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From serving as a spokesperson for Foundation Fighting Blindness Canada, to becoming a motivational speaker, and then working full-time as an influencer with more than 2 million YouTube subscribers, Molly Burke is a force to be reckoned with. The 26-year-old also happens to be blind something she strives to educate the masses about in order to smash stereotypes and highlight societal barriers faced by the blind community.

But is Molly Burke fully blind? Keep reading to learn more.

Molly often gets bullied online because random strangers don't believe she's actually blind and the relentless misconceptions about people who are blind are often to blame.

In 2016, she published a YouTube video titled "Top 5 Reasons Why People on YouTube Think I'm Not Blind," during which Molly shared some people believe she's not fully blind because she can type. Except, as she pointed out in the video, there is an abundance of technology available to assist people with vision impairment / blindness to communicate (like talk-to-text, for example).

Another reason some are skeptical about Molly's blindness is because of the language she uses.

"For me, when I used the word 'watching,' obviously I don't mean physically watching with my eyes the way a sighted person would watch," she explained. "But for me, the word 'watching' means 'listening' it's interchangeable for me ... and yes, I'm still going to use the word 'watch,' and 'look,' and 'saw,' and 'see.' And that doesn't mean I'm faking my blindness."

Others mistakenly assume Molly must be able to see because her eyes don't appear to have anything physically "wrong" with them. "'You can't be blind, your eyes are blue,' or, 'You can't be blind, your eyes look normal,' or 'Your eyes are too pretty for you to be blind,'" are all comments she said she's fielded.

(For the record, Molly does have nystagmus, which causes her eyes to shake although it's not super noticeable.)

Here's another reason some people think Molly isn't actually blind: She's able to look directly at the camera.

"As a blind person, I'm still able to easily look at a camera because number one, it's not that hard to look straight forward, where the camera is straight ahead of you," she explained. "And number two, I use a ring light, which is a light that sits right on top of my camera and I have light perception, so I just look and see where the light is and then look directly below and know that is where my lens is. So that's where I have to look."

Still others wonder why Molly doesn't wear dark sunglasses if she's fully blind.

"This is a huge stereotype about the blind community that's not true," she said. "Yes, some blind people wear dark sunglasses when they're inside and outside. Yes, some blind people, including often myself, wear dark sunglasses when we're outside. And some blind people don't wear sunglasses ever, at all."

So yes, Molly Burke is truly, fully blind despite the fact that she doesn't wear sunglasses, doesn't have anything "wrong" with how her eyes physically appear, can type, can look into her camera lens, and uses phrases like "watching TV." And with the help of social media, she's working to continue smashing these stereotypes and more every day.

Original post:
Is Molly Burke Fully Blind? The Influencer Faces Regular Bullying - Distractify

In a letter dated August 13, 2020, Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici, all of Oregon, requested that the EPA investigate the impact of tear gas use on people, air, land, and bodies of water.

LuizSouza / Shutterstock.com

The letter pointed out possible side effects the use of the chemicals might have, as well as potential long-term impacts.

In addition to the direct health impacts on our constituents, we are also deeply concerned about the impact tear gas has had on Oregons environment, the letter says. State and local environmental and health agencies are investigating its impacts, and it is also the duty of the Federal Government to provide information that will help further these studies and make information about the environmental impacts of tear gas usage readily available to the American public.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, long-term exposure can cause blindness, glaucoma, immediate death from chemical burns and respiratory failure.

Tear gas is the generic term for a class of compounds that cause a burning sensation, according to a report by ProPublica. Most law enforcement agencies in the U.S., including the Philadelphia Police Department this week, use a chemical called CS, short for 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile. CS activates a specific pain receptor, one thats also triggered by eating wasabi, said Sven-Eric Jordt, a professor of anesthesiology at Duke University. But CS is much more powerful, up to 100,000 times stronger than the sting from wasabi, he added.

They are really pain nerve gases, Jordt said. They are designed to induce pain.

Numerous medical and public health professionals have also noted that respiratory irritation from exposure to CS gas has the potential to increase the risk for COVID-19.

The Oregon state leaders sent the letter because Portland courthouse personnel were seen hosing tear gas off the sidewalks and streets around the courthouse after it was utilized as a riot control method. These chemicals were washed into storm drains and other groundwater sources.

The letter asks for the following specific information:

Because tear gas is often deployed as a method of riot control in all states and use of the gas has been widespread in many states in recent months, discovering the potential long-term impacts of the use of these chemicals is important.

Go here to read the rest:
Senators and Representatives Ask EPA to Study Impact of Tear Gas on Environment - EHS Daily Advisor

Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

That wearing a mask is an effective way of reducing the spread of COVID-19 is well-established at this point. Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization recommend that people wear masks in public spaces where social distancing is not possible. That alone should be reason enough for you to mask up before walking out the door, but there is another possible benefit to wearing a face covering in public: not getting recognized by acquaintances on the street.

According to a new report from the New York Times, the widespread use of masks in the United States has made facial recognition increasingly difficult for many people in some cases, to an extent thats equivalent to having face blindness. In a recently published study, Dr. Erez Freud, a psychologist with the Centre for Vision Research at York University in Toronto, and his co-authors found that participants struggled to recognize faces that had surgical-style masks covering their noses and mouths. Of the nearly 500 adults who completed a facial-memory exercise online, 13 percent had so much trouble identifying masked faces that, per the Times, they may as well have suffered from prosopagnosia, or face blindness. Comparatively, only 3.5 percent scored that low in identifying people without masks.

A mask doesnt grant total anonymity, of course. Research has found that people rely most heavily on the eyes when identifying someone (I can personally confirm this: Once, I was pretty sure I saw Jake Gyllenhaal walking by my old office in Tribeca, but he was wearing sunglasses so I couldnt be 100 percent certain).

The report also found that the observers culture influenced their ability to perceive people wearing masks. Studies from 2009 and 2015 found that participants from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates countries where headscarves are more common were better than American or British participants at identifying faces where only the eyes, nose, and mouth were showing.

Struggling to identify faces can present real challenges in identifying and communicating with people (it can be more difficult to read peoples emotions, for example). Given that were all in the same boat right now, though, consider the possible upsides. Imagine, for instance, walking down the street by your apartment and constantly crossing paths with the guy you briefly dated who really tried to get you into the Joe Rogan Experience. Previously, youd both pretend to suddenly be consumed with something on your phones, and hurry past each other with heads bent. Now, you can both walk freely, spines straight, faces masked, blissfully unaware of each others presence, burdened only by absolutely every other terrible thing that is going on in the world. A dream!

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Its a Golden Age for Pretending Not to Notice Acquaintances on the Street - The Cut

Published 7:58pm EDT, Friday, September 4, 2020

Mr. Miles is an eight-year-old orange and white shorthair who is blind but he lives a pretty normal cat life. Mr. Miles also enjoys the company of others around him and he would do well living with other cats and dogs. Although he has not had much experience with children, he is a good cat and is willing to consider sharing his home with kids who can be gentle and respectful of pets. Mr. Miles definitely has lots of life to live and love to give. Please ask the adoption counselor to explain his blindness when you apply for a visit with Mr. Miles in Newington. Applications for adoption can be obtained at https://cthumane.org/adopt/all-adoptable-pets/. To learn more about operations during COVID-19, go to https://cthumane.org/adopt/adoption-process/.

Mr. Miles is an eight-year-old orange and white shorthair who is blind but he lives a pretty normal cat life. Mr. Miles also enjoys the company of others around him and he would do well living with other cats

Mr. Miles is an eight-year-old orange and white shorthair who is blind but he lives a pretty normal cat life. Mr. Miles also enjoys the company of others around him and he would do well living with other cats and dogs. Although he has not had much experience with children, he is a good cat and is willing to consider sharing his home with kids who can be gentle and respectful of pets. Mr. Miles definitely has lots of life to live and love to give. Please ask the adoption counselor to explain his blindness when you apply for a visit with Mr. Miles in Newington. Applications for adoption can be obtained at https://cthumane.org/adopt/all-adoptable-pets/. To learn more about operations during COVID-19, go to https://cthumane.org/adopt/adoption-process/.

