Sight is vital to our health and well-being.
In fact, people fear vision loss more than losing hearing, memory, speech or even a limb. Vision research is helping every day — producing exciting new insights about eye disease, developing innovations to restore sight, and driving clinical breakthroughs that are helping all of us see the future more clearly.
IN THE NEWS
Does Wearing Glasses Protect You From Coronavirus?
The New York Times, September 16, 2020
Eyeing the connection between autism and vision
Spectrum, September 16, 2020
Mom who chronicled COVID-19 battle says virus may have given her glaucoma
NY Post, September 10, 2020
Can Vision Research Help the Development of a COVID-19 Vaccine?
There’s a not-so-new genetic technology – in fact, ophthalmologists already use it to reverse an incurable type of blindness – that may well prove the SARS-CoV-2 magic bullet the world so desperately seeks. It leverages a unique vaccine strategy, called adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector, to deliver a powerful knock-out punch to COVID-19 before it can establish a foothold in the human body.
Visionary Scientist
Mark Humayan, MD, PhD, was inspired to become an ophthalmologist after finding that there was no cure for his grandmother’s diabetic retinopathy. His research focuses on creating the world’s first artificial retinas and in 2016, he received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Barack Obama for his innovative work and development of the Argus II retinal implant, which can allow previously blind patients to detect light, locate objects, and determine object motion direction.
Two virtual events on September 23 provide important updates on the role of artificial intelligence in retinal diseases and the impact of COVID-19 lab closures on vision research:
Congressional Briefing: Artificial Intelligence in Retinal Diseases—Focus on Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Retinopathy
12pm – 1:15pm ET
A Conversation: The Impact of COVID-19 Lab Closures on the Next Generation of Vision Scientists
1:30pm – 2:00 pm ET
VISION RESEARCH IS AN INVESTMENT IN A BETTER FUTURE
As NIH Director Frances Collins put it, “Due to the architecture, accessibility, and the elegance of the eye, vision research has always been a few steps ahead in biomedical research.”