Scleral thinning seen following intravitreal anti-VEGF injections

Research conducted at the University Hospital in Bern, Switzerland suggests that scleral changes may occur in patients following repeated intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF agents in the same quadrant.

Converting rods into cones in a model of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) rescues retinal degeneration

Heritable retinal degeneration is a common cause of visual impairment and blindness, affecting millions of people worldwide. Many research groups have focused on targeted gene therapy as a treatment for these diseases. However, inherited retinal diseases can be caused by mutations in any one of more than 200 genes, and the pathogenic mechanisms of various mutations differ greatly. This was the motivating factor in the work by Dr James C Corbo and his team at the Washington University School of Medicine to develop gene-independent therapies that would be more widely applicable. This work has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Blind candidates to get extra 20 minutes per hour in HPSC exams

Coming to the aid of a blind candidate, the state commissioner for persons with disabilities has directed the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) to give additional 20 minutes per hour to blind candidates appearing in competitive examinations conducted by the Commission.

Study challenges conventional wisdom that sight-based brain sensory network is impaired with blindness

Is visual input essential to how the topographical map of the visual cortex develops in the human brain? In a new research, scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and those from in Germany and USA, show that the way in which the brain organizes its visual sense remains intact even in people who are blind from birth.

New clinical trial utilizing stem cells for retinitis pigmentosa

ReNeuron has announced that it has filed application with the US FDA to commence Phase I/II clinical trial in the US with its stem cell therapy candidate for the blindness-causing disease, retinitis pigmentosa. The clinical trial will be evaluating its human Retinal Progenitor Cell therapy candidate for retinitis pigmentosa.