Mr. Miles is an eight-year-old orange and white shorthair who is blind but he lives a pretty normal cat life. Mr. Miles also enjoys the company of others around him and he would do well living with other cats

Pet of the week: Mr. Miles

Mr. Miles is an eight-year-old orange and white shorthair who is blind but he lives a pretty normal cat life. Mr. Miles also enjoys the company of others around him and he would do well living with other cats and dogs. Although he has not had much experience with children, he is a good cat and is willing to consider sharing his home with kids who can be gentle and respectful of pets. Mr. Miles definitely has lots of life to live and love to give. Please ask the adoption counselor to explain his blindness when you apply for a visit with Mr. Miles in Newington. Applications for adoption can be obtained at https://cthumane.org/adopt/all-adoptable-pets/. To learn more about operations during COVID-19, go to https://cthumane.org/adopt/adoption-process/.

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Pet of the week: Mr. Miles - Torrington Register Citizen

Americas universities have been taken over by the Left, but the way they are reacting to the fake covid-19 crisis gives us a chance to reconstitute higher education on sound free market principles.

In the name of diversity, academic standards have been gutted. Here are some examples. Emily Walton, a sociology professor at Dartmouth, teaches her students about

white blindnessEveryone learns, but I find that the small handful of white students in the class usually learn the most. Thats because for the first time in their lives, they begin to look at themselves as members of a racial group. They understand that being a good person does not make them innocent but rather they, too, are implicated in a system of racial dominance.

After spending their young lives in a condition of white blindness,that is, the inability to see their own racial privilege, they begin to awaken to the notion that racism has systematically kept others down while benefiting them and other white people.

As Karen Kwiatkowski sums upthe situation: Imprisonment of speech and expression weve observed and lived this for decades as political correctness, maturing into blanking, canceling, me-tooing and doxxing the other. Strait-jacketing critical thought and destruction of the tools of debate, complete. Instead of looking forward we look at the fearful horde beside us and wonder what it is thinking and what direction it will take in order to inform our decisions which will be to conform with it, lest we become oblivion.

The brilliant young engineering student Atilla Mert Sulker points outthat the diversity poison has spread to the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)disciplines:

The effort to close the gender gapin STEM represents a preference for minority status over merit that deems a students performance less important than her female-ness. Yet it only hurts individuals to put them in a field in which they will be unhappy or perform poorly, regardless of gender. If an individual, no matter how gifted, is averse to the risk of possibly burning out and forgoing a good grade, then maybe STEM isnt the right field.

STEM curricula are deliberately rigorous, as their subjects are not easy, and bridges tend to collapse when things go wrong. This is why there are weed-out classes to discourage students from pursuing them lightly.

As if this werent bad enough, many universities are imposing draconian restrictions on students to cope with covid-19. Jordan Schachtelhas written an important article about this. At Baylor University,

The university has announced that there will be weekly mandatory tests.If any student refuses to take the COVID-19 test, they are subject to suspension or expulsion. Students are not making friends with their classmates.No one can recognize whos who with a mask on, so there has been a significant increase of phone usage on campus and a significant decrease of socialization. Students show up for their in-person class, sit there, and head back to their apartment as soon as they are finished with classes. Everyone expects to move online before the semester is over. We all suspect that the university is postponing the move so that they can get the full tuition without much grounds for a lawsuit.

At the University of Iowa, They have isolation dorms for COVID kids, but they are horrid. Guys in hazmat suits come.2 week isolation, no visitors. Nurse on call but up to 3 hour wait if you need something.kids at school now are not getting tested so they dont get sentenced to the isolation prisons.

At St. Lawrence University, 1 positive case out of 2k tests. Kids limited to family groups and no more than four in dorm room. Masks when outside dorm and wrist band indicates you can go outdoors. Very limited social interaction.

At Creighton University,

11 days to get the required COVID test back. Isolated the whole time. No in person eating at the dorms as a norm. Training in the heat with masks for hours. Masks 24/7 on campus inside and out. Social isolation. 2 classes a week in person, everything else virtual. Cant come home until end of fall semester as you cant travel more than 100 miles from Omaha. Arent allowed to go anywhere or do anything except local restaurant pick ups and run to the store. If you are mildly exposed to a person with COVID, 14 day mandatory quarantine.

The universities will tell you that they need to impose these restrictions to cope with a raging pandemic, but they are lying. University students have almost no risk of dying from covid-19. Bill Sardi says, In the first 8 months of 2020 there were only ~1200 excess deaths per month or 40 extra deaths per day exclusively due to COVID-19 coronavirus infections, with 80% of those among Americans age 65 and older. By extrapolation, there were only ~8 excess COVID-19 only deaths per day among working-age adults and school-age children.

In order to understand what is happening to universities, we need to bear in mind something essential. The crisis did not begin with the diversity movement. After World War II, the government began a long-term effort to take over higher education. As Tom DiLorenzo has pointed out,

The damage caused by the program was much more than fiscal. It made the centralization of education possible for the first time in American history. That in turn opened the door to the ruinous politicization of higher education that has marked the past half century.

The tool used by government was the college accrediting agency.After the Second World War, the federal government used various college accrediting agencies to ostensibly guarantee a quality education for veterans. Only accredited schools could receive G.I. Bill funds, so the accrediting agencies quickly transformed themselves. They became the gatekeepers of the tax money and virtual adjuncts of federal power. This gatekeeper role expanded as federal funding of higher education escalated.This new world arrived almost immediately, as virtually every college and university in the country clamored for money and students, and willingly threw out traditional standards. This infusion of tax dollars created, notes Robert Nisbet, the single most powerful agent of change that we can find in the universitys long history.Had anyone objected at the time, he would have been put down as selfish and undemocratic.

Today, accreditation agencies, private in name only, have tremendous power over colleges and universities, and they are slavish to governments agenda. Today, these agencies are the major source of political correctness and big-government ideology on college campuses.

What can we do about this disaster? Karen Kwiatkowski is right. With the covid-19 restrictions, universities have gone too far. Students are fed up, and lawsuits for failing to fulfill contractual obligations may ruin many universities. She says,

One of the worst things that can happen to a state is to appear ridiculous.

Especially in the eyes of the young, who have had their expectations disappointed, their plans disrupted by mandate, their elders shown to be idiotic and frightened, their government greedy, avaricious, sadistic.

The state itself has assisted the liberty movement, with its lumbering broad-brush sadism. It far prefers physical destruction, marches and riots, police brutality and the outright rage of its citizens to the cuts of a thousand poems and 40 million awakening children who suddenly become aware that the King is buck naked, ugly, angry, vile, and simultaneously weak and wasted.

There is an additional reason we should view todays universities with skepticism, even if the leftists get tired of covid-19 and move on to some other craze. Tuition costs are enormous, and most students have to assume crippling loan burdens to get by. Today, roughly 70% of American students end up taking out loans to go to college. The average graduate leaves school with around $30,000 in debt and all told, some 45 million Americans owe $1.6 trillion in student loans and counting. Most of these loans cant be discharged through bankruptcy, and students may have to work decades to pay them off. What makes this even worse is that most of the tuition money goes into building lavish and unneeded buildings, perks for administrators, and diversity programs that undermine our culture. Die-versity is a better name for these programs.

The university was one of the foremost institutions of the High Middle Ages, and it is sad that the contemporary American university has sunk so low from the heights of medieval Oxford, Cambridge, Paris, and Salamanca. But we must face facts. What, then, can students and their parents who are fed up do? Private education and homeschooling are blossoming, creating a wide variety of choices for families and students.

I confess that one such alternative institution is foremost in my mind. A long-held vision of both Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard is now a reality. Their vision? A graduate school of Austrian economics.

Throughout its nearly forty-year history, the Mises Institute has been focused on providing support to students of other educational institutions. Helping students discover the economics of freedom and inspiring them to go on to teach at the university level is and has been a priority for the Institute. Excellent service that is personal, responsive, and geared towardassisting students in reaching their individual educational and career goals has been emblematic of all Mises Institute programs.

