StemCell Therapy

Performing arts stages all across America, the Tampa Bay area included, first went dark on Friday, March 13. That was when the coronavirus curtain fell.

It was that same day Friday the 13th that American Stage producing artistic director Stephanie Gularte was diagnosed with a rare, degenerative disease that will eventually, inevitably erode her eyesight into next to nothing.

I got my genetic test results back the day we closed the theater, Gularte says. The universe has a sense of humor, for sure.

The disease retinitis pigmentosa was first detected when Gularte went to visit her optometrist for a new pair of reading glasses in February. She was sent to a retinal specialist the next day.

Shes unsure about the days, weeks and months ahead.

To be honest, Im still processing it, Gularte says. The biggest thing that I have come to learn is that theres a very significant range of impact before we think of blindness as being fully, one hundred percent blind.

Because retinitis pigmentosa is progressive, she expects a period of low vision to come first how long, doctors can only speculate. I realized that I need to make preparations to be able to be productive, with some limitations.

Its not uncommon, she has learned, for people to dismiss minor vision issues when something more serious lies just under the surface.

What I thought was clumsiness, and what I thought was kind of being distracted, bumping into things and knocking things over for the last few years, was actually the fact that my peripheral vision is compromised.

Night blindness, Ive struggled with since my 20s. And its kind of been a joke everybody whos worked with me in the theater knows that Stephanie needs help getting off the stage, if Im ever performing, or when the lights go down. I didnt realize that it was connected to something much more serious.

She has agreed to stay on with American Stage through early 2021.

Its not that I cant do my job, she explains. I intend to continue to be productive, and find a new way, creating a career that will allow me to continue to stay active as my vision declines. But what my position right now makes it difficult to do is prepare, and plan, and really assess how to be ready for change.

So it wasnt a matter of I cant do it any more, it came down to The best thing that I can do, the best gift I can give to myself right now, is stepping back and giving myself the time and opportunity to be very intentional about how I take care of myself, and how I plan for my future.

Her intention is to work with the company through its leadership transition, and ultimately to divide her time between St. Petersburg and her California hometown.

I want people to know that American Stage is going to be not just fine, but strong, Gularte says. Im not jumping on a jet plane to go take a job in another city. Im here. And so that transition is going to be managed very carefully, with great consideration for all of the other things the organization is dealing with.

I am still here and I still want to contribute to the community. And I dont know exactly what thats going to look like yet. Its not like this is it for me. Ive got a lot of energy still, and Ive got a lot I want to do.

I need to re-structure, and re-strategize, and my health will be the number one thing I make time and space for.

Gularte will address the situation on her Creative Collaborations podcast Monday, Aug. 24 at 6 p.m.

Read more here:
I am still here: Stephanie Gularte on her health, and the future of American Stage - St Pete Catalyst

Never before, in the field of human communication, was so much said by so many about so little.

It is only a piece of paper or cloth, for goodness sake, but the face mask debate rages on.

From the ceaseless parroting of the You must wear one orders on social media - yes, I know, I got the message when they said it was going to become law - to the rantings of those who are outraged at this supposed eroding of their liberties. Really?

Weve heard, ad nauseum, that they cause your glasses to steam up and make it difficult to read the facial expression underneath, and if you are as tired of the whole thing as I am, excuse me for introducing another thread into the debate, but it does seem to have been overlooked.

My big issue with face masks is trying to work out who is underneath.

For some years now, I have realised I suffer from prosopagnosia.

Proso-what?

You may well ask.

If I say it is also sometimes called face blindness you will probably get an idea that prosopagnosia is the inability to recognise people efficiently.

It is sometimes brought on by an accident or a stroke, but the majority of sufferers, including me, are born with it.

If you have it really bad, even recognising family members or yourself in the mirror can be a challenge, but for me it is relatively mild, and comes down to sometimes really struggling to recognise people.

You would be amazed, for instance, by my inability to name even some of the most famous faces in the world.

We are not talking about occasionally forgetting someones name, which happens to everybody, but always having to work hard to separate, put labels to, and then memorise or imagine different faces.

And if it was a struggle with a whole face, imagine the difficulty of seeing only half a face, thanks to a mask.

