StemCell Therapy

Dublin, Dec. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Vision Care: Global Markets" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The current report provides a detailed analysis of the vision care devices market. This report will highlight the current and future market potential of vision care devices along and provide a detailed analysis of the competitive landscape. The report covers market projections for 2025 along with current market estimates. Epidemiology trends of major eye disorders, drivers, restraints, and opportunities will also be covered in the current report along with company profiles of the key market players.

The report segments the market for vision care devices based on device, distribution channel, and geography. Based on device type, the market is broadly segmented into eyeglasses, contact lenses, intraocular lenses (IOLs), and artificial tears. Eyeglasses are further segmented into a single vision, bifocal and progressive. Contact lenses are further segmented into spherical lenses, toric lenses, multifocal contact lenses, and others. For market estimates, data will be provided for 2019 as the base year, with estimates for 2020 and forecast values for 2025.

By geography, the market has been segmented into North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Detailed analysis of major countries such as the U.S., Canada, Germany, the U.K., Italy, France, Spain, Japan, China, India, Australia, Brazil, and Mexico will be covered in the regional segments.

The Report Includes:

Market growth is attributed to factors such as the growing prevalence of blindness and vision impairment, a rise in the world's geriatric population, and growing collaborations between vision care companies and technology companies for the advent of technologically advanced products to address current unmet needs.

According to the IAPB, nearly 1.1 billion people are considered to be affected by some form of vision loss: 43 million people are categorized as blind, about 553 million people are estimated to suffer from some form of moderate to severe visual impairment (MVSI), about 258 million people experience mild vision impairment and about 510 million suffer from near vision impairment. In addition, at least 1 billion more people need ongoing access to eye care services. High prevalence and the increasing burden of vision impairment is likely to drive the vision care market during the forecast period.

Reasons for Doing This Study:

Visual impairment is a global health concern that has a negative impact on both physical and mental wellbeing. Preventive blindness, a common vision disorder, represents a major challenge to the global healthcare system. Visual impairment is associated with loss of global productivity and high disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and is responsible for significant healthcare spending. According to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), in 2020, nearly 1.1 billion people were considered to be affected by some form of vision loss; 43 million people are categorized as blind, about 553 million people are estimated to suffer from some form of Moderate and Severe Vision Impairment MSVI, about 258 million people experience mild vision impairment and about 510 million suffer from near vision impairment. In addition, at least 1 billion more people need ongoing access to eye care services.

Globally, the leading causes of vision impairment are uncorrected refractive errors and cataracts. Refractory disorders, particularly myopia, are one of the common ailments seen across all age groups. The incidence of refractory disorders is estimated to have doubled in the last decade compared to past generations, with the rise driven by rapid changes in lifestyles, genetic disorders, and malnutrition. Refractory disorders, although increasingly prevalent, can be treated and are considered preventable ailments if addressed quickly.

Market growth has been spurred by the introduction of technologically advanced products and the rise in the global visually impaired population. This report is designed to provide the reader with a background on vision care products, an analysis of the current factors influencing the market, and the tools to make decisions regarding expansion and penetration in this market.

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Summary and Highlights

Chapter 3 Clinical Overview

Chapter 4 Epidemiological Insights

Chapter 5 Supply Chain Overview

Chapter 6 Vision Care Market Dynamics

Chapter 7 Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Vision Care Market

Chapter 8 Market Breakdown by Product Type

Chapter 9 Market Breakdown by Region

Chapter 10 Competitive Landscape

Chapter 11 Company Profiles

Chapter 12 Appendix: Acronyms

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/35ke4b

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

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Global Vision Care Market (2020 to 2025) - Featuring Alcon, Carl Zeiss and Hoya Among Others - Stockhouse

An effective new treatment to restore vision is on the horizon that works by injecting genetically modified stem cells into the eye to mend the damaged retina.

Researchers found that the cells of damaged retinas send out a rescue signal to attract the stem cells that repair eye damage.

The i newsletter latest news and analysis

They identified two of these cell signals known as Ccr5 and Cxcr6 and then genetically engineered the stem cells to make them more sensitive to those signals.

When these modified stem cells were transplanted back into mice and human tissue samples in the lab they flocked to the retina cells in much greater numbers, keeping the tissue of the damaged retina alive and functioning.

The technique holds promise for improving sight in people with poor vision and potentially even to cure blindness altogether but the researchers cautioned that any such development was some years away and required much bigger studies to confirm their findings.

One of the main hurdles in using stem cells to treat damaged eyesight is low cell migration and integration in the retina, says Pia Cosma, at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona.

After the cells are transplanted they need to reach the retina and integrate through its layers. Here we have found a way to enhance this process using stem cells commonly found in the bone marrow, but in principle can be used with any transplanted cells, Dr Cosma said.

There is still considerable work to be done, but our findings could make stem cell transplants a feasible and realistic option for treating visual impairment and restoring eyesight, she said.

Retinal damage, which is currently incurable, inevitably leads to visual disabilities and in most cases blindness. With a growing and ageing population, the number of people affected by retinal damage is estimated to increase dramatically over the next few decades.

Stem cell therapies have been touted as one way of treating degenerative retinal conditions. Stem cells can be transplanted into the eye, releasing therapeutic molecules with neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties that promote the survival, proliferation and self-repair of retinal cells. The stem cells can also generate new retinal cells, replacing lost or damaged ones.

The researchers used mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in bone marrow and can differentiate into lots of types of cells, including retinal cells that respond to light.

Mesenchymal stem cells can also be easily grown outside an organism, providing abundant starting material for transplantation compared to other cell sources such as hematopoietic stem cells.

The study is published in the journal Molecular Therapy.

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Treatment to restore vision by injecting stem cells into the eye could help people with damaged eyesight - iNews

Dec. 2, 2020 06:00 UTC

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Gyroscope Therapeutics Limited, a clinical-stage retinal gene therapy company, today announced that Jennifer Cook, David Fellows and Rene Gal have been appointed to the Gyroscope Board of Directors, effective immediately.

I am very pleased to welcome Jennifer, David, and Rene, three extremely accomplished executives with extensive biopharmaceutical backgrounds, to our board of directors, said Khurem Farooq, Chief Executive Officer. We look forward to their valuable contributions and unique perspectives as we continue our work to develop gene therapy beyond rare disease with the goal of delivering new medicines to people with retinal diseases.