At the Mises Institute, we aim to continue the tradition of education so eloquently expressed by Ludwig von Mises and Murray Rothbard, whowere among the highest exemplars of the values of Western civilization, and this is what we endeavor to transmit to our students.

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The Collapsing Universitiesand What We Can Do About It - The Shepherd of the Hills Gazette

Only 10 when his father died, Dr Hollows recalled being asked if he wanted to be an eye doctor like his dad. "I'd reply, 'I think I am going to finish school first'."

Dr Hollows initially avoided studying medicine, and became a marine biologist instead. But after he caught malaria in Papua New Guinea and saw how it ravaged young children, he retrained as a doctor.

Now 38, people still ask when he will become an ophthalmologist. "It is difficult, trying to keep up with a dead legend. I am a GP, but people still ask me if I want to be a eye doctor, and I can't think of anything more boring."

Like his older and younger sisters, Dr Hollows is also involved with the Fred Hollows Foundation to restore sight and prevent infectious diseases like trachoma that cause blindness. During the pandemic, its staff in Bangladesh and Pakistan used their knowledge of infection control to prevent the spread of COVID.

When Fred died, he received a state funeral and was buried in the bush in Bourke where he had worked every year. His wife Gabi went on to raise their five children under 10, and establish the non-profit that the couple envisaged before the ophthalmologist died.

Cam Hollows as a boy with his father Fred. Credit:Oliver Strewe

"They didn't see barriers, they saw a vision. They walked towards that, and sometimes it wasn't pretty," said the younger Dr Hollows.

Unlike most children who lose a parent and barely have a shoebox full of memories, Cam - who, like his sisters, was named by Fred in honour of left-wing revolutionaries - said he was lucky to have many photos and videos. "We have Fred's voice on tape, we also have the ongoing work of dad's that has kept the story alive, and kept the family together."

There are other reminders. Only last Thursday, a 90 year-old man walked into Dr Hollows' surgery with a photo he had taken at Fred's grave site in Bourke. Others tell him they travel to Bourke to have a whisky with Fred.

"My dad's grave is a tourist attraction," said Dr Hollows.

Now working in general practice in the Northern Rivers, Dr Hollows said he tries to live by his father's words: "I believe the basic attribute of mankind is to look after one another".

He works with a diverse range of people, from dairy farmers, who refused to seek help for broken bones, to the local Indigenous community.

Dr Hollows remembers Fred as the kind of father who took his kids camping, who thrashed him at chess, who stopped the car to force his children to climb boulders and read historical plaques, and took them out of school to travel with him.

"Fred was a carpenter, " said Dr Hollows. "He used to come home after a day of curing global blindness and would turn cedar furniture that would bring tears to your eyes."

Fred made his children a tree house that is only falling down now 30 years later. That's inspired the young Dr Hollows to make one for his two daughters, Matilda and Tabitha, with monkey bars, a swing and platform that would make any child happy.

He used to come home after a day of curing global blindness and would turn cedar furniture that would bring tears to your eyes.

Being a father is the most important thing most men can do, yet fathers - and those who fill these roles - can be torn in different directions, Dr Hollows said.

"It's tricky. In trying to look after and provide for our families, we don't necessarily get to spend as much time with our family doing the important stuff that we'd like because there's always another bill or another project.

"When dad married mum, he was quite a bit older and already had two older children, so he was able to write his own rules and spend time with us kids, get us to Nepal, get us to Bourke, build a tree house and get us down to Snowy Mountains. He was super active and engaged dad in the way many of us can't be," Cam said.

Most dads don't have the luxury of time or money to do that. Neither does Dr Hollows jnr, who is still paying off his HECS debts.

Julie Power is a senior reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.

Original post:
Fred Hollows' son Cam on fatherhood: 'It's not about blood. It's about family' - Sydney Morning Herald

Vice President to address Virtually Valedictory of National Eye Donation Fortnight-2020

Make Netradhan a movement as strong as Pulse Polio

80lakh die every year, but, just 30,000 donate yes. Rest of the eyes are buried or burnt.

Hyderabad, September 07, 2020Vice President, Shri Venkaiah Naidu to address at the Valedictory Function Camba, a project of Saksham on National Eye Donation Fortnight-2020 on 8th September Virtually on Facebook, Instagram on other social media platforms ofsakshamseva.org. It will be held from 4.45 pm to 6 pm. It is an initiative of CAMBA. CAMBA is a project of SAKSHAM.

This idea behind this function is to Make NETRADAAN a movement as strong as Pulse Polio. India has more than twenty lakh cornea blind in India. The number is going upto to 35,000 to 40,000 every year. The burden of the disease is constantly on the rise.

80 lakh people die every year yet just 30,000 donate eyes, which is less than 1%. Not all the cornea collected can be used. Rest of the eyes are either buried or burnt. The collection must go up. If all those who die donates eyes, we can eradicate blindness from this country in just 5 years.

CAMBA stands for Cornea Andhatv Mukta Bharat Abhiyan (in Hindi). It means Corneal Blindness Free Bharat Movement (in English).

Another biggest challenge is the number of surgeons who are interested in the Cornea is not very high. Though there are 10,000 Opthalmologists in India, only 300 are practicing Cornea surgery. With the country with so much population, just 300 surgeons is very inadequate and the number must go up.

Cornea Andhatv Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (CAMBA) is a pan India movement of Saksham to bring down the incidence of Corneal Blindness in India and to motivate millions of Indians to pledge their eyes for this noble cause. Samadrishti, Kshamata Vikas Evam Anusandhan Mandal (SAKSHAM) is a charitable national organization with a major presence in Hyderabad.

CAMBA is a National Movement ignited by SAKSHAM, appeals to all the Ophthalmologists, Doctors Fraternity, Post Graduates, Medical Graduates, Eye Hospitals and all the Volunteers and People associated with eye care to join this momentous occasion and make NETRADAAN a movement as strong as Pulse Polio.

Every year more than 80 lakh people die in India but only 30 thousand people donate. That is less than 1%. We need at least 2 lakh pairs of the cornea to be donated every year to make Bharat Cornea blindness free in the next 5 years. Please join us to build New India as His Excellency, Honourable Vice President of India; Shri Venkaiah Naidu Ji joins the 35th National Eye Donation Fortnight Celebrations. Lets make India Corneal Blindness Free Donate Eyes, Live Twice.

What CAMBA does is the prevention of Corneal Blindness, Creates Awareness on Eye Donation. It educates government machinery about the gravity of the problem. It maintains a registry of Corneal Recipients; It encourages Eye Banks and Eye Collection Centres. It networks with good hearts.

Giving Light to the dark is gods mission said Dr. Abdul Kalam.

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Vice President to address Virtually Valedictory of National Eye Donation Fortnight-2020 - IBG NEWS

Recent technological advances in the field of ophthalmology and the availability of new biomaterials have substantially expanded the range of potential application areas of contact lenses and enabled the development of novel prosthetic products

Roots Analysis is pleased to announce the publication of its recent study, titled, Next Generation Contact Lenses and Visual Prostheses Market, 2019-2030.

The report features an extensive study of the current market landscape of therapeutic contact lenses, drug-eluting contact lenses, diagnostic / monitoring contact lenses and visual prostheses. The study lays emphasis on the novel products and technologies that are being developed for the treatment of ocular disorders, which generally cause severe visual impairment or blindness. In addition to other elements, the study includes:

A detailed market forecast, featuring analysis of the current and projected future opportunity across key market segments (listed below)

Type of Product

Type of Lenses

Target Indication

Key Geographical Region

Target Therapeutic Area

Transcripts of interviews held with the following senior level representatives of stakeholder companies:

Key companies covered in the report

For more information, please click on the following link:

https://www.rootsanalysis.com/reports/view_document/next-generation-contact-lenses-and-visual-prostheses-market-2019-2030/244.html

About Roots Analysis

Roots Analysis is one of the fastest growing market research companies, sharing fresh and independent perspectives in the bio-pharmaceutical industry. The in-depth research, analysis and insights are driven by an experienced leadership team which has gained many years of significant experience in this sector. If youd like help with your growing business needs, get in touch at [emailprotected]

Contact Information

Roots Analysis Private Limited

Gaurav Chaudhary

+1 (415) 800 3415

[emailprotected]

Link:
The Next Generation Contact Lenses and Visual Prostheses Market is estimated to be worth USD 3.7 billion in 2030, predicts Roots Analysis - Scientect

ISLAMABAD: The federal government is mulling to take immediate measures to promote coastal tourism in the country, as the development of Pakistans coastal areas could help the government earn $5 billion per annum.