As with many minor mental disorders, our brains develop other strategies and skills to compensate, but there is the added complication for me in that I am also colourblind, so cant rely on identifying someones skin, hair or eye colour to help me identify them.

So face masks compound what is surely the ultimate social nightmare.

Few situations are more awkward than when somebody says hello to you in a supermarket and you cant work out who they are.

For all the disasters that 2020 has brought, however, at least this year is teaching us new lessons, and if you think about face blindness, there is another.

As many as two per cent of people suffer from it, yet the other 98 per cent are probably blissfully unaware that face recognition is an issue for some.

We should never forget that we all have our foibles, and every Tom, Dick and Harry has his own way of coping with what life throws at us.

Although dont ask me which is Tom, which is Dick and which is Harry.

See more here:
Graham Carter: The challenge of facemasks when you have face blindness - Swindon Advertiser

The 1996 film Twister has stood the test of time. It has everything you'd need for a perfect action film -- Steven Spielberg as executive producer, Michael Crichton as screenwriter, and Jan De Bont ,who directed Speed, leading the charge onset (that's why the car scenes are so good). It's no wonder it was a biggest box office hit when it was released. (It was surpassed only by Independence Day.)

The film follows two storm chasers who are also an estranged couple on the verge of divorce, Bill and Jo, played by Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt. Inspired byThe Wizard of Oz, they created a machine they named "Dorothy," which they believe will help give people more time to prepare before severe storms hit. Accompanied by their misfit group of storm chaser friends and Bill's fiance Melissa (Jami Gertz), Bill and Jo set out to release their creation into the eye of the storm. There's some competition to get there first between the gang and Jonas, the cocky meteorologist (Cary Elwes) and nothing really goes as planned on their wild ride. The film delivers multiple incredible tornado scenes that still feel almost too real today.

Here are some things you probably didn't know about the beloved film.

Who could forget Hoffman's unique character, Dusty, who jammed out to music videos whenever they were driving into the action and regaled Melissa with stories of Bill's days as "The Extreme." He told Esquire that he took the role because he was trying to move across the country and needed the paycheck. Fair enough.

"I was living in L.A. at the time....and I knew if I took that job, I'd be able to move back to New York."

Paxton told Entertainment Weekly that in order to make the weather look accurate, there were a lot of lights on set that ended up giving him and Hunt temporary blindness. Luckily, there was no permanent damage after a few days. They wore special glasses and the crew put a filter over the lights.

"Those lights, they were like sun balls," says Paxton. "They had to pump light into the cab to get the exposure down, to make the sky behind us look dark, stormy. Because it was too bright outside. And these things literally sunburned our eyeballs. I got back to my room, I couldn't see."

Whedon, who is now known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Toy Storyand The Avengers, was brought on to help with rewrites. After getting bronchitis, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Schindler's List, Steven Zaillian, was brought in. Whedon came back to help one more time before leaving again to get married.

According to Entertainment Weekly, De Bont threw a camera assistant into the mud at one point for ruining a take and even had up to 20 people just completely leave the set due to his intense attitude. But De Bont defended his actions, saying that it was a really difficult story to capture on film.

"With the wind machines it was very loud," says De Bont, "so the crew had to watch my hand signals. I cued action, and he [walked] right in the middle of the scene. We kept losing good performances because of stupid things like that. I don't think I'm a hothead, but I do believe you have to be passionate. These crews get paid well, and when they screw up, I'm going to call them on it."

Though there were certain scenes shot in Iowa, like the cornfield, the majority of filming took place around the state of Oklahoma. Apparently the original plan was to film in California but De Bont refused to film anywhere other than the heart of the real tornado alley.

The real-life small town was first scouted as a solid film location since it was not only tiny, but also had already endured some damage from a hailstorm a couple of years prior. Apparently, local residents were paid $100 a day to be extras in the film, and an older part of the town was even demolished during filming (on purpose, of course) to capture the aftermath of the tornado that ripped apart Aunt Meg's house.

Now the town has a museum dedicated to the film that's full of memorabilia including one of the Dorothy models. There's even a Twister-themed pinball machine that Paxton gifted to the museum. The film helped keep Wakita alive and even features a walking tour throughout to see all of the film locations. According to the museum's website, the town's residents loved Bill Paxton during filming as he was known to have a football on him at all times to play catch with the extras.