Ms. Cook was most recently the Chief Executive Officer of GRAIL, a healthcare company focused on the early detection of cancer. Prior to joining GRAIL, she held a number of leadership positions during her 25-year tenure with Roche/Genentech, including leading Roche Pharmaceuticals European commercial business, Global Clinical Operations, U.S. and Global Product Portfolio Management, the U.S. Immunology and Ophthalmology Business Unit and Market Development. She currently serves on the boards of directors of Denali Therapeutics, BridgeBio Pharma and Ambys Medicines. Ms. Cook holds a B.A. in human biology and an M.S. in biology from Stanford University, as well as an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

Mr. Fellows was most recently the Chief Executive Officer of Nightstar Therapeutics, a retinal gene therapy company acquired by Biogen in 2019. Prior to joining Nightstar, he was the Vice President of Johnson & Johnsons Vision Care Franchise where he led the global marketing, new product and licensing activities. Before joining Johnson & Johnson, Mr. Fellows held leadership positions at Allergan, Inc., for 25 years where he served primarily in sales and marketing in a number of capacities, including Regional President, Corporate Vice President, and Senior Vice President across North America, Europe and Asia. He currently serves as the chairman of the board for Oxular Limited and is a board member of the Glaucoma Foundation. Mr. Fellows holds a B.A. in psychology from Butler University.

Ms. Gal currently serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Jazz Pharmaceuticals, a global biopharmaceutical company. Prior to joining Jazz, she served as the Chief Financial Officer of GRAIL. Before joining GRAIL, Ms. Gal served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Theravance Biopharma, where she led the companys spin-out transaction from Innoviva, Inc. Ms. Gal has also served in global treasury, pharmaceutical sales and corporate strategy/business development at Eli Lilly and Company. Prior to joining Eli Lilly, she spent seven years in the energy industry in positions focused on corporate finance, project finance and mergers and acquisitions. She currently serves on the board of directors of Gossamer Bio where she chairs its audit committee. Ms. Gal holds a B.S. in mathematics from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

About Gyroscope: Vision for Life

Gyroscope Therapeutics is a clinical-stage retinal gene therapy company developing gene therapy beyond rare disease to treat a leading cause of blindness, dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Our lead investigational gene therapy, GT005, is a one-time therapy delivered under the retina. GT005 is designed to restore balance to an overactive complement system by increasing production of the Complement Factor I protein. GT005 is currently being evaluated in a Phase I/II clinical trial called FOCUS and Phase II clinical trials called EXPLORE and HORIZON.

Syncona Ltd, our lead investor, helped us create a leading retinal gene therapy company combining discovery, research, drug development, a manufacturing platform and surgical delivery capabilities. Headquartered in London with locations in Philadelphia and San Francisco, our mission is to preserve sight and fight the devastating impact of blindness. For more information visit: http://www.gyroscopetx.com and follow us on Twitter (@GyroscopeTx) and on LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201201006277/en/

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Gyroscope Therapeutics Announces Appointments of Industry Veterans in Gene Therapy, Ophthalmology and Biopharmaceuticals to Its Board of Directors -...

Global Inherited Retinal Diseases Market Drivers:

he growing awareness amongst the physicians and patients regarding the benefits associated with the usage of inherited retinal diseases has been directly impacting the growth of inherited retinal diseases market.

The swelling prevalence of the acquired retinal disorders is foreseen to push the growth of inherited retinal diseases treatment market. Expanding knowledge and treatment-seeking flow is anticipated to feed the germination of the inherited retinal diseases therapy business. Emphasizing knowledge of the inherited retinal disease surgery options and analysis of the condition is moreover awaited to magnify the growth of the inherited retinal disease surgery market.

The production businesses in the inherited retinal diseases market is moreover concentrating on the gene mutation-specific way for developing innovative outputs which is anticipated to accelerate the growth of inherited retinal diseases market. Numerous companies are contracting in collaborations, businesses to perform clinical experiments to promote acquired retinal disorder medication alternatives more efficiently. These certain mentioned factors are expected to drive the market growth in the forecasted period of 2020 to 2027.

Key Pointers Covered in the Inherited Retinal Diseases Market Industry Trends and Forecast to 2027

For more analysis on theinherited retinal diseasesmarket, request for a briefing with our analystshttps://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/speak-to-analyst/?dbmr=global-inherited-retinal-diseases-market

Key points for analysis

About Data Bridge Market Research

An absolute way to forecast what future holds is to comprehend the trend today!Data Bridge set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Data bridge is an aftermath of sheer wisdom and experience which was formulated and framed in the year 2015 in Pune. We ponder into the heterogeneous markets in accord with our clients needs and scoop out the best possible solutions and detailed information about the market trends. Data Bridge delve into the markets across Asia, North America, South America, Africa to name few.Data Bridge adepts in creating satisfied clients who reckon upon our services and rely on our hard work with certitude. We are content with our glorious 99.9 % client satisfying rate.

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Global Inherited Retinal Diseases Market Incredible Possibilities, Growth Analysis And Forecast To 2027||The Choroideremia Research Foundation Inc,...

Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic

Nidiarecalls how hard it was getting a meal when youre storyline blind.

The former Tough Enough winner recentlyspoke with Fightful, and Nidia talked about how her blindness gimmick required her to keep up kayfabe and what the original plans for her storyline were.Nidia went blind as a result of getting green mist sprayed in her face by Tajiri, leading to her boyfriend Jamie Noble taking advantage of her condition to try and help his own career. As Nidia explained it, she really had to live the gimmick on the road, which led to some rather funny stories.

We would go overseas, and they would be like, Hey, Nidia. Remember that youre blind. So, I dont want to see you out in the lobby walking around and then you have to go pretend youre blind at the show. Cause that just kills it. So, thats the thing, right? One day we got in, we were in Australia, and I called. Dawn Nothing. Torrie? Nothing. Jamie? Nothing. Theyre all gone, right? So, Im just like, Damnit, Im fucking hungry. So, I get in the elevator, hoping that Im not going to run into anyone and I run into Bob Holly. I was like, Dude, Im hungry. I need to go downstairs and I need to get some food. Can you guide me through the crowd? I bumped into every single wall and plant and anything. It was just, Whoops, watch out for that. I was like, Fuck, just get me to my meal. It was the longest walk.

Nidia also revealed her storyline originally had much more detail involved, but it didnt make it to air and was a bit different than the final product.

We talked to Vince, you remember how we won that money, right? Or we inherited that money. We were going to get that money, and Torrie got into Playboy, and they were like, What youre gonna go to the best Swedish doctor and youre gonna go, cause I was going to get breast augmentation and I needed some time off. So, thats a lot of information, huh? So, I was going to get a breast augmentation. I asked for the time off. They approved, so they wrote it into the storyline. What they wanted to do was to send me to the best doctor in Sweden and I was gonna come back, and we were going to highlight them, etc, etc. That was the way the story was going to go, and Jamie was like, Thats kind of anticlimactic. How far is that going to go? Which, in hindsight, it probably would have gone far, right? But, we pitched a different direction and he said, Yes, and they made me blind. I was just like, We shouldnt have messed with him. Now hes messing with me. He made me blind!

