researchers at the University of California, Riverside report a drug that was able to reverse that vision loss in mice.

A pair of newly published studies are offering novel insights into how the neurodegeneration associated with Parkinson’s disease leads to cognitive decline. The research suggests minor vision problems can precede cognitive decline by up to 18 months.

Glaucoma can cause vision loss that's currently irreversible. But now scientists have found that removing a membrane in the eye could help transplanted cells migrate into the optic nerve and repair the connections, potentially restoring lost vision.

DARPA is starting a program to develop a new multispectral Enhanced Night Vision (ENVision) system for the military that replaces today's heavy night-vision goggles with ones that are as light and compact as a pair of eyeglasses.

One of the ways scientists hope to offer better treatments for vision loss is through gene therapy. Researchers have been left surprised by an experimental form of this, which involved an injection into one eyeball yet improved vision across both.

California's EyeQue has launched a Kickstarter for a vision test system called the VisionCheck 2 that makes use of a smartphone attachment and an app to provide personalized eye tests in the comfort of a user's home.

Using gene therapy, Harvard scientists have restored vision to mice suffering glaucoma by rewinding the aging process in their cells. The team says the research is a proof of concept for slowing the symptoms of aging with epigenetics.

A new gene therapy treatment may be able to save the vision of patients with a blindness-causing genetic disease. DOA currently has no preventative or cure, but in tests in mice and human cells the team was able to slow progression of the disease.

Scientists in Australia who have spent more than 10 years developing a first-of-a-kind bionic vision system are now eyeing human trials, with the hopes that it could one day help restore vision in those suffering from untreatable blindness.

Scientists working towards next-generation treatments for blindness have made an exciting breakthrough, demonstrating how a new method of injecting healthy cells into the eyes could act as a one-two punch to address vision loss.

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.