According to Variety, the film altered sounds from a camel's moan to create the sounds of the twister. That's one way to do it. Other reports have also claimed that a lion's roar was also added in to create the "roar" of the wind.

Luckily,producers worried that tagline would be taken too far by critics who didn't like the film, so this was changed to "the dark side of nature." Probably a good call.

Paxton told the AV Club that there had been talk of a sequel but nothing had happened. He even had a great idea for it because he felt the original was too "Pepsi Lite."

"There's a tougher version of that movie that I think now... I've kind of designed it so that me and Helen [Hunt] would have a daughter, a junior in high school, but she's already dating a guy in college, and we'd kind of hand it off to them. There's a great story of the Tri-State Tornado I'd like to tie into it as well."

Can you imagine watching country sensation Garth Brooks chasing around an f5 tornado instead of Bill Paxton? Well, according to a 2013 lawsuit,Brooks turned down the role because the twister was the real star of the film. The lawsuit was filed by Brooks' former employee Lisa Sanderson. Brooks has never publicly addressed the allegations. In 2014, Brooks won the lawsuit against Sanderson.

Michael Crichton and his wife, Anne-Marie Martin, were hired by Speilberg to write the script. You might remember another movie they worked on together...Jurassic Park. When an aspiring screenwriter sued Crichton and the studio saying that he had already pitched a script that was similar, Crichton claimed that the story was inspired by the film His Girl Friday as well as seeing real storm chasers on the TV.

Does anyone else find it weird that a film that came out in the mid-'90s has better special effects than movies coming out today? Just me? Well, apparently the Academy was so impressed that the film scored nominations for Best Sound as well as Best Visual Effects. You literally see a drive-in movie screen ripped apart so that seems pretty well deserved.

Is nothing sacred Hollywood?? According to Variety, Joseph Kosinski, director of the upcoming Top Gun: Maverick film is in discussions to direct. We can only hope that they do the beloved blockbuster justice as well as the late, great Bill Paxton.

Excerpt from:
'Twister' Was Filmed in a Small Oklahoma Town, Which Has a Museum Dedicated to the Film - Wide Open Country

Right now, a global infection is spreading from person to person, leading many to sickness and even death. We are not talking about the coronavirus. But it goes hand in hand with this other insidious plague.

The global spread in question is what researchers call an infodemic an oversupply of information, carrying with it fake news, rumours, and conspiracy theories that put people in harm's way. Bad ideas and poor advice, shared amongst friends, family, and total strangers alike.

In theory, an infodemic could attach to anything. This time, it's COVID-19. And it's a hugely serious problem that amplifies and extends the already grave dangers of the coronavirus crisis.

In a new study, an international team of infectious disease researchers scoured social media and news websites to monitor how COVID-19 misinformation was circulating on online platforms.

In total, they identified over 2,300 reports of COVID-19-related rumours, stigma, and conspiracy theories, communicated in 25 languages from 87 different countries.

None of this misinformation is helpful even if it's intended to be and much of it is harmful. In some cases, it's lethal, leading to preventable death and injury on a truly tragic scale.

"For example, a popular myth that consumption of highly concentrated alcohol could disinfect the body and kill the virus was circulating in different parts of the world," the authors write in their study.

"Following this misinformation, approximately 800 people have died, whereas 5,876 have been hospitalised and 60 have developed complete blindness after drinking methanol as a cure of coronavirus."

That incident, centred in Iran, might be the worst example of infodemic-related death, injury, and misery. But it's far from the only one the team found.

A similar event claiming the lives of 30 people was reported in Turkey, the researchers say, while in Qatar, two men died from ingesting either surface disinfectant or alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

In India, a dozen people became ill after drinking alcohol made from toxic datura seeds, having watched a video on social media that claimed it would boost their immunity against COVID-19. Five of the imbibers were children.

Of course, not every dangerous fallacy about coronavirus leads to hospitalisations that make headlines. Yet so many twisted ideas are out there and being shared, the researchers found, which people suggest can kill, cure, or prevent coronavirus things like drinking bleach, drinking cow urine and cow dung, ingesting silver solution, or spraying chlorine all over your body.