Read More: Maven Reflects On Eliminating The Undertaker From The Royal Rumble, Thought It Was A Rib At First

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Nidia Recalls Original Plans For Her Blindness Gimmick, Says She Got Ribbed While Staying In Character On The Road - Wrestlezone

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, but its early symptoms are not obvious and are easily overlooked, so early screening for glaucoma is particularly important. The cup to disc ratio is an important indicator for clinical glaucoma screening, and accurate segmentation of the optic cup and disc is the key to calculating the cup to disc ratio. In this paper, a full convolutional neural network with residual multi-scale convolution module was proposed for the optic cup and disc segmentation. First, the fundus image was contrast enhanced and polar transformation was introduced. Subsequently, W-Net was used as the backbone network, which replaced the standard convolution unit with the residual multi-scale full convolution module, the input port was added to the image pyramid to construct the multi-scale input, and the side output layer was used as the early classifier to generate the local prediction output. Finally, a new multi-tag loss function was proposed to guide network segmentation. The mean intersection over union of the optic cup and disc segmentation in the REFUGE dataset was 0.904 0 and 0.955 3 respectively, and the overlapping error was 0.178 0 and 0.066 5 respectively. The results show that this method not only realizes the joint segmentation of cup and disc, but also improves the segmentation accuracy effectively, which could be helpful for the promotion of large-scale early glaucoma screening.

PubMed

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[Joint optic disc and cup segmentation based on residual multi-scale fully convolutional neural network]. - Physician's Weekly

Digital theatre, live environment

The Princess of Wales Theatre is scheduled to present the first indoor theatre show in Toronto since the pandemic shutdown. Scheduled to open Nov. 17, Mirvish will be presenting the international premiere of the Donmar Warehouse production of Blindness, a socially distanced sound installation. The date is subject to change based on health and safety protocols.

Our friends at the Donmar Warehouse in London came up with a brilliant and powerful way to tell a timely and important story in a theatrical setting. They came up with a unique adaptation of the modern classic novel Blindness by the Nobel laureate Jos Saramago, itself about the effects of a pandemic on a community, says David Mirvish. Blindness was a resounding success in August and September at the Donmar and helped to usher in the return of theatrical events.

The show runs 70 minutes with no intermission, and there will only be 50 people in attendance per performance. According to Mirvish, the sound is designed to be binaural, making the work sound as if it were physically happening around you, putting you in the centre of the action.

Two new documentary photography exhibitions opening at the Art Gallery of Ontario give Torontonians their first chance to have a look at some of the latest acquisitions of works by African-American artists, including Dawoud Bey, John Edmonds, Wardell Milan and Ming Smith, as well as Malian photographer Malick Sidib. Its part of the gallerys commitment to greater diversity and representation.

The Documents, 1960s1970s exhibition focuses attention on a moment of great social change internationally and features both studio portraits and street scenes.

Opening on the same day in the AGOs Robert & Cheryl McEwen Gallery, the exhibition Dawoud Bey, John Edmonds and Wardell Milan features works by three contemporary African-American artists exploring and re-envisioning the history of Black representation and the Black American experience.

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Donovan Woods will be live-streaming a one-hour solo acoustic concert at Roy Thomson Hall on Nov. 5. The performance, which was recorded by seven robotic cameras while Woods was alone on stage in the Toronto concert hall, is in celebration of his seventh studio album release, Without People.

In an effort to support others with the release of his album, 50 per cent of net ticket sales will be given back to participating show promoters, and Woods will donate 100 per cent of his artist proceeds to ArtsCan Circle (Canada) and Southern Girls Rock Camp (US). During the show, Woods will perform a nine-song set of songs off the new album and a few fan favourites. Philadelphia-based group Lullanas will open the show. Tickets are $15.

The Factory Theatre is kicking off its new season with a live streaming world premiere of acts of faith by award-winning Asian Canadian playwright David Yee, directed by Nina Lee Aquino, and starring Natasha Mumba. According to the Factory, this production has been written specifically to be performed in a digital environment.

The story revolves around the main character, named Faith, who is mistaken for a prophet. Acts of faith is a story about the power of faith, the inescapable persistence of our online identities and the nature of truth in a digital age. Sounds timely.

Acts of faith will stream live to audiences at home for six performances, Nov. 1928. Admission is free of charge.

The Kensington Market Jazz Festival is offering two days of incredible live stream performances Nov. 78. One of those headlining the weekend of performances is jazz pianist and vocalist Champian Fulton, who is described as one of the most gifted and pure jazz musicians of her generation. She will be playing, alongside saxophonist Nick Hempton, Sunday evening, Nov. 8, at 9:30 p.m. Other performers include Paul Marinaro, Carol Welsman, Jane Bunnett and many more.

The Musical Stage Company will be offering a virtual edition of its signature concert event, Uncovered: Notes From the Heart, running from Nov. 11 to Dec. 6 and featuring some of the citys top musical theatre performers, such as Divine Brown, fresh off a run on Broadway where she performed in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, as well as Hailey Gillis, Bruce Dow and others.

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Six great shows to get your culture fix in Toronto this month - Post City

Retrospectively obvious events are frequently missed when attention is engaged in another task-a phenomenon known as inattentional blindness. Although the task characteristics that predict inattentional blindness rates are relatively well understood, the observer characteristics that predict inattentional blindness rates are largely unknown. Previously, expert radiologists showed a surprising rate of inattentional blindness to a gorilla photoshopped into a CT scan during lung-cancer screening. However, inattentional blindness rates were higher for a group of nave observers performing the same task, suggesting that perceptual expertise may provide protection against inattentional blindness. Here, we tested whether expertise in radiology predicts inattentional blindness rates for unexpected abnormalities that were clinically relevant. Fifty radiologists evaluated CT scans for lung cancer. The final case contained a large (9.1 cm) breast mass and lymphadenopathy. When their attention was focused on searching for lung nodules, 66% of radiologists did not detect breast cancer and 30% did not detect lymphadenopathy. In contrast, only 3% and 10% of radiologists (N = 30), respectively, missed these abnormalities in a follow-up study when searching for a broader range of abnormalities. Neither experience, primary task performance, nor search behavior predicted which radiologists missed the unexpected abnormalities. These findings suggest perceptual expertise does not protect against inattentional blindness, even for unexpected stimuli that are within the domain of expertise.

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The invisible breast cancer: Experience does not protect against inattentional blindness to clinically relevant findings in radiology. - Physician's...