According to the Maritime Study Forum, the government intends to develop coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan and a study has already been conducted in this regard.

Pakistan hardly generates around $50,000 from this industry.

The forum recently conducted a survey wherein it was revealed that around 70pc of Pakistanis have either never experienced coastal tourism or had not seen Pakistans coastline beyond Karachi.

It suggested the federal and provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan take immediate and concrete steps to promote coastal tourism and avert sea blindness.

As per Air Vice-Marshal (r) Ijaz Malik, Pakistan needs to learn from coastal tourism development models of countries that are exploiting the sectors potential. In this regard, he suggested the UAE model could help Pakistan develop its coast into a thriving tourism industry.

Meanwhile, senior journalist and anchorperson Nadia Naqi explained how Pakistans coastal tourism has remained stagnant through decades.

In order to promote coastal tourism, we not only need to develop infrastructure on coasts but also bring about sustainable development that protects the coastal ecosystem, she stated.

Naghmana Zafar, Senior Research Associate at NIMA, stressed the need to promote maritime domain awareness among institutions and organizations within the country. In order to address sea blindness in the country, the common public, as well as investors and institutions, need to be sensitised.

Moreover, Al-Noor Cruise Shipping CEO Shoaib Ahmed emphasized the importance of developing local coastal communities. He said the local culture of coastal communities can act as a great incentive to attract tourists towards this part of the country.

Maritime Study Forum President Dr Syed Mohammed Anwer also stressed the need for promoting maritime awareness in the country.

It will not only help to promote coastal development and tourism but will also highlight the importance of the overall maritime sector in the national economy.

He suggested the establishment of a coastal tourism authority to manage and promote coastal tourism in the country.

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Govt mulls investing in coastal tourism to earn $5bn revenue per annum - Profit by Pakistan Today

Now more than ever, people are spending more time in front of a screen.

Its not just adults but kids are also using computers more with online school the norm for the time being.

I never would of thought Id be wearing glasses, Ive never worn glasses, said Linda Medina-Lopez who works remotely.

Medina-Lopez spends more than half the day on her computer.

Gosh if you combine my work time and my pleasure time youre looking at 13-14 hours a day, she said.

It wasnt until recently that she started noticing an increase in headaches and blurry vision that she decided to get blue light glasses.

I went to get checked out with the optometrist and she told me we needed to start blocking some of that blue light and it was going to help with my eye strain. Now its not as blurry, Im very intentional about giving my eyes a break, she explained.

To relieve eye strain, Optometrist Sanda Flores at Pea Institute recommends taking breaks away from your screen throughout the day.

The 20-20-20 rule every 20 minutes taking a 20-second break to look at something 20 feet away so a kid on their computer doing their homework can look at a clock across the room and that can help decrease the fatigue and dryness, Flores said.

Experts say blue light tricks the brain into thinking its daytime, creating sleeping problems and excessive exposure can lead to blindness in the future.Flores recommends setting your phone to night mode to reduce the risk.

They recommend to not do anything on your near device as youre winding down to go to sleep because it can keep your mind a little more alert and make it harder to go to sleep, Flores explained.

Flores also said the brightness on your phone should always match your rooms lighting.

Link:
Excessive computer use could lead to blindness in the future - KGBT-TV

Published 11:30am EDT, Monday, August 24, 2020

Photo: New Canaan Mens Club / Contributed Photo

Mens Club talks about number one cause of blindness in those over 65

The New Canaan Mens Club will learn about the signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the number one cause of blindness in people over 65, its causes and steps individuals can take to reduce their risk of developing the condition at the clubs virtual meeting Friday, Aug. 28.

In her meeting remarks, by Dr. Cynthia MacKay, a clinical professor of ophthalmology at Columbia University College of Surgeons and Physicians, will describe the risks and symptoms, the two different types of age-related macular degeneration, defined as wet and dry, current treatments and the outlooks for promising future treatments of the condition. Dr. MacKays talk will begin after the clubs business meeting starts at 10 a.m. Shell conclude her remarks with suggestions for how members can decrease their risk of developing AMD.

A board-certified ophthalmologist, Dr. MacKay has comprehensive training in all aspects of eye care, with special training in diseases of the retina and in eye laser surgery.

She received her B.A. from Harvard University and studied medicine at the State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences Center, followed by internship at Lenox Hill Hospital. She did her residency in Ophthalmology at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.

The New Canaan Mens Club meets virtually in weekly sessions that feature a business meeting, followed by a speaker on a variety of topics. Interested individuals 55-years-old and above may contact the club for more information at ncmens@ncmens.club.

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Mens Club talks about number one cause of blindness in those over 65 - New Canaan Advertiser

I have a condition calledRetinitis Pigmentosa, commonly referred to as RP. It is a degenerative retina disease that leaves the lucky winners of this particular genetic lottery permanently and totally blind. RP is a rare(ish) genetic disorder where the light sensitive cells of the retina are destroyed or simply cease to function causing night blindness, then peripheral vision loss, and finally blindness.

As with any disease that leaves its victim blind, it is a horrible thing to contend with. Adding insult to injury is the lack of a cure so no sooner do you receive the diagnoses then you are forced to come to terms with your fate. If dark humor is your thing then you will appreciate that under the headings for Treatment on the National Institute of Health website is simply alinkto a resource for living with Low Vision. Even considering the lack of treatment options, what makes RP particularly insidious is its speed or lack thereof it is ever present, slow, and methodical in its deconstruction of the retina.

Timelines vary from patient to patient, but the outcomes do not. In my case it can be reasonably estimated that I will be totally blind sometime in the next 25 years. Nothing to do but wait.

These two little orbs on the front of my face were going to make me reevaluate the world and my purpose in it.

They say you dont appreciate something until its gone and the eyes are no different. It is easy as someone with decent vision to take the importance of vision for granted. And that is OK. But when you are staring down the barrel of blindness you spend every waking moment that your eyes are open ruminating on the fate you have been dealt.

I had a career as a police officer and then one day I didnt. In mid-2017 I began to see a small blurry patch in my right eye. Like someone had wiped a small bit of Vaseline on then lens of a movie camera leaving a smudge on the edge of the frame, enough to be annoying but not really ruin the experience. As with anything eye related given my familys poor history when it comes to vision, I was encouraged to have it checked out by a specialist. If there are decisions that can change the entire trajectory of ones life, this was one of them, and Im still not sure if it is a good one or a bad one.

I made an appointment with my eye doctor. Figuring perhaps there was a scratch or other issue that could be quickly addressed. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The smudge was a cataract, a tiny one, that could be safely left alone for decades. But the eye doctor in doing his exam saw the tell-tale signs of RP hitting him right in the face. Small black speckles on the back of the eye indicating dead retina tissue.

I remember him stepping away from me with a look of concern, kind of like when you show up to meet your soon to be ex-girlfriend at a bar and she has the we have to talk face.

Do you have trouble seeing at night he asked.

Of course, I did. It had been going on for years, my often comical inability to navigate in the dark, but I always assumed this was just a part of getting older. I would regularly get teased about the excessive use of my flashlight while working midnight patrol shifts. I regularly stumbled around my house at night which, again, was written off as the vagaries of nearing forty.

