All articles tagged with #retina
Researchers in South Korea developed experimental smart contact lenses with tiny electrodes that deliver retinal electrical signals using temporal interference to target mood-related brain circuits in mice, improving depression-like behavior in animals with damaged retinas; the approach is early-stage, not tested in healthy retinas, and many challenges remain before any human use.
A 2026 Nature Communications study shows Greenland sharks can live for centuries and retain a functional visual system, overturning the long-standing claim that they are nearly blind due to an eye parasite. Earlier radiocarbon dating suggested lifespans up to ~392 years, but the new work finds preserved retinal tissue and active low-light vision, prompting a rethink of how we understand ultra-long-lived deep-sea animals.
Population studies in Singapore and the UK found that markers of faster retinal aging are associated with lower bone density and higher osteoporosis risk, suggesting retinal images could serve as a noninvasive screening tool, with AI models like RetiAGE predicting future fractures.
New research shows that the inner retina of birds can function without oxygen by relying on anaerobic glycolysis fueled by glucose supplied via the pecten oculi, while the outer retina uses oxygen. This arrangement supports the birds’ high-energy vision and reveals how the eye’s evolutionary tinkering may have evolved to maintain function during low-oxygen conditions, with potential implications for understanding tissue hypoxia in humans.
A Science Advances study reports eye drops made from pig-semen–derived exosomes carrying a nanozyme cancer-killing system can cross the retinal barrier to target retinoblastoma tumors in mice, halting tumor growth and preserving vision; the approach uses folic-acid tagging to improve selectivity and could inform drug delivery across other hard-to-penetrate barriers, though it is currently at early, animal-tested stages.
A SUNY College of Optometry study with 34 participants suggests indoor lighting and sustained near-work can alter how the eye accommodates, converges, and constricts pupils in myopes, with contrast more influential than brightness in driving inward eye movements. This may weaken a retinal pathway and create a feedback loop that worsens myopia, offering a new hypothesis for the global rise (projected ~40% of youth affected by 2050). The study is small and not longitudinal, so outdoor vs indoor effects remain unproven and more research is needed.
A Nature Communications study found higher levels of the bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae in retinal tissue of people with Alzheimer's disease, with greater bacterial burden associated with more severe cognitive decline. The findings, supported by lab and mouse models, suggest retinal infection and inflammation may reflect brain pathology and that APOE4 carriers had higher retinal bacterial levels, pointing to retinal imaging as a potential noninvasive biomarker and possible infection-targeted therapies.
A Cedars-Sinai study shows Chlamydia pneumoniae can invade the retina and brain, triggering inflammation, nerve cell loss, and amyloid-beta buildup linked to Alzheimer's; higher bacterial levels correlate with worse cognition, especially in APOE4 carriers. The research suggests chronic infection and inflammation could drive Alzheimer's, and the retina might serve as a noninvasive window for early detection and new treatments targeting infection and inflammation.
New research shows that the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s may appear in the peripheral retina, with Müller glia changes and increased Aquaporin-4 signaling indicating heightened glymphatic activity; this could enable non-invasive wide-field retinal imaging as an early diagnostic tool years before cognitive symptoms.
A SUNY College of Optometry study published in Cell Reports suggests that dim indoor lighting combined with prolonged close focus may excessively constrict the pupil and reduce retinal illumination, potentially contributing to the global rise in nearsightedness; the idea is still speculative and requires more testing, but it could influence prevention strategies.
A Cedars-Sinai study found the pneumonia-causing bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae in the retina, with higher bacterial loads in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease; the bacteria may amplify brain pathology by triggering the NLRP3 inflammasome, increasing inflammation and amyloid beta, and the retina could serve as a noninvasive biomarker for disease status while anti-inflammatory or antibiotic strategies are being explored, though questions remain about how and when infection occurs.
A Cedars-Sinai study finds Chlamydia pneumoniae in the retina—more abundant in people with Alzheimer's—where infection correlates with cognitive decline. Lab tests in neurons and animal models show infection-driven inflammation, neuron death, and amyloid-beta buildup, suggesting retinal infection could reflect brain pathology and serve as a noninvasive biomarker and potential treatment target, though causality is not proven.
Researchers studying Greenland sharks aged over a century find a preserved, functional visual system: their retinas lack cones, but rod-based vision uses rhodopsin tuned to blue light (458 nm), and corneas continue to transmit most light. The findings hint that a DNA repair toolkit linked to extreme longevity may help maintain retinal health, with unclear implications for human eye health; study published in Nature Communications.
The Greenland shark, the longest-living vertebrate with an estimated lifespan of up to 400 years, retains a functional rod-based visual system adapted for deep-sea, low-light environments, supported by genomic, histological, and spectrophotometric evidence, despite parasitism and extreme longevity.
Scientists discovered that in retinitis pigmentosa, the retina can adapt by rerouting signals from cones to rod bipolar cells, helping preserve daylight vision longer despite rod loss, which could inform future treatments.