Data from the Ohio Department of Health states that in 2016, nearly 1 million (11.1 percent) Ohio adults had been diagnosed with diabetes. In addition, nearly 800,000 adults in Ohio had been diagnosed with prediabetes, and it is estimated that more than 1 million Ohio adults have prediabetes but have not been diagnosed, increasing their risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes later in life.Becausethe longer someone has diabetes, the higher risk they face for developing vision issues, and health disparities continue to affect minority populations, the Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness has declared November as Diabetes-related Eye Disease Month. Educational resources include downloadable factsheets, training modules, social media graphics and more. Materials are available in English and Spanish.

Diabetes-related eye disease refers to eye problems that people with diabetes may face as a complication of the disease.Diabetes-related retinopathy(DR) is a disease that damages the blood vessels of the eye, causing them to leak and bleed into the retina.

Individuals may not experience symptoms in the early stages of DR, which is why it is important for individuals with diabetes to have an eye exam annually, or as directed by their doctor.

If diabetes-related retinopathy is left untreated, fluid can leak into the center of the macula, called the fovea, the part of the eye where sharp, straight-ahead vision occurs. The fluid makes the macula swell, blurring vision. This condition is calleddiabetes-related macular edema.It can occur at any stage of diabetic retinopathy, although it is more likely to occur as the disease progresses.

Other eye conditions common among people living with diabetes include:

Cataract, a clouding of the lens in the eye, which can cause vision to become blurry and colors to become dull. Aside from aging, diabetes is the most common risk factor for cataract.

Glaucoma occurs with damage to the optic nerve and possible loss of side vision, usually caused by an increase in fluid pressure inside the eye.

According to theNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases,finding and treating diabetic retinopathy early can reduce the risk of blindness by 95 percent."Nearly 300,000 Ohioans have diabetes-related eye disease," said Sherry Williams, President & CEO of the Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness. Education, advocacy and access to care are key to helping to prevent vision loss from diabetes.By working together to increase early detection, consistent monitoring, and treatment, we can help to avoid significant vision loss, including blindness, across Ohio and the country.The Center for Vision and Population Health at Prevent Blindness offers the Seeing the Way to Better Health: Diabetes and Vision Healthissue brief.The goal of the brief is to encourage diabetes health programs to integrate vision into their outreach and programs. It includes stories from peer programs, resources and infographics for program use. The brief was developed in partnership with theNational Association of Chronic Disease Directors.TheDiabetes & the Eyes Educational Toolkitfrom Prevent Blindness offers free educational materials on diabetes and the impact of diabetes on eye health in English and Spanish. These educational resources are intended for healthcare professionals, community health educators, diabetes educators and anyone in a caregiving or diabetes education role. The development of the toolkit was made possible by funding from the Allergan Foundation.

For those who have vision loss from diabetes, Prevent Blindness offers the freeLiving Well with Low Visiononline resource. The site includes the Low Vision: A Self-Help Guide, the Caring for the Visually Impaired guide, and a variety of self-help tools and resource links at:http://lowvision.preventblindness.org/.For more information on diabetes-related eye disease, please visithttps://preventblindness.org/diabetes-and-your-eyes/or call Prevent Blindness at 800-301-2020. For a free listing of organizations and services that provide financial assistance for vision care in English or Spanish, please visithttps://preventblindness.org/vision-care-financial-assistance-information/.

About Prevent Blindness, Ohio Affiliate:

Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. The Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness serves all 88 Ohio counties, providing direct services to more than 1,000,000 Ohioans annually and educating millions of consumers about what they can do to protect and preserve their precious gift of sight. For more information or to contribute, call 800-301-2020.Visit Prevent Blindness on the web atpbohio.org, Facebook atfacebook.com/pbohio/ or Twitter attwitter.com/PB_Ohio.

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Prevent Blindness declares November as Diabetes-Related Eye Disease Month to educate on leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults - The...

Jerome Jackson, 30, is a blind man who is fearful that his five-year-old daughter may also go blind because of a history of blindness in his family. Jackson lost his sight suddenly in 2001.

But before him, his grandmother and uncle lost their sight before doing surgery and repairing their vision.

His father and grand-uncle also went blind and haven't been able to see again. This is a 'family trend' he wants nowhere near his daughter, who recently had to get glasses.

"My grandmother got blind in 1988, but she got her sight back after three years. My uncle got blind and he got his sight back, too, after he did surgery in England. My grand-uncle was also blind, but he passed off. So, it's just me and my father leave now," Jackson told THE WEEKEND STAR.

The Woodford Park, Kingston resident says the thought that his daughter could have the same experience is frightening.

"I am totally blind and recently I took my daughter to the eye doctor. She's supposed to get a better (pair of) glasses to improve her sight, and it's about $50,000 for the glasses. The doctor said her eyes are not that bad, but the glasses will help her more. And the left eye is better than the right eye, so they have to triple the lens for the right eye. So, that's why I am trying to get the glasses for her, but it's challenging for me," he said. Jackson went blind when he was just 11 years old.

"I thought my eyes were bleeding. Everything was red. A teacher of mine passed off and my father and I went to her house. On our way back, I lost my sight. I don't know what happened. I don't know what's the cause of it all now," he recalled.

He was then admitted to Kingston Public Hospital for five months, where he learnt that there was a scar and infection behind his retina.

He has no idea what his daughter looks like. "I haven't seen her. That pains me every day," he related. "My dad got blind when he was 20. He has three of us and him don't know how none of us look.

Since February, Jackson has been facing challenging times after he lost his source of income in February. The COVID-19 pandemic came one month later and made life harder.

"I was working as a massage therapist with the empowerment programme through the National Youth Service, but there's nothing there for me anymore. I usually get some assistance from a charity, but I still have problems paying my rent sometimes," he said.

Jackson began studying at The University of the West Indies in 2014 and was reading for a degree in entertainment management and culture. However, he has to sit out a year due to financial issues.

Dr Peter Swaby, ophthalmologist, told THE WEEKEND STAR that "We need to know the cause of blindness for at least two of the relatives before we can ascertain whether it is genetic."

Jackson said his grandmother had cataracts, which were removed to repair her vision. But Swaby noted "If it's a hereditary link we're looking at, that information from the grandmother wouldn't be enough."

If anyone can assist Jerome Jackson, you can contact him at 876-815-6994 or 876-919-5201.

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History of blindness in family - Father worried daughter may also lose her sight - Jamaica Star Online

Better Cotton uptake accounts for 6% of global cotton production

The findings are set out in the'BCI Task Force on Forced Labour and Decent Work: Final report and recommendations,' which notes:"While BCI explicitly cites the promotion of decent work as one of its core objectives, the level of attention and investment thus far has been insufficient.

"This is clear across many areas of BCI, including new country start-up evaluations, implementing partner selection, onboarding and project development, and findings from second and third-party assessments. The Task Force believes that this has resulted in organisational blindness to forced labour and likely other key decent work issues."