With this answer, his concerned look got more concerned. His girlfriend stare wasnt just breaking up with me, it was cheating on me. He held up some fingers and slid them around my field of vision while he observed my eyes reactions to them moving in and out of what I would learn are the massive gaps in my peripheral vision. Not only was she cheating, it was with my best friend.

The exam ended with him laying out what he believed was a moderately advanced case of RP. He advised me to see a retina specialist and start considering a new line of work.

I was told I could never work as a cop again, a fifteen-year career gone in the blink of an eye. The reasoning was sound but catastrophic. It was a massive liability having someone like me driving a police car let alone walking around with a gun. A liability no one was willing to shoulder.

This began the nagging awareness of the disease. Every time I would bump into a wall or be confronted with an odd stare as someone held out their hand for a handshake just outside my field of vision, I am reminded of my fate.

These two little orbs on the front of my face were going to make me reevaluate the world and my purpose in it.

Imagine knowing the exact date you were going to lose a loved one and that date is decades away. How that would change how you spend your time with that person? Would you shrink away from them to mute the pain that was sure to come? For the latter, of course you wouldnt because thats just life; just because you know an exact date doesnt really mean anything.

It would be a sad existence if we avoided personal connections because one day those people will be gone. As to the former, it is a crash course on living a good life and relishing every moment because no one stays alive forever and you should act, and love, accordingly.<

In the years since I have yet to find a way to ignore the obvious. It is like having something wrong with your fingers or your ass. There is no real way to avoid using them, so you just have to deal with it. In learning to deal with it I have learned to act on the valuable life lessons above. In addition, I am learning lessons about acceptance of fate and not letting self-pity consume me. I am slowly learning to apply these lessons across every aspect of daily life. I tell myself that this is not going to kill me, change me, sure, but nothing fatal. I more thoroughly enjoy every moment with my kids. And I am compiling a list of blind hobbies that will bring joy and satisfaction to life without vision currently it is learning to play a piano.

The biggest breakthrough for me has been the realization that there is a world of people without vision that live happy productive lives, their lives dont look like mine or the one I had, but they are full and complete, nonetheless.

I will be OK. The cheating girlfriend that is the wispy tissue coating the back of my eyeballs is forgiven and life will go on. In the meantime, I hope that my experience can give others perspective on dealing with the more catastrophic ups-and-downs of life in general.

Photo by v2osk on Unsplash

Rullo is a lawyer and former Marine who worked for many years as a police officer in Montclair. He ran unsuccessfully for the Verona Board of Education in 2018. This post first appeared on Medium and is reprinted here with the authors permission.

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The Subtle Terror Of Slowly Going Blind - My veronanj

A slight knowledge of the Holy Scripture reveals that not all of Gods judgements are reserved for, a day of Judgement at the end of the world as described in Revelation 20:12. Noahs flood, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra in the Old Testament, as well as the sudden death of Ananias and Sapphira for lying to Peter in the New Testament, confirm the fact that God occasionally brings immediate judgement on people and nations for conduct that is especially offensive to His moral laws and holy perfection.

How humans value and react to truth is a moral characteristic that God monitors with special interest. A lying tongue and a false witness, for example, are among the seven deadly sins listed in Proverbs 6:16 and are especially offensive to God. Spiritual blindness is often the judgement imposed by the Almighty on those who show little or no regard for truth. This is not surprising considering that Scripture teaches that God is the God of truth and Satan is the Father of lies.

Spiritual blindness is a condition that makes it difficult for the mind to distinguish truth from error. Often, falsehood is preferred over truth. Consequently, the faculties of logic and common sense are greatly diminished. Mental health specialists and psychologists call this condition, pathological or compulsive liars and it often leads to more serious mental disorders. (As with the case of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:28-33.)

Spiritual blindness is often analogous to physical blindness in the New Testament and both sight and blindness, light and darkness are frequently used to illustrated spiritual truths by the Lord Jesus and the apostles in the gospels.

Describing the pre-judgement of spiritual blindness upon those who did not like to retain the truth of God, Paul uses three sobering phrases in the first two chapters of Romans. God gave them over to a debased mind (1:28); God gave them up to vile passions. (1:26); and, God also gave them up to uncleanness (1:24) These phrases imply that God had come to the end of His patience in trying to persuade men to higher morals standards.

Consequently, rational discourse with those who are afflicted with spiritual blindness is almost impossible. It is like trying to reason with the devil. Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un of North Korea and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leader of Iran, are extreme examples. But, there also are those in our own nation, some label, political activists that embrace false, illogical, and distorted facts displaying classic signs of spiritual blindness.

Sadly, we have brought the troubles we now face, violent protests, and lawlessness on ourselves, by abandoning the Judeo-Christian moral and ethical values that our nation was founded on and, by Gods grace, has been preserved for almost 250 years. We have been careless with truth in the critical areas of history, science, and religion. In fact, open discussion on these topics has been intentionally discouraged and often totally prohibited in the protocol of the institutions of learning, legislative bodies of states and cities, and even in our military, for many years.

Pastor Gene Holman of Living Word Fellowship in Gardnerville is a member of Carson Valley Ministers Association

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Curing spiritual blindness | RecordCourier.com - The Record-Courier

AUGUST 26 One annoying new Malaysian catchphrase is acah woke (thinking youre woke) that is often used to gaslight discussions about things seen as problematic now when they werent before.

Oh, you think catcalling is sexual harassment and not just paying a compliment? Acah woke.

You think its unacceptable to use other races cultural costumes for commercial purposes without actually hiring them? Acah woke.

Youre saying that using the word triggered as an insult is unacceptable? Acah woke.

Im thinking about the recent social media kerfuffle where an Indian woman expressed her unhappiness at a non-Indian dressing in desi manner complete with nose ring all for a contact lens ad.

Many Malaysians of an older generation were dismissive about her concerns. Were Malaysian, they said. Were just appreciating the beauty of other races costumes and Malaysians have always worn each others baju for decades so why is it a problem now?

The term cultural appropriation is often seen as a strictly Western concept, created by so-called social justice warriors to manufacture outrage.

What people misunderstand about it is that its not just about whether one race has any supposed right to anothers culture but its really about power.

The disparity between the races in Malaysia is obvious, with a concentration of power in one race and everyone else pretty much just making up the numbers.

Indians, in particular, feel that lack of agency and the powerlessness of having people pick and choose what they like about Indian culture while rejecting actual Indians.

An ex-housemate answered my advertisement for a room to rent saying that as an Indian male it was difficult for him to find a rental space, especially as he had a dog to care for. I didnt care what race he was so long as he paid the rent on time.

Its a story I often hear from many Indians, getting discriminated against by potential landlords, employers and most troubling of all: the police.

The number of deaths of Indians in custody is alarming. Despite investigation after investigation, its an issue that keeps being brought up then quieted down, at least until the next Indian somehow dies while detained.

It is not helpful when local non-Indian celebrities such as Maya Karin chime in with bad takes on Twitter such as Im half German, part Malay, part Chinese, part Tamil. Can someone tell me what and not to wear?

Unless you know what its like to be turned away from a rental because of your race, maybe sit down. Your input wasnt asked for here especially as you can pass as an Indian as much as I can pass as an Irishman.

The problem with Malaysia and Malaysians is that we are so in love with the idea of racial harmony that we protest any criticism of how we treat each other.

It was telling that the Indian person who first brought up the recent conversation aboutcultural appropriation was called various racial slurs.

One person even had the audacity to say that other races looked better in Indian costumes because apparently Indians are too dark-skinned to look good in anything, even in their own native wear. The exception, of course, are the fairer skinned Indians.

Im not Indian and I wouldnt presume to speak for them but it is obvious that it is difficult for Malaysians to have civil conversations about boundaries.

Non-Indians do not get to say that its fine for them to appropriate Indian culture however they wish; if they get called out for misusing cultures not their own for profit, they deserve to be called out.

There is a fine line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. Its not hard to find it if we do that one thing we need to do better, which is listen.

Its high time minority voices find more of a space in the public sphere and their experiences and concerns be highlighted.

Being a minority does not mean youre less important and that is something we all need to remember especially now with Merdeka just around the corner.