In the midst of this swirl of misinformation, even relatively benign mistruths can become dangerous in the wrong hands, the researchers say.

"A church in South Korea, where a spray bottle was used to spray salt water among the church attendees, resulted in more than 100 infections among the attendees because of spraying contaminated water," the team explains describing an incident in which the nozzle of a spray bottle was repeatedly put inside the mouths of different members of the congregation, without being disinfected.

The infodemic doesn't just perpetuate claims about false cures, though. It also has a lot to say about the origins of coronavirus, how you can catch it, and racial aspersions about who's to blame.

Some from the long list of examples includes: coronavirus is a type of rabies; mobile phones can transmit coronavirus; coronavirus is an engineered bio-weapon; coronavirus was made to sell vaccines; coronavirus was manufactured by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/Donald Trump/the CIA/China (etc.); coronavirus is a population control scheme. And so on, and so on.

The researchers acknowledge a number of limitations to their study, and point out that they didn't investigate or follow up on the misinformation they discovered online, nor determine the number of people who believed in any given rumour or conspiracy.

Nonetheless, they did find all this misinformation freely circulating on publicly accessible websites and social media. That's the heart of the issue: the coronavirus infodemic is out there for all to see and it's a problem we need to actively counter, the researchers say.

"Misinformation fuelled by rumours, stigma, and conspiracy theories can have potentially serious implications on the individual and community if prioritised over evidence-based guidelines," the team writes.

"Health agencies must track misinformation associated with COVID-19 in real time, and engage local communities and government stakeholders to debunk misinformation."

The findings are reported in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Continued here:
Pandemic Conspiracies And Rumours Have Killed Over 800 People, Study Shows - ScienceAlert

09 Aug 2020 | 05:59am ISTSince 2012, the State of Goa has been hearing about the Rs 35,000 crore mining scam, which is double the size of the States budget. The amount of illegal mining in the State was estimated by the Justice MB Shah Commission report. Thereafter, the Public Accounts Committee headed by former Chief Minister (late) Manohar Parrikar found the figure to be Rs 3,400-odd crore and not Rs 35,000 crore. But sadly, the State has shown no inclination to recover this loot. Till date only Rs 3.99 crore has been recovered by the State despite sending notices to the companies in the year 2016 and 2017. SURAJ NANDREKAR looks at the status of the recovery so far, the Goa Foundation petition in the Court that is also demanding recovery and whats holding the State back

SURAJ NANDREKAR

On August 4, 2020 the State government agreed to the demands of the PIL filed by the Goa Foundation seeking directions to it to recover Rs 3,431 crores from mining companies on several counts within a time-bound period.

After the State's Advocate General (AG) told the Court that the amount was recoverable, the High Court Bench recorded the undertaking of the Goa government that orders would be passed on all the demand notices issued to mining companies within a period of four months.

The Court recorded that the Director of Mines would first deal with the demand notices issued (for Rs 1,508 crores) to mining companies, pursuant to the report of the team of Chartered Accountants appointed by Chief Minister (late) Manohar Parrikar.

Thereafter, the Department would enforce the notices raised pursuant to the report of the Auditor General (CAG) in his 2016 report (Rs 1922 crores).

The total of both reports amounts to Rs 3431.31 crores. The demand notices on the report of the team of CAs were issued in 2016.

The Supreme Court in 2018 set aside the 88 mining lease orders, and from there on onwards, the State economy has come under due stress.

But shockingly, despite this, the State has made no attempts to recover the Rs 3,414 crore. This is at a time, when the State is borrowing over Rs 300 crore every month to meet the expenses.

Also during the COVID-19 crisis, the State has opted to withdraw from mining funds and not try and recover money from the mining firms.

It goes without saying that Goa government is badly in need of funds for COVID pandemic management and for continuing grants under its various schemes.

But shockingly, the State Government has decided instead to raid the coffers of the District Mineral Foundations of the state up to 30% of the Funds lying with these foundations. This would work out to Rs 60 crores (taking both DMFs).