BCI trains farmers on more sustainable cotton production, with the BCSS covering all three pillars of sustainability social, environmental and economic and addressing the many challenges of cotton production. According to its last annual report, Better Cotton uptake accounts for 6% of global cotton production, and retailers and brands sourced more than1.5m metric tonnes of Better Cotton by the end of 2019 a 40% jump on the previous year.

The group appointed theindependent task forcein Aprilto review the current BCI systemand make suggestions to improve its effectivenessin identifying, preventing, mitigating and remediating forced labour risks.

Report authors say the initiative"now has an opportunity with the right level of commitment and resourcing to renew its focus on the more than 1.5 million workersat the foundation of the Better Cotton system, to give these workers a stronger voice, and to pioneer innovative, worker-focused approaches to promote decent work in cotton fields.

"Strengthening decent work capabilities and systems will also provide greater assurance to brands, retailers, and other stakeholders that farmers growing Better Cotton are following BCI's stated principles on forced labour and decent work."

The findings come a week afterBCI calledan immediate halt toall field-level activities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China, where ongoing allegations of forced labour and other human rights abuses "have contributed to an increasingly untenable operating environment." Earlier in the yearit suspended itslicensing and assurance activities in the XUAR, meaning there is now no new licensed Better Cotton coming from the region.

The task force also says BCI must acknowledge it cannot operate in regions where there is credible evidence of state-imposed forced labour.

The nine-point roadmap set out to help address the gaps and shortfalls in its decent work capability is grounded in international human rights standards, understanding inequalities, and addressing discriminatory practices.

In a statement following publication of the report, BCI says it recognises that strengthening its decent work programme will be a multi-year process and will require additional resources and funding.

"In the short-term, we will focus on strengthening our forced labour capabilities through capacity building for staff, implementing partners and third-party verifiers, enhancing our due diligence for selecting and retaining implementing partners, and revising our assurance processes to better identify and mitigate forced labour risks.

"In 2021, BCI is also exploring opportunities to pilot a more comprehensive set of decent work activities, including a detailed forced labour risk assessment and civil society engagement tactics, in one or two high priority regions."

Click here to read the Task Force's report in full.

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Better Cotton accused of "blindness" to forced labour - just-style.com

According to the National Eye Institute, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in developed countries. That is the reason for the prevention of this disease. Glaucoma can be developed by anyone, however, it is more common in people over age 45 or 60, and people with a family history of glaucoma. Generally, children can get a rare form of glaucoma early.

Glaucoma is

Lets begin with what is glaucoma. As we mentioned earlier, glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness for people. It can occur at any age, but it is more common in older people. It is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, which is an important part of good vision. The damage that causes glaucoma can be by abnormally high pressure in the eye.

Unfortunately, some forms of glaucoma have no warning signs, due to the gradual effect we dont notice a change in the vision until it is in an advanced stage. Also, the vision loss by glaucoma cannot be recovered. Therefore, it is important to consult a specialist commonly, if the glaucoma is recognized early, it is easier to prevent vision loss.

Depending on the stage and type of glaucoma it will show symptoms. Those include:

4 things that you must know about glaucoma

Like many diseases, glaucoma has things that must be known by the patients, this way will be easier to prevent and accept the fact that we have to consult a specialist such as an ophthalmologist commonly.

It is important to consult a specialist either when feeling discomfort and thinking that there may be a relationship with glaucoma, or just to keep your vision healthy.

With the collaboration of Dr. Mercedes Silva Orellana, an ophthalmologist graduated from the National University Mayor of San Marcos, in Per. Her specialties are Anterior Segment Surgery, Glaucoma Treatment, and Glaucoma Surgery, also offering treatment to patients suffering from closed-angle glaucoma, among others.

References:

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This is what you need to know about glaucoma - The Yucatan Times

Every afternoon for three hours on SiriusXM radio, The Michelangelo Signorile Show has offered a lifeline of sanity and smart political discourse in these grueling and maddening times. Signorile has been fighting the good and progressive fight for decades, starting with his seminal writing on Queer America and gay activism (at one point serving as the head of ACT UPs media arm). Hes also developed his own online newsletter, The Signorile Report, where he covers the latest political horrors with thoughtful analysis.

INTERVIEW: Where are you and how long have you been isolating?

MICHELANGELO SIGNORILE: In Manhattan, since March 13.

INTERVIEW: What has this pandemic confirmed or altered about your view of society?

SIGNORILE: That things can move very swiftly, and everything can turn on a dime.

INTERVIEW: What is the worst-case scenario for the future?

SIGNORILE: We see more spikes, and no effective vaccine for a long timejust a few less-than-effective ones. I also worry about another virus coming out of nowhere.

INTERVIEW: What good can come out of this lockdown? Are there any reasons to hope?

SIGNORILE: For those lucky enough to keep their jobs and work at home, its been a time of creating better habits, seeing that we can all get on with less. Weve been through worse certainly as a gay man, Ive been through the HIV epidemic much of my adult lifeand many have come together to fight tyranny and negligence.

INTERVIEW: What has been your daily routine during this time?

SIGNORILE: Up early, scouring news, writing a bit, preparing for my radio show on weekdays. Exercise or a run. Shower, then three hours on the radio. Make dinner with my husband, maybe we watch some TV.

INTERVIEW: Describe the current state of your hair?

SIGNORILE: Im back to my barber once a week (in masks) to get a close buzz of whats left of my hair! But it was crazy there for a while.

INTERVIEW: On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your level of panic about the current state of the world?

SIGNORILE: Seven.

INTERVIEW: Do you think there is hope for true racial equality in the United States? What do you think is the first step in that goal?

SIGNORILE: Yes, there is always hope. It rises out of activism. But the first step is people realizing that the fight never ends, and that the wins ebb and flow. Too many people jump in, think they change laws, think its over. Its never over. People can change, they can be educatedand so can the government. It takes persistence, challenging all the time, and never thinking its done.

INTERVIEW: Do you think protests are effective tools for changing the system? How does it make a difference in the long term?

SIGNORILE: Protest is a voice. It screams for justice and is so important. It shuts down the daily routine and says, Listen up! It is also personally satisfying for those protesting, and necessary for their minds and bodies. Its empowering and it unites people. But it needs to be followed up by political organizing.

INTERVIEW: How do you personally channel your anger? Do you find anger to be a useful emotion?

SIGNORILE: Anger is vital. It gets you moving. I try to channel it by targeting those who need to be exposed or criticized or challenged, either in my writing or on the air. But sometimes my anger about one thinga Supreme Court nominationmight be channeled toward something or someone else, like seeing someone without a mask on the subway and telling them to put a damned mask on.