Malaysia is for all Malaysians, no matter what our politicians say.

*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

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Colour blindness is the new apathy - Malay Mail

CHICAGO, Aug. 25, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --According to data from Prevent Blindness, more eye injuries occur from basketball than any other sport. Pools & Water Sports is the category with the second highest cause of sports-related eye injury. Prevent Blindness, the nation's oldest non-profit eye health organization, has declared September as Sports Eye Safety Month to help educate the public on the best ways to protect eyes and keep vision healthy while playing sports.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), 90 percent of serious eye injuries could be prevented by wearing appropriate protective eyewear. Additionally, the AAO recommends that spectators at sporting events should also be careful. Balls, bats, and players can end up in the stands at any time.

Eye injuries from sports may include infection, corneal abrasions, fracture of the eye socket, swollen or detached retinas or a traumatic cataract. Many eye injuries may be avoided by wearing proper eye protection. Prevent Blindness provides the following guidelines to help find the best eye guards:

"We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of seasons for many organized sports this year," said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. "But, it's still important to make sure that whenever we're playing sports, whether in our own backyards or someplace else, we protect our eyes from injury with the proper eye protections to save our sight for the future."

Once again, Liberty Sport and Prevent Blindness are partnering during September's Sports Eye Safety Month. To download free educational and promotional materials, including the Sports Eye Safety Guide, visit: https://www.libertysport.com/sports-eye-safety-guide or contact Angela Gerber, Liberty Sport, at (973) 882-0986 x972 or agerber@libertysport.com.

For more information on sports eye injury prevention, please call Prevent Blindness at (800) 331-2020, or visit http://www.preventblindness.org/sports-eye-safety.

About Prevent Blindness Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. These services are made possible through the generous support of the American public. Together with a network of affiliates, Prevent Blindness is committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America. For more information, or to make a contribution to the sight-saving fund, call 1-800-331-2020. Or, visit us on the Web at preventblindness.org or facebook.com/preventblindness. ###

SOURCE Prevent Blindness

Originally posted here:
Prevent Blindness Data Shows Basketball as Cause of Most Sports-related Eye Injuries - Benzinga

Gyroscope Therapeutics Limited, a clinical-stage retinal gene therapy company, today announced that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance for the Orbit Subretinal Delivery System (Orbit SDS). The Orbit SDS is indicated for microinjection into the subretinal space at the back of the eye. The microinjection procedure is designed to avoid damaging the structure of the eye by preventing the need for a vitrectomy, a procedure that involves removing the vitreous (the gel-like substance that fills the eye). The approach also eliminates the need to create a retinotomy (a hole in the retina) in order to access the subretinal space. This clearance is based on injection of Balanced Salt Solution (BSS) or BSS PLUS.*

The Orbit SDS is exquisitely designed to target the subretinal space, with the aim of providing precise and consistent dosing, said Khurem Farooq, Chief Executive Officer. Our mission is to develop gene therapies and delivery systems to help preserve sight and fight the devastating impact of blindness. The FDA clearance of the Orbit SDS is an important component in advancing towards this goal.

The Orbit SDS is capable of delivering a controlled volume to a targeted subretinal delivery site. The Orbit SDS accesses the subretinal space via a suprachoroidal approach. This specially designed system enables cannulation of the suprachoroidal space with a flexible cannula. A microneedle inside the cannula is advanced into the subretinal space to enable targeted dose delivery.

The clearance authorises the company to market and sell the Orbit SDS in the United States. In addition to developing the Orbit SDS for its own investigational medicines, Gyroscope plans to enter into licensing and collaboration arrangements involving the Orbit SDS with other companies who are developing gene and cell therapies to treat eye disease.

Gyroscope Therapeutics: Vision for Life

Gyroscope Therapeutics is a clinical-stage retinal gene therapy company developing and delivering gene therapy beyond rare disease to treat a leading cause of blindness, dry age-related macular degeneration. 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 a Phase II clinical trial called EXPLORE.

Syncona Ltd, our lead investor, helped us create the only retinal gene therapy company to combine 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.

*BSS PLUS is a registered trademark of Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200824005644/en/

Charlotte Arnold

Gyroscope Therapeutics

media@gyroscopetx.com

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Gyroscope Therapeutics Announces FDA Clearance for Orbit Subretinal Delivery System - Financialbuzz.com

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Global Wave-front Aberrometer Market: Growth, Trends and Forecast (2020-2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global wave-front aberrometer market is expected to exhibit a healthy CAGR over the forecast period, due to the growing burden of eye diseases and technological advancements in the devices.

According to the World Health Organization, around 1 billion people in 2019 suffered from blindness because of unaddressed refractive errors, near vision impairment and presbyopia globally. Uncorrected refractive errors are one of the major reasons for blindness. Hence, this emerges the need for novel diagnostic tools which is expected to increase the demand for wave-front aberrometer.

Key Market Trends

Myopia Segment Expected to Hold a Significant Market Share

Myopia segment is expected to show significant growth in the wave-front aberrometer market due to the higher prevalence of myopia. According to the American Optometric Association, in 2018, approximately 30% of people were living with the problem of near-sightedness in the United States. Furthermore, according to the study of the Journal of Clinical Ophthalmology, in 2016, when a LASIK surgery was performed with the help of high-resolution aberrometer in a myopic patient, the outcomes of it was found to be quite effective.

Also, advancements in products related to wave-front aberrometer are expected to be major contributors to market growth. For instance, in 2018, Oculus, Barrett Toric Calculator and Olsen ray-tracing formula to Pentacam AXL. These new features help in taking the data of the posterior and anterior corneal surface and thickness. Hence, these factors are expected to impact positively on the wave-front aberrometer market in this segment.

North America Expected to Hold a Significant Share

North America expected to hold a major market share in the global wave-front aberrometer market due to the higher prevalence of eye-related diseases and increasing aging population. According to the National Institute of Health, currently over millions of people in the United States are affected by one or the other eye condition and the aging population is at greater risk. Furthermore, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2017, around 8 million people in the United States were diagnosed with vision impairment because of refractive error. Hence, this factor is expected to increase the demand for wave-front aberrometer.

Competitive Landscape

Companies are taking initiatives such as launching new products to grow their presence in the market. For instance, in 2018, Essilor introduced a new product in the market, WAM700+ wave-front aberrometer. It is based upon Shack-Hartmann wavefront technology and fully-automated instrument. Some of the companies which are currently dominating the market are Novartis AG (Alcon), Carl Zeiss, Luneau Technology, Tracey Technologies, Essilor, Nidek Inc., Johnson & Johnson Visioncare Inc., SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions, Optikon and Marco.

Key Topics Covered

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Study Assumptions

1.2 Scope of the Study

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Market Drivers

4.2.1 Growing Burden of Eye Disease

4.2.2 Technological Advancements in Product

4.3 Market Restraints

4.3.1 Lack of Skilled Personnels

4.4 Porter's Five Force Analysis

5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 By Application

5.1.1 Hyperopia

5.1.2 Myopia

5.1.3 Astigmatism

5.1.4 Others

5.2 Geography

5.2.1 North America

5.2.2 Europe

5.2.3 Asia-Pacific

5.2.4 Rest of the World

6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Company Profiles

6.1.1 Alcon

6.1.2 Carl Zeiss

6.1.3 Essilor

6.1.4 Johnson & Johnson Visioncare Inc.

6.1.5 Luneau Technology

6.1.6 Marco

6.1.7 Nidek Inc.

6.1.8 Optikon

6.1.9 SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions

6.1.10 Tracey Technologies

7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/tpiye2

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Global Wave-front Aberrometer Market: Growth, Trends and Forecast (2020-2025) Featuring Alcon, Carl Zeiss, Essilor, and Johnson & Johnson...

X Ambassadors have always championed the visually impaired community, and on Thursday (August 20), brothers Casey and Sam Harris are partnering with Foundation Fighting Blindness and Two Blind Brothers for a benefit livestream to raise money for research dedicated to curing blindness.