Sadly, there are several proposals from mining affected persons and village communities for use of these DMF funds pending before the DMF which have not been attended to. That is the original objective of those DMF funds. But the government is not willing to recover Rs 3431.31 crore from mining lease holders

As per information available the largest amounts are due from Sesa Resources Ltd., (Rs 351.44 crores) Sesa Mining Corp Ltd., (Rs 267.89 crores), G.N Agarwal (Rs 203.14 crores), Lima Leitao & Co. (Rs 164.67 crores) and Vedanta Ltd., (Rs 113.29 crores).The Goa Foundation filed the PIL when it became apparent that the Goa government was not pursuing the matter of recovery of these huge amounts with any zeal. It sought as interim relief, a restraint on grant of any mining business to any of the entities till the amounts demanded were paid by them.

Two other petitions filed by the Goa Foundation for recovery from mining companies are pending hearing before the High Court. The first involves recovery of around Rs 1000 crores from mining companies who mined without being in possession of a valid mining lease. A second PIL demands recovery of Rs 65,058 crores due from the entire mining industry for conducting mining operations without being in possession of a mining lease for five years (2007-2012).

It may be recalled that the Supreme Court declared all mining carried out in the State of Goa from 2007 to 2012 as illegal.

There is also a specific direction from the Apex Court for expeditious recovery of these amounts which is not being implemented by the State of Goa.

Interestingly, after conducting enquiries and also relaying upon enquiries done by the Auditor General, Goa; demand notices for Rs 3431.31 crores were issued to various parties for recovery but shockingly despite a direction from the Apex Court in its judgement dated 7.2.2018, only Rs 3.99 crores recovered.

The first set of notices for recovery of 1,508.70 crores was issued in 2016 pursuant to the Mining Audit Report of the team of Chartered Accountants appointed by the State Govt to advise the Government on recoveries to be made from mining companies for discrepancies in payments made vis-a-vis the ore that was actually extracted and consequent loss of revenue to the State.

The second set of notices for recovery of 1,922.61 crores was issued in 2017 puruant to the report of the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (Goa) office.

The notices were served post hearings in the Supreme Court filed by Goa Foundation, wherein the Supreme Court accepted the undertaking of the Goa Government that it would launch its own probe into the violations and theft of public resources by lease holders in Goa and take necessary action for recovery of the amounts, after issuing appropriate show causes and giving the parties opportunity to reply.

After the judgment dated 21.04.2014 (Goa Foundation I) was passed, the State government set up a 17-member team of Chartered Accountants to examine - the quantities that were handled by mining companies and observe discrepancies and advise the government on recovery in those cases, where there was obvious misappropriation and export of the mineral resources of the State.

It appears that simultaneously the Auditor Generals office in Goa had also been conducting its own inquiry into illegal mining.

While the Chartered Accountants team concentrated only on discrepancies between permitted and actual quantities of mineral ore extracted, the CAGs office concentrated on several other matters including non-payment of stamp duty, removal of ore without payment of royalty, etc.

Read more:
Selective blindness - Has the State WRITTEN-OFF the LOOT? - Oherald

A British TikToker has captivated social media with a simple explanation of how she both creates and consumes online content as a blind person.

Gracie Marsh, a 19-year-old disability advocate from England who went blind at age 14 due to Septo-optic dysplasia, shared a now-viral video on July 28 explaining how she operates her BrailleNote HumanWare Touch+.

Marsh demonstrates how the tablet, which allows those with visual impairments to read and write with ease, functions as she walks viewers through the keyboards nine main buttons the backspace, enter and space bars, as well as the six keys representing the six dots that make up the braille system.

The device also comes equipped with a touchscreen, which Marsh says is particularly useful for teachers and sighted peers.

Her insightful video has since racked up over 1.5M views on TikTok alone, plus 2.2M more on Twitter, along with tons of comments from viewers who were utterly impressed with the technology.

This is [a] true technological masterpiece! wrote one user.

This was really interesting to learn! Thanks for sharing with us, commented another.

This blows my mind, said a third.

Marsh, who was born with multiple chronic illnesses that have caused her to need a wheelchair, feeding tube and catheter, told In The Know that she started making TikToks for entertainment earlier this year before pivoting into disability awareness content after one of her videos went viral with over 450K views in June.