INTERVIEW: Which young leaders of the moment inspire you?

SIGNORILE: Just to name a few: Charlotte Clymer. DeRay McKesson. David Hogg. Gabe Ortz. Chase Strangio. Greta Thunberg. Indya Moore. Jared Holt. Juan Escalante. AOC. Alex Morse. Megan Rapinoe. So many more.

INTERVIEW: Whats the next step after protests in the streets? Where does the righteous rage go?

SIGNORILE: To more, and different, protests. Protests do not have to be large or in the streets. Targeted, sustained protest by small groupsof a particular senator, say, or some other government officialis just as effective. And being creative is so important in this media environment, because the goal is always about getting the message out. So you have to think of new ways to get attention. Secondly, it has to be a message that translates into policy change. Once you have peoples attention, people who are in power, and they really want to make a change, you have to have a concrete plan of action for them to work off of.

INTERVIEW: What thinker have you taken comfort in of late and why?

SIGNORILE: Laurie Garrett. She wrote the book The Coming Plague almost 25 years ago, and its been revelatory.

INTERVIEW: Where did we go wrong? Like, what was the exact moment?

SIGNORILE: Thinking wed arrived, thinking the fight for civil rightsfor so many groupswas over. This was during the Obama years. A complacencyI called it victory blindness in my last book.

INTERVIEW: Which (admittedly totally unqualified) celebrity would you trust with the planets future?

SIGNORILE: Jane Fonda, of course.

INTERVIEW: Whats one skill we should all learn while in quarantine?

SIGNORILE: Learning another language. Though I admit I havent done it.

INTERVIEW: What prevents you from giving up hope in the human race?

SIGNORILE: That people are alive, that they must survive, and that they will fight.

INTERVIEW: What is the most pressing issue facing the nation and the world that needs to be addressed in the next four years?

SIGNORILE: The planet is burning. We have to do what we can to stop it.

INTERVIEW: Who should be the next president of the United States?

SIGNORILE: Joe Biden, fingers crossed.

See the article here:
Michelangelo Signorile on the Perils of Complacency and Victory Blindness - Interview

A new therapy being developed to help restore vision to people who are blind could be used within years.

The treatment involves a "relatively simple" injection into the eye and is a "relatively straightforward surgery".

That's according to John Flannery, a Professor of Neurobiology in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Berkeley and a member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board for Fighting Blindness Ireland.

He told Futureproof with Johnathan McCrea how blindness develops in some people and how his research will attempt to remove the disease from patients.

His startup company has recently been bought by Novartis and they will partner to develop the treatment.

Professor Flannery said "the hope is for some patients, they'll get a significant increase in their vision".

He added that "manufacturing enough of the treatment is not doing to be that difficult".

In explaining how blindness develops in some people, Professor Flannery said "almost all the inherited blindnesses occur over time".

He said: "The gene defect you have when you're born, and depending on what you inherit, it can manifest as a small child or sometimes not until you're a teenager and some conditions, likemacular degeneration, not until you're 50 or 60."

Professor Flannery said technology is been tested to get the eye to see something when there's no biological retina, but that its success is a long time away.

He said: "There have been some attempts to connect a video camera to the patient's brain in patients that are completely blind.

"That's been incredibly challenging because we know quite a bit about how the retina works but we don't know much about it encodes the signal.

"That will be quite a bit off until we have an electronic prosthetic.

"Nobody, in my knowledge, has been able to interpret the signals coming out of the eye and understanding what the picture is."

Professor Flannery said his research on how to develop therapies for blind patients starts out on testing with animals such as mice.

He said that the current treatments available to patients are for those who have recessive conditions, meaning they got the gene from both of their parents, which continues much of his work.

Professor Flannery explained how the therapy aimed to cure blindness would work.

He said: "The progress in the field has been to use the shell of the virus, the outside coat of the virus.

"We use a very different virus for the eye that's never been shown to cause disease, we put in a copy of the gene that the patient has a defect in.

"We use the virus shell to carry the DNA and protect it and that virus will carry the DNA into the retinal shells and that's a one time only repair."

He said that the virus contains a "zip-code" which controls which cells have the therapeutic gene.

Professor Flannery added: "It's a question of scale, a normal human has 150 million photoreceptors, which are the ones that are affected in these conditions.

"You can inject with a very small volume many hundreds of million virus particles."

Professor Flannery said that an experiment showed that blind mice were able to move around and explore as much as other mice.

He said: "In a couple of the therapies that are currently in the clinic, the patients have to be treated as quickly as possible because their photoreceptor cells are dying and if you get to the stage where theirphotoreceptors have died, the gene in the cell is gone.

"The therapy that we're trying to develop, which is called optogenetics, is for patients at the very late stages of blindness.

"What we're doing is capitalising on the knowledge that the photoreceptors talk to other cells in the retina that aren't light-sensitive

"Our gene therapy is designed to add light sensitively to the third cell in this chain between the damaged photo and the brain.

"Since it's in the middle, if you can make that cell light-sensitive, that's a new opportunity for restoring vision in the blind.

Professor Flannery said this treatment is "particularly appealing because you could treat someone at any age or any stage".

He said: "Because unlike the other therapies where you have to identify the exact genetic defect in the patient and put that exact gene back, this is putting a light-sensitive function in a different cell.

"It doesn't require you to know what the defect is in the patients."

Professor Flannery said they would begin to start testing the therapy in small groups of patients shortly after successful trials in dogs.

You can listen back to the full interview here:

'Relatively simple' therapy could help cure blindness

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

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'Relatively simple' therapy could help cure blindness - Newstalk

This article was originally published here

Psychon Bull Rev. 2020 Nov 2. doi: 10.3758/s13423-020-01826-4. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Retrospectively obvious events are frequently missed when attention is engaged in another task-a phenomenon known as inattentional blindness. Although the task characteristics that predict inattentional blindness rates are relatively well understood, the observer characteristics that predict inattentional blindness rates are largely unknown. Previously, expert radiologists showed a surprising rate of inattentional blindness to a gorilla photoshopped into a CT scan during lung-cancer screening. However, inattentional blindness rates were higher for a group of nave observers performing the same task, suggesting that perceptual expertise may provide protection against inattentional blindness. Here, we tested whether expertise in radiology predicts inattentional blindness rates for unexpected abnormalities that were clinically relevant. Fifty radiologists evaluated CT scans for lung cancer. The final case contained a large (9.1 cm) breast mass and lymphadenopathy. When their attention was focused on searching for lung nodules, 66% of radiologists did not detect breast cancer and 30% did not detect lymphadenopathy. In contrast, only 3% and 10% of radiologists (N = 30), respectively, missed these abnormalities in a follow-up study when searching for a broader range of abnormalities. Neither experience, primary task performance, nor search behavior predicted which radiologists missed the unexpected abnormalities. These findings suggest perceptual expertise does not protect against inattentional blindness, even for unexpected stimuli that are within the domain of expertise.