Music to Our Eyes is set to take place at 7pm EST / 4pm PST on August 20 and will feature an acoustic performance from Casey and Sam that includes their hits Renegade, Unsteady, Hold You Down, and more, along with an interview. The event is free; however, those who are able to contribute a donation are encouraged to do so.

This partnership is particularly special to the brothers. Casey was born with with a rare genetic disease called Senior-Loken syndrome that affects the kidneys and retinas. As a result, he was born legally blind.

We are so excited and honored to be collaborating with Two Blind Brothers for this livestream conversation and acoustic performance with Sam and Casey Harris of X Ambassadors, Foundation COO Jason Menzo said in a statement. Together, we have this natural connection and unwavering commitment to providing hope and empowerment for the blind and visually impaired community.

Register to reserve your spot here.

Photo: Getty Images

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X Ambassadors Team Up With Foundation Fighting Blindness For Livestream - iHeartRadio

Trusted Business Insights answers what are the scenarios for growth and recovery and whether there will be any lasting structural impact from the unfolding crisis for the Intraocular Lens market.

Trusted Business Insights presents an updated and Latest Study on Intraocular Lens Market 2019-2029. The report contains market predictions related to market size, revenue, production, CAGR, Consumption, gross margin, price, and other substantial factors. While emphasizing the key driving and restraining forces for this market, the report also offers a complete study of the future trends and developments of the market.The report further elaborates on the micro and macroeconomic aspects including the socio-political landscape that is anticipated to shape the demand of the Intraocular Lens market during the forecast period (2019-2029).It also examines the role of the leading market players involved in the industry including their corporate overview, financial summary, and SWOT analysis.

Get Sample Copy of this Report @ Intraocular Lens (IOL) Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Monofocal Intraocular Lens and Premium Intraocular Lens (Multifocal Intraocular Lens, Toric Intraocular Lens, and Others)), By Material (Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and Foldable (Hydrophobic Acrylic, and Silicone & Collamer)), By End User (Hospitals & Ambulatory Surgery Centres, and Academic & Research Institutes) and Regional Forecast, 2020-2029 (Includes COVID-19 Business Impact)

The global Intraocular Lens (IOL) market size was USD 3,159.3 million in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 5,318.8 million by 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period.

We have updated Intraocular Lens Market with respect to COVID-19 Impact.Inquire before buying

Cataract is one of the leading causes of blindness. Cataract removal is estimated to be the most common ophthalmic surgery across the globe. The intraocular lens is an artificial lens that is implanted in the eye during cataract procedures. Owing to strong government support and favorable reimbursement, more and more patients are undergoing cataract surgery. This has surged the adoption of an intraocular cataract lens. Initiatives to decrease the prevalence of cataract and an increasing number of NGOs providing free eye examinations and surgery are positively impacting the market.

The huge demand for the intraocular cataract lens has triggered the manufacturers to conduct research and development activities to provide advanced lenses that would help the patients with both near and distant vision. Many players are now focused on providing the trifocal, toric lens, and aspheric lenses that eliminate the need for wearing spectacles. For example, in December 2019, Johnson & Johnson Vision announced the U.S. launch of Tecnis Toric II, an intraocular cataract lens for correction of astigmatism in cataract patients. Furthermore, with the introduction of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery, the demand for IOL is projected to increase by many folds.

MARKET DRIVERS

Increasing Number of Cataract Surgeries to Surge Demand for IOLCataract surgery is one of the most common ophthalmic procedures across the world. The rising prevalence of cataract and blindness associated with cataract has resulted in increasing the volume of cataract surgeries that are performed around the world. According to Eurostat, 4.5 million cataract procedures were performed in the European Union (EU) member states in 2016. This rising number of cataract procedures is anticipated to drive the IOL market revenue during the forecast period.

Furthermore, the rising prevalence of blindness and cataract is also one of the major reasons contributing to the expansion of the market. According to WHO, cataract is responsible for 47% of the world blindness and this is expected to favor the IOL market growth during the forecast period.

Launch of Several Government Initiatives for Cataract Elimination to Boost Market

The rising prevalence of cataract possesses an economic and health burden in many countries. This has resulted in the launch of various initiatives by the government for the elimination of cataracts. Vision 2020 is one such global initiative launched by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), with the aim to eliminate the main causes of avoidable blindness from the world. In addition, there is active participation by the government to achieve the target of Vision 2020 through reimbursement, eye checkup camps, and others. This is anticipated to accelerate the intraocular lens market growth in the forthcoming years.

SEGMENTATION

By Type Analysis

Monofocal Intraocular Lens Segment to Dominate Backed by Cost-effective NatureOn the basis of type, the market can be segmented into monofocal intraocular lens and premium intraocular lens. The premium intraocular lens segment is further classified into a multifocal intraocular lens, toric intraocular lens, and others. Monofocal intraocular lens segment is anticipated to dominate the IOL market share throughout the forecast period. Low pricing of monofocal lens compared to premium ones and favorable government reimbursement policies are the major factors attributable to the dominant share of monofocal IOLs.

On the other hand, premium IOLs have less penetration than monofocal IOLs. Also, many government-aided insurance policies do not cover the cost of premium IOLs and hence, the patient has to pay from their own pockets. Moreover, the advantages of the premium lenses over monofocal and the increasing preference for toric lenses are anticipated to drive the premium intraocular lens segment.

By Material Analysis

Foldable Segment to Witness a Remarkable Growth Owing to High Demand for Hydrophobic AcrylicBased on material, the market can be segmented into polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and foldable. The foldable segment is further divided into hydrophobic acrylic, hydrophilic acrylic, and silicone & collamer. The foldable segment is estimated to acquire a major portion of the market, primarily owing to its high refractive index and low water content, which is propelling its preference. Moreover, as intraocular cataract lenses are made from foldable material, they can be inserted through small incisions and are more widely used in cataract surgery. This intraocular lens market trend is anticipated to favor the growth of the foldable segment during the forecast period.Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) was the first material used for making the intraocular lens. Intraocular cataract lenses made from PMMA are significantly used in Europe and the rest of the world. This, coupled with the rising prevalence of cataract, is likely to favor the expansion of the polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) segment during the forecast period.

By End User Analysis

Availability of Free Cataract Surgery to Drive the Growth of Hospitals & ASCs SegmentOn the basis of the end user, the market is segmented into hospitals & ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), specialty clinics, and academic and research institutes. In terms of revenue, hospitals & ambulatory surgery centers segment accounted for the maximum portion of the market in 2018. An increase in the number of government hospitals and NGOs providing free of cost cataract surgeries, favorable health reimbursement, and increasing demand for daycare surgeries in hospitals are some of the major IOL market trends that are responsible for the growth of the segment.An increasing number of ophthalmic surgeons, a rising number of standalone eye clinics, and a significant increase in the number of cataract surgery in outpatient settings are expected to augment the expansion of the specialty clinics segment. Unite for Sight is an organization that provides financial and human resources to eye clinics around the globe. The increasing presence of such organizations to support eye clinics is also expected to boost the growth of this segment. The academic and research institutes segment is likely to propel owing to the active government efforts to train the ophthalmologists and an increasing number of doctors opting for fellowship programs to learn about the latest medical technologies.

REGIONAL ANALYSIS

North America generated a revenue of USD 892.9 million in 2018 and is projected to dominate the market throughout the forecast period. Technological advancement, such as custom cataract lens & Extended Depth of Focus (EDoF), and new product launches are the main reasons for the dominant North America IOL market share. According to the America Academy of Ophthalmology, 50 million people are projected to have a cataract in the U.S. by 2050. This is expected to favor the demand for an intraocular cataract lens in the U.S. during the forecast period.North America Intraocular Lens (IOL) Market Size, 2018

In Europe, the IOL market is anticipated to expand, owing to the increasing number of cataract surgery, rising adoption of femtosecond lasers for cataract surgery, and increased preference for toric lenses. According to Eurostat, in Germany, Italy, and Spain, the number of cataract surgeries performed per 1,000 populations in 2016 were 10, 9, and 7 respectively. This, coupled with the presence of various manufacturers in Europe, is expected to contribute to the growing demand for an intraocular cataract lens.