[A TikTok] where I did my makeup as a blind person kind of blew up, so I decided totry and build a bigger platform, Marsh, who now boasts over 28K followers, told In The Know.

With content ranging from rating her main diagnoses to how she uses an iPhone to how she dreams, Marsh says that her videos have been generally well-received.

She does, however, still occasionally get nasty or misinformed comments, including some that allege shes faking her condition.

Its been really positive overall, but I have received some comments questioning my blindness, she told In The Know. How are you blind if youre reading these comments? et cetera, even though thats been explained in many of my TikToks!

Ultimately, Marsh hopes that her informative and often humorous videos can serve to dispel stigmas surrounding the visually impaired and show the world exactly what shes capable of.

I think Id just like people to know that blindness, and disability in general, doesnt mean that individuals cant advocate for themselves, participate in normal activities and be independent, she said. Id like people to stop underestimating me and the disabled community as a whole!

These are the best tech gifts under $100:

If you enjoyed this article, read about TikToker Chrissy Marshall, who uses her experience as a deaf woman to educate millions.

More from In The Know:

Starbucks is opening its first sign language store in Japan

Deaf, transgender model Chella Man shares how to be a better ally for people with disabilities

Netflixs new show, Love on the Spectrum, highlights the dating lives of people with autism

Blind skateboarder Ryusei Ouchi has never let his disability hold him back

The post Teen reveals how shes able to read and type as a blind person appeared first on In The Know.

Original post:
Teen reveals how shes able to read and type as a blind person - Yahoo Lifestyle Australia

Patient Advisory Council to include advocates from the inherited retinal diseases global community

New Patient Advisory Council to focus initially on Companys clinical stage programs for X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP)

GAINESVILLE, Fla., and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: AGTC), a biotechnology company focused on developing adeno-associated virus (AAV) based gene therapies for the treatment of rare inherited diseases, today announced the formation of a Patient Advisory Council to build on its focus of incorporating the patient and caregiver voice into the Companys culture and clinical and pre-clinical programs.

Engagement with patients and caregivers has provided AGTC with substantive information that has guided its clinical trial design, enhanced its understanding of retinal disorders, and inspired its patient centric culture. The Council, spearheaded by Jill Dolgin, PharmD, Head of Patient Advocacy at AGTC, is comprised of individuals with inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) and members from the global community of organizations that represent them.

Patient engagement will continue to be a critical success factor for our programs moving forward, and we are very pleased to formalize the establishment of this distinguished group of patient experts, especially as we move into the next phase of development for our X-linked retinitis pigmentosa gene therapy candidate, said Sue Washer, President and CEO of AGTC.

In July, AGTC announced next steps in the clinical development of the Companys potential treatment of XLRP caused by mutations in the RPGR gene following receipt of written feedback from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. AGTC is expanding the ongoing Phase 1/2 trial to dose additional patients in two masked dosing arms to collect additional functional data. In parallel, a planned Phase 2/3 trial, which is expected to begin in Q1 2021, will be designed to evaluate sustained efficacy across multiple measures of potential benefit in patients with XLRP.

We are delighted to be a part of this advisory council established by AGTC to lend our voice and collective experience that spans more than five decades in the search for treatments to address blindness and vision loss, said Brian Mansfield, PhD, Executive Vice President of Research and Interim Chief Scientific Officer at the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Having the patients perspective at the center of clinical drug development is a crucial component for addressing the unmet needs of patients within the inherited retinal diseases community.

Organizations and advocate members of the Patient Advisory Council include:

About AGTC

AGTC is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing genetic therapies for people with rare and debilitating ophthalmic, otologic and central nervous system (CNS) diseases. AGTC is a leader in designing and constructing all critical gene therapy elements and bringing them together to develop customized therapies that address real patient needs. The Companys most advanced clinical programs leverage its best-in-class investigational technology platform to potentially improve vision for patients with an inherited retinal disease. AGTC has active clinical trials in X-linked retinitis pigmentosa and achromatopsia (ACHM CNGB3 & ACHM CNGA3). Its pre-clinical programs build on the Companys industry leading AAV manufacturing technology and scientific expertise. AGTC is advancing multiple important pipeline candidates to address substantial unmet clinical need in optogenetics, otology and CNS disorders.