PMID:33140228 | DOI:10.3758/s13423-020-01826-4

Originally posted here:
The invisible breast cancer: Experience does not protect against inattentional blindness to clinically relevant findings in radiology - DocWire News

A transit app arrives for KCs visually impaired // Photo courtesy of Alphapointe.org

The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA), Alphapointe, and Sensible Innovationhave partnered to develop an app for the blind and visually impaired to use transit more safely and accurately. It marks the first application of its kind to be applied to an entire transit corridor in the United States.

The mobile app, RideKC Navigator, is a custom platform to help individuals with vision impairment or blindness navigate select transit stops. The free RideKC Navigator app can be downloaded on both iOS and Android devices. Users will receive location-specific audio instructions to help navigate 51 bus stops, East Village Transit Center, 75th Street Transit Center, and 31 intersections in Kansas City, MO.

The app was created as part of KCATAs Prospect MAX Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) 10-mile corridor project. The corridor runs from the 75th and Prospect Transit Center at Alphapointe, north on Prospect to 12th Street, and west along 12th Street into downtown Kansas City.

KCATA President and CEO Robbie Makinen credited Alphapointe for playing a critical role in testing and developing RideKC Navigator. Our visually impaired experts at Alphapointe navigate the real world on a daily basis. Their help in orientation and mobility instructions, testing and tutorials was invaluable, Makinen says.

Reinhard Mabry, President and CEO of Alphapointe, says the business is one of the largest employer of blind and visually impaired people in Missouri, as well as nationwide. This app will open up the community to people who are blind, Mabry says. It will prepare people who have visual impairment to navigate spaces and areas of the community that they may not have been comfortable with previously because they didnt know enough about their surroundings.

Alphapointe adaptive technology instructor Jim Fettgather is visually impaired and assisted with the development and testing of RideKC Navigator. To have this app in Kansas City is an incredible, innovative experience, says Fettgather.

For more information, watch this video that provides greater insight on the benefits of RideKC Navigator.

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Locals partner to create first transit app for the visually impaired in KC - Kansas City Pitch

Inherited retinal diseases marketis expected to gain market growth in the forecast period of 2020 to 2027. Data Bridge Market Research analyses the market to account to an annual growth rate of 4.40% in the above-mentioned forecast period.

Based on type, inherited retinal diseases market is segmented into leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), retinitis pigmentosa, choroideremia, stargardts disease, and achromatopsia.

Inherited retinal diseases market has also been segmented based on treatment type such as gene therapy treatment, and symptomatic treatment.On the basis of distribution channel, the inherited retinal diseases market is segmented into hospital pharmacies, and retail pharmacies.

Inquiry For Customize Report With Discount at :https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/inquire-before-buying/?dbmr=global-inherited-retinal-diseases-market

Global Inherited Retinal Diseases Market Drivers:

he growing awareness amongst the physicians and patients regarding the benefits associated with the usage of inherited retinal diseases has been directly impacting the growth of inherited retinal diseases market.

The swelling prevalence of the acquired retinal disorders is foreseen to push the growth of inherited retinal diseases treatment market. Expanding knowledge and treatment-seeking flow is anticipated to feed the germination of the inherited retinal diseases therapy business. Emphasizing knowledge of the inherited retinal disease surgery options and analysis of the condition is moreover awaited to magnify the growth of the inherited retinal disease surgery market.

The production businesses in the inherited retinal diseases market is moreover concentrating on the gene mutation-specific way for developing innovative outputs which is anticipated to accelerate the growth of inherited retinal diseases market. Numerous companies are contracting in collaborations, businesses to perform clinical experiments to promote acquired retinal disorder medication alternatives more efficiently. These certain mentioned factors are expected to drive the market growth in the forecasted period of 2020 to 2027.

For more analysis on theinherited retinal diseasesmarket, request for a briefing with our analystshttps://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/speak-to-analyst/?dbmr=global-inherited-retinal-diseases-market

Table of Contents:

1 Introduction

2 Research Methodologies

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

5 Market Overview

6 Industry Trends

7 Compliance in Inherited Retinal Diseases Market

8 Inherited Retinal Diseases Market, By Service

9 Inherited Retinal Diseases Market, By Deployment Type

10 Inherited Retinal Diseases Market, By Organization Size

11 Inherited Retinal Diseases Market Analyses, By Vertical

12 Geographic Analyses

13 Competitive Landscapes

14 Detailed Company Profiles

15 Related Reports

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An absolute way to forecast what future holds is to comprehend the trend today!Data Bridge set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Data bridge is an aftermath of sheer wisdom and experience which was formulated and framed in the year 2015 in Pune. We ponder into the heterogeneous markets in accord with our clients needs and scoop out the best possible solutions and detailed information about the market trends. Data Bridge delve into the markets across Asia, North America, South America, Africa to name few.Data Bridge adepts in creating satisfied clients who reckon upon our services and rely on our hard work with certitude. We are content with our glorious 99.9 % client satisfying rate.

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Global Inherited Retinal Diseases Market Is Growing In Huge Demand In 2020 ||Invitae Corporation., The Choroideremia Research Foundation Inc, American...

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According to a new market report published by Persistence Market Research Global Market Study on Ophthalmic Devices: Asia to Witness Highest Growth by 2020, the global ophthalmic devices market was valued at USD 29,171.5 million in 2014 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2014 to 2020, to reach an estimated value of USD 42,685.1 million in 2020.

Globally, the ophthalmic devices market is witnessing significant growth due to increasing prevalence of eye disorders, such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. In addition, growing global aging population, increasing government initiatives towards healthcare infrastructure in developing countries, and increasing incidence of lifestyle-associated diseases are also driving the growth of the market.

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Some of the major players in the global ophthalmic devices market:

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However, lack of awareness among people about eye disorders, poor primary healthcare infrastructure, and lack of insurance in developing countries hamper growth of the global ophthalmic devices market. In addition, eye diseases in children are also increasing due to the general lack of awareness.

The global ophthalmic devices market is anticipated to grow from an estimated USD 29,171.5 million in 2014 to USD 42,685.1 million in 2020 at a CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period.

Age-related eye diseases, such as glaucoma, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration, are the leading causes of visual impairment and blindness in North America. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, approximately 22 million Americans aged 40 and above were affected by cataract and 2.3 million Americans were affected by glaucoma in 2011.

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In Europe, increasing prevalence of chronic eye diseases among the rising aging population is becoming a challenge for the European healthcare system. In France, the number of age-related macular degeneration cases was 0.3 million in 2000 and it is anticipated to increase by 0.5 million in 2020.