In Asia Pacific, the market is estimated to flourish owing to the rising prevalence of diabetes and cataract. Furthermore, increasing the volume of cataract surgery and strong government support are projected to boost the market for intraocular cataract lens. According to the National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCB&VI), over 6.4 million surgeries were performed in India during 2016-2017. Such a high volume of cataract operations in India, China, and Japan are expected to augment the IOL market size in Asia Pacific. Increasing governmental efforts to improve the cataract surgical rate (CSR), rising number of ophthalmologists and rapid adoption of teleophthalmology are estimated to expand the intraocular lens market share in Latin America and the Middle East and Africa.

INDUSTRY KEY PLAYERS

Alcon and Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. to Emerge as Leading PlayersIn terms of intraocular lens market revenue, Alcon and Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. accounted for a leading position. Alcon had the highest IOL market share owing to the high demand and preference for AcrySof IOL. Increased efforts of the company to increase the penetration of premium lenses is the major reason for driving the growth of the company. The market shares of Johnson and Johnson Services, Inc. had increased drastically owing to the acquisition of Abbott Medical Optics in February 2017. Apart from this, increasing sales of the companys IOLs is anticipated to strengthen its position.

List Of Key Companies Profiled:

REPORT COVERAGE

Cataract is regarded as the leading cause of blindness in the world. Many programs are initiated to decrease the burden of cataract. This has resulted in increasing the number of cataract procedures and which, in turn, has surged the demand for an intraocular cataract lens. Furthermore, technological advancements, such as trifocal IOLs, accommodating IOLs, and others are expected to boost the adoption of IOL in the coming years. The report provides qualitative and quantitative insights on the global intraocular lens market trends and detailed analysis of market size & growth rate for all possible segments in the market.

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The report provides a detailed analysis of the market and focuses on key aspects such as leading companies, competitive landscape, and product types. Besides, the report offers insights into the market trends and highlights key industry developments, such as mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships. In addition to the aforementioned factors, the report encompasses several key insights, such as the number of cataract surgery for key countries, prevalence of cataract for key countries, regulatory scenario for key countries, reimbursement scenario for key countries, new product launches, an overview of government cataract initiatives, etc.

Report Scope & Segmentation

Segmentation

By Type

By Material

By End User

By Geography

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT:

December 2019: Johnson & Johnson Vision announced the U.S. launch of Tecnis Toric II, an intraocular lens for the correction of astigmatism in cataract patients.

August 2019: Alcon announced the launch of AcrySof IQ PanOptix Trifocal Intraocular Lens in the U.S. The product is designed to deliver near and distance vision without the requirement of glasses.

February 2017: Johnson & Johnson Vision completed the acquisition of Abbott Medical Optics, which strengthened the companys position in the ophthalmic devices market.

Looking for more? Check out our repository for all available reports on Intraocular Lens in related sectors.

Quick Read Table of Contents of this Report @ Intraocular Lens (IOL) Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Monofocal Intraocular Lens and Premium Intraocular Lens (Multifocal Intraocular Lens, Toric Intraocular Lens, and Others)), By Material (Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and Foldable (Hydrophobic Acrylic, and Silicone & Collamer)), By End User (Hospitals & Ambulatory Surgery Centres, and Academic & Research Institutes) and Regional Forecast, 2020-2029 (Includes COVID-19 Business Impact)

Trusted Business InsightsShelly ArnoldMedia & Marketing ExecutiveEmail Me For Any ClarificationsConnect on LinkedInClick to follow Trusted Business Insights LinkedIn for Market Data and Updates.US: +1 646 568 9797UK: +44 330 808 0580

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Global Intraocular Lens (IOL) market size was USD 3159.3 million in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 5318.8 million by 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of...

August 25, 2020 -A newIRONSCALESreportfound a drastic increase in successful credential theft attempts sent through spoofed login pages and social engineering attacksduring the first half of 2020. And themost common recipients targeted with these attacks were those in the healthcare sector.

Researchers identified and analyzed fake login pages sent during the first half of the year, which are commonly used in support of spear-phishing campaigns and other hacks. Intotal, they identified more than 50,000 fake login pages, which spoofed login pages from over 200 prominent global brands.

Outside of healthcare, other leading recipients were those in financial services, government agencies, and technology industries.

The growing cyber threat of fake login pages [are] nefarious, yet often highly realistic looking pages [and] now a common tactic deployedby attackers seeking to obtain a persons login credentials to a legitimate website, such as a bank, email client, or social media site, among many other popular services, researchers explained.

The operation, commonly known as credential theft, is simple: target unsuspecting recipients with an email spoofing a trusted brand and persuade them via social engineering to insert their legitimate credentials, such asa username and password, into a fake login page either embedded within the body of an email or built into a phishing website, they added.

Once the victim has inputted their credentials, the hacker harvests the data to loginto real accounts and commence further illegal activities.

Just thisweek, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security warned hackers were using voice phishing, or vishing, campaigns to build trust with victims, later duping them into logging intomaliciouswebsites made to appear astheir employers webpages.

Previous campaigns have spoofedZoom,Google,and MicrosoftOffice 365executive accounts, among others.

The IRONSCALES report found the top five brands with the most fake login pages are nearly identical to those that frequently have the most active phishing websites.

PayPal was the leading brand with 11,000 fake login pages, or 22 percent, closely followed by Microsoft with 9,500, or 19 percent and Facebook with 7,500, or 15 percent.eBaywas listed in fourth with 3,000pages, or 6 percent, with Amazon in last, with 1,500 pages, or 3 percent.

Other top brands with spoofed login pages included Aetna, Wells Fargo, Adobe, Apple, Tesco, and JP Morgan Chase, along with a host of others.

Although PayPal sits atop the list, the greatest risk may derive from the 9,500 Microsoft spoofs, as malicious Office 365, SharePoint and One Drive login pages put not just people but entire businesses a risk, researchers warned.

The researchers said its believed fake login pages are successful for two reasons. To start,malicious phishing emails containing spoofed logins often bypass technical controls like secure email gateways andSPAM filters, without requiring much investment in time, funds, or resources by the hacker.

Secondly, the attack's success may be due towhat is known as inattentional blindness or when an individual does not perceive the unexpected change hiding in plain sight.

Inattentional blindness became an internet sensation in 2012 when a video posted asking viewers how many white shirted players passed a ball. Intently focused on the task at hand, more than 50 percent of the viewers failed to recognize a woman in a gorilla suit in the middle of the picture, researchers wrote. Even people with phishing awareness training are susceptible to inattentional blindness.

Notably, about 5 percent of these attacks leveraging fake login pages were polymorphic in nature, where a hacker implements light but significant and often random change to an emails artifacts, such as its content, copy, subject line, sender name or template in conjunction with or after an initial attack has deployed.

An earlier IRONSCALES report showed 42percentof phishing attacks are polymorphic.The technique allows for the quick development of phishing attacks able to dupe signature-based email security tools that arent designed to recognize the modifications. As a result, a targeted victim could receive different versions of the same attack in their email account without being detected.

About 24 percent of the attacks spoofing Microsoft were polymorphic, with 314 permutations, followed by Facebook with 13 percent of permutation attacks or 160 permutations in total.

While we cannot say for certain why these brands have more permutations than others, we can make an educated guess that this occurred for one of two reasons:The security teams associated with these brands are actively looking to take down fake login pages, so attackers are forced to more frequently evolve the attack ever so slightly so to defeat human and technical controls, researchers mused.

These brands are a priority and or easy target for a certain hacking group(s), so there is more activity and therefore a need to constantly evolve in order to stay one step ahead of security teams, they added.

Microsoft has previously shared spear-phishing insights, which may help healthcare organizations better understand how these attacks work and mitigation techniques to harden enterprisedefenses.

Original post:
Credential Theft Via Spoofed Login Pages Increase, Healthcare Top Target - HealthITSecurity.com