About X-linked Retinitis Pigmentosa (XLRP)

XLRP is an inherited condition that causes progressive vision loss in boys and young men. Characteristics of the disease include night blindness in early childhood and progressive constriction of the visual field. In general, XLRP patients experience a gradual decline in visual acuity over the disease course, which results in legal blindness around the 4th decade of life.AGTC was grantedU.S. Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) orphan drug designation in 2017, as well asEuropean Commissionorphan medicinal product designation in 2016, for its gene therapy product candidate to treat XLRP caused by mutations in the RPGR gene.

Story continues

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements that reflect AGTC's plans, estimates, assumptions and beliefs, including statements regarding the timing for and expected expansion of its XLRP clinical development program, the timing for reporting data in its XLRP and ACHM clinical programs, and its ability to enroll patients, effectively design and successfully complete its ongoing clinical trials. Forward-looking statements include information concerning possible or assumed preclinical and clinical product development and regulatory progress, future results of operations, financial guidance, business strategies and operations, potential growth opportunities, potential market opportunities, the effects of competition and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by terms such as "anticipates," "believes," "could," "seeks," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "projects," "should," "will," "would" or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, due to a number of important factors. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially include, among others: gene therapy is still novel with only a few approved treatments so far; AGTC cannot predict when or if it will obtain regulatory approval to commercialize a product candidate or receive reasonable reimbursement; uncertainty inherent in clinical trials and the regulatory review process; risks and uncertainties associated with drug development and commercialization; the direct and indirect impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the Companys business, results of operations, and financial condition; factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements are set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Companys most recent annual or quarterly report and in other reports AGTC has filed with theSEC. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent management's plans, estimates, assumptions and beliefs only as of the date of this release. Except as required by law, AGTC assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

IR/PR CONTACTS:David Carey (IR) or Glenn Silver (PR)Lazar FINN PartnersT: (212) 867-1768 or (646) 871-8485david.carey@finnpartners.com or glenn.silver@finnpartners.com

Corporate Contact:Bill SullivanChief Financial OfficerApplied Genetic Technologies CorporationT: (617) 843-5728bsullivan@agtc.com

Stephen PotterChief Business OfficerApplied Genetic Technologies CorporationT: (617) 413-2754spotter@agtc.com

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AGTC Formalizes Patient Advisory Council to Provide Insights and Guidance on Patient Perspectives for Pipeline Therapies - Yahoo Finance

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.

Get Sample Copy of Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3188

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

Get To Know Methodology of Report @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/methodology/3188

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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Ophthalmic Devices Market 2020 Size by Product Analysis, Application, End-Users, Regional Outlook, Competitive Strategies and Forecast - Chelanpress

Provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health:

Summertime typically leads to an uptick in eye injuries.

The Department of Health today urged all Pennsylvanians to take steps to prevent eye injuries that can occur more frequently during the summer months.

During the summer, many children and adults are staying active by playing outside and taking part in organized or recreational sports, Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. While we need people to take additional precautions as part of COVID-19 when participating these types of activities, it is also very important that individuals take the proper steps to protect their eyes from serious injuries. Eye injuries can be severe and impact an individuals future and entire way of life.

According to theAmerican Academy of Ophthalmology, while many eye injuries occur on the job, nearly half of all eye injuries occur in the home. These include conducting home repairs, yard work, cleaning and cooking. More than 40 percent of eye injuries each year are related to sports or recreational activities. The sun can also damage eyes, which is why it is important to wear sunglasses and sport-appropriate UV-protective goggles.

Eye injuries are theleading cause of blindness in childrenin the United States, and most injuries that are reported in school-aged children are sports-related. These injuries account for nearly 100,000 physician visits each year and cost more than $175 million.

Sports-related eye injuries are very common. Sports where most eye injuries occur include baseball and softball, basketball, lacrosse, hockey, and racquet sports. Baseball is the most common cause of sports-related eye injuries for children ages 5 to 14. Basketball is the leading cause of sports-related eye injuries for teens and adults ages 15 to 64.