However, glaucoma, cataract, and diabetic retinopathy are the major causes of blindness in Asia. Cataract can be held responsible for 50% to 80% of all cases of blindness in Southeast Asia. The prevalence of age-related macular degeneration is also increasing in Asia due to increase in life expectancy and rising incidence of diabetes among the younger population. As per the Centre for Eye Research Australia, prevalence of diabetic retinopathy among people ranged between 17% and 22% in India and 43.1% in rural China in 2012.

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Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.

To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.

Our client success stories feature a range of clients from Fortune 500 companies to fast-growing startups. PMRs collaborative environment is committed to building industry-specific solutions by transforming data from multiple streams into a strategic asset.

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Ashish KoltePersistence Market ResearchAddress 305 Broadway, 7th FloorNew York City,NY 10007 United StatesU.S. Ph. +1-646-568-7751USA-Canada Toll-free +1 800-961-0353Sales[emailprotected]Website https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

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The Ophthalmic Devices Market To Revive The Growth Indices, Reach US$ 42.68 Bn - Eurowire

Dennis Kigen has a flock of 148 birds of mixed ages in his farm in Kiserian. He got the stock to start his farm from this home village early last year. Last week, he started observing dark pimples on the unfeathered parts of the body of the eight-week-oldchicks and yellow lesions in the mouth and blindness among the growers which are about 4 months old. He has never had his flock vaccinated. He was worried about this condition and called me.

I visited the farm last weekend. From the vaccination history and the presenting clinical signs it was clear that his flock had developed Fowl pox.

Lets discuss this peculiar disease.

Fowl pox is a disease that occurs worldwide. All species of birds are affected. All ages are affected as well.

It is caused by Avian pox viruses which are single, linear double stranded DNA viruses. The virus comes from the same family as the viruses that cause sheep, goat and cow pox.

The effects of the disease;

Its incubation is from 4-10 days. There are two forms of the disease- cutaneous dry and diphtheritic or wet. Both may present in the same flock. The dry form is manifest as pimples or scabs on the skin (mainly on unfeathered parts of the body). The diphtheritic form shows cankers or yellow lesions in the mouth, esophagus or trachea. Other symptoms include blindness, feed refusal, lowered egg production, facial swelling.

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How does this disease spread?

The disease is transmitted through mosquito bites and mechanical transmission of virus to injured skin or eye are common routes of viral spread. Wild birds are a reservoir for the viruses.

What are the presenting clinical signs?

Incubation period is from 4-10 days. They are two forms of the disease; the cutaneous or dry and the diphtheritic or wet. Both may be present in the same flock or animals.

The dry form shows as a pimple or scab on skin mainly comb, wattles, eyelids and other unfeathered portions of the body.

The wet-mucous form shows diphtheritic, cankers or yellow lesions in mouth, esophagus or trachea. Eye involvement (blindness), off feed, lower egg production, facial swelling and an increase in culls can be seen.

The disease has a high morbidity rate and a low mortality rate. This means that it spreads to many birds in the farm but very few die if any.

What are the postmortem lesions?

Cankers or false membranes in mouth (wet) are seen as slightly elevated white opaque nodules. Nodules increase in size and coalesce to yellow, cheesy, and necrotic membranes.

Grey or black papular eruptions on unfeathered portions of skin (dry). Head, face, and feet are most commonly affected, but may spread to feathered portions of the body.

How to treat & control Fowl pox?

Being a viral disease, it has no specific treatment.

However, at the advice of the attending Vet, antibiotics may be administered to counter secondary infections. The withdrawal period for eggs and meat must be observed. Administration of multivitamins help to restore immunity and hasten recovery.

What are the preventive measures?

Vaccinate chicks when they are 8 10 weeks by wing web puncture method. The vaccination regime against all the other poultry diseases as well as deworming should be strictly adhered to.

After administration, vaccines take at least 2 weeks to take good protective effect. Do not use antibiotics and other drugs such as dewormers together with vaccines. They may interfere with the protective effects of the vaccine.

By adopting proper vaccination regimes, youll save your farm from losses accruing due to loss of production, Vet fees for treatment, culling and massive deaths.

Read the rest here:
How to prevent Fowl pox from affecting your flock of birds - The Standard

In a paper published today in the journal Cell, scientists describe unexpected, undesirable outcomes after editing genes in human embryos with CRISPR, a genomic editing system.

The study, the most detailed analysis to date of CRISPR in human embryos, shows that applying gene editing technologyto repair a blindness-causing gene early in the development of a human embryo often eliminates an entire chromosome or a large section of it.

"Our study shows that CRISPR/Cas9 is not yet ready for clinical use to correct mutations at this stage of human development, says the studys senior author Dieter Egli, assistant professor of developmental cell biology in the Department of Pediatrics at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

The genome editing system called CRISPR/Cas9 has revolutionized molecular biology in recent years, and its discoverers were honored with this year's Nobel Prize in chemistry. The system allows scientists to make precise changes in the genomes of cultured cells, living tissues, and animal embryos.

The first use of CRISPR in human embryos was reported in 2015. Then in 2018, He Jiankui claimed to have performed the procedure in a pair of twin embryos, eliciting a firestorm of condemnation from scientists and government officials worldwide.

In the new paper, Egli and his colleagues tested CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing's effects on early-stage human embryos carrying a mutation in a gene called EYS (eyes shut homolog), which causes hereditary blindness.

We know from previous studies in differentiated human cells and in mice that a break in the DNA results in mostly two outcomes: precise repair or small local changes. At the EYS gene, these changes can yield a functional gene, though it is not a perfect repair, says Michael Zuccaro, a research scientist at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and co-lead author of the paper.

When Zuccaro, Egli, and their colleagues looked at the entire genomes of the modified embryos in this study, they identified another outcome. We learned that in human embryonic cells, a single break in the DNA can result in a third outcomethe loss of an entire chromosome or sometimes a large segment of that chromosome, and this loss of the chromosome is very frequent, says Zuccaro.

In 2017, a study reported the successful correction of a heart disease-causing mutation in normal human embryos using CRISPR. Comprehensive data from the new study offer a different interpretation of these results: Instead of being corrected, the chromosome carrying the mutation may have been lost altogether.

"If our results had been known two years ago, I doubt that anyone would have gone ahead with an attempt to use CRISPR to edit a gene in a human embryo in the clinic," Egli says.Our hope is that these cautionary findings should discourage premature clinical application of this important technologybut can also guide responsible research to achieve its ultimate safe and effective use.

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Study Identifies Pitfall for Correcting Mutations in Human Embryos with CRISPR - Columbia University Irving Medical Center