blindness Archives

Inflammation implicated in exfoliation syndrome

Mar. 28, 2023—Computational genetics tools have implicated inflammatory pathways in exfoliation syndrome, the most common cause of secondary glaucoma, which can result in blindness.

Opening a window to glaucoma

Oct. 10, 2022—A metalloprotease enzyme plays an important role in retinal ganglion cell development, Vanderbilt researchers discovered; studying it and other family members may lead to the identification of novel targets for treating glaucoma.

Mitochondria and retinal degeneration

Aug. 15, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers have developed a new cellular model for exploring mitochondrial dysfunction in age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people over 65.

Genetic clues in eye birth defect

Feb. 18, 2021—Sabine Fuhrmann and colleagues have discovered a novel underlying cause of coloboma — a birth defect that causes missing tissue in the eye and accounts for up to 10% of childhood blindness.

Insights on diabetic retinopathy

Jan. 23, 2020—A drug that targets multiple pathogenic steps in diabetic retinopathy may be an ideal therapeutic strategy for the disease, Vanderbilt researchers report.

Novel methods to treat glaucoma

Nov. 8, 2018—Increasing a certain signaling molecule prevents the degeneration of retinal cells that are lost in glaucoma, suggesting a new way to treat this disease.

Aqueous humor, microRNAs and glaucoma

Apr. 10, 2018—New findings highlight microRNAs — molecules that regulate gene expression — that are differentially expressed in glaucoma and could be candidate biomarkers or targets for therapy.

Imaging probe for retinal disease

Oct. 12, 2016—An imaging probe developed at Vanderbilt detects retinal inflammation early and may allow therapeutic intervention to prevent blindness.

Building intestinal brush borders

Feb. 8, 2016—Studies of the molecular complex that helps build specialized cellular surfaces could shed light on the mechanisms underlying a genetic deaf-blindness syndrome accompanied by intestinal disease.

New targets for diabetic retinopathy

Jan. 21, 2016—Certain protein factors have been identified as attractive targets for treating diabetic retinopathy, a major cause of blindness in adults.

In a zebrafish’s eye

Jul. 29, 2015—Vanderbilt investigators demonstrate that a certain eye lens protein is evolutionarily conserved between zebrafish and rat, suggesting that zebrafish can be used as a model system to understand eye lens disorders such as cataracts.