Ninety percent of eye injuries can be prevented through wearing protective eyewear, including safety glasses and goggles, safety shields, and eye guards. Ordinary prescription glasses, contacts and sunglasses do not protect against eye injuries.

If you are concerned that you or a loved one may have suffered an eye injury, it is important to seek medical treatment.Some eye issues, such as a detached retina, can only be detected by a doctor during an examination. Even eye injuries that seem minor at first should be checked out, as serious eye issues can cause vision loss or blindness.

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Summer Brings Increased Risk Of Eye Injuries, Health Officials Say - LevittownNow.com

That's the case for Fargo resident Dan Haglund, who has the most common type of red-green color blindness but special glasses are now allowing him to see the shades like everyone else, and he's excited to see more of what he's been missing his whole life.

He recently shared a video of his initial reaction to the new view on Facebook.

For roughly 8 percent of men and .5 percent of women of Northern European descent, these colors are seen in a very different way.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, color blindness is the inability to see colors in a normal way, often happening when an individual can't distinguish between certain colors. In an article written for the group, author David Turbert explains how the eyes work to allow us to see.

"In the retina, there are two types of cells that detect light," he writes. "They are called rods and cones. Rods detect only light and dark and are very sensitive to low light levels. Cone cells detect color and are concentrated near the center of your vision. There are three types of cones that see color: red, green and blue. The brain uses input from these cone cells to determine our color perception."

However, when one or more of the color cone cells are absent, not working properly or show a different color than normal, the affected person perceives color in an entirely different way.

Colorblind individuals cannot see the numbers formed by the different colored dots in these images. iStock / Special to The Forum

Haglund has dealt with the most common type of color blindness scientifically known as deuteranomaly and protanomaly since birth, and has family members who are also affected.

"I know when I was in elementary school, they gave all the kids a test," he says. "And then, you know, page by page, (they asked me) 'Can you see the number in these dots?' and I could only pick out, I think there were 20 pages and I could pick out about four of the pages and the rest were just blobs."

But Haglund's perception of the world got a little brighter this week, thanks to a gift from his girlfriend.

"I wasn't anticipating (what I saw), because you wait your whole life it's like opening a present," Haglund says. "(I) waited decades to see what everyone else is seeing and then when I saw I just couldn't believe the shades. Everything's so much more vivid and brighter than I'm seeing them."

Haglund's new glasses give him the ability to see colors in a new way by enhancing the contrast between colors by filtering out light. Since his first experience with these color-enhancing glasses, Haglund says he's looking forward to experiencing a whole new side of life.

"The couple things that I came up with yesterday (that I am excited for) are sunrises and sunsets," he says. "The sky has got some amazing colors that I've never seen, and then rainbows because I think there's a color or two in the rainbow that I'm probably misidentifying. I mean, I see the colors of the rainbow, but I don't know if I'm seeing them correctly."

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Glasses that correct color blindness give Fargo man a bright new lease on life - Duluth News Tribune

Two Audrain County residents who recovered from COVID-19 now have antibodies to the virus. Nineteen were tested, however, which means 17 do not have an immunity to the virus and it is not known how long those with antibodies will remain immune.

The Audrain County Health Department presented testing information in a weekly collaborative teleconference Wednesday with education, business, governmental and health leaders.

The two who tested positive for antibodies are a husband and wife, Health Administrator Sandra Hewlett said.

"This is kind of confirming the two Lancet papers, where the journal has shown is most people do not have immunity after three weeks," she said.

A study was done in Spain, and a majority of the thousands tested did not have COVID-19 antibodies, even in hot spots, which means even if a person had COVID-19 there is a chance for reinfection.

Of those who do test positive for antibodies, the concentration reduces over time a few weeks up to a few months. This also means there is the potential for reinfection months after ones initial recovery. COVID-19 cousins "such as SARS and MERS result in antibodies that remain in the body for nearly a year."

COVID-19 patients will have to undergo multiple tests to determine length of immunity. The downside is that testing is at the patients cost, Hewlett said.

"It is going to be a voluntary thing if people want to go get tested," she said. "The state is not really paying for that right now. There is no fund, so it would really be up to that individual."

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services now is studying wastewater looking for the genetic markers that cause COVID-19. The state is doing this in counties with higher numbers of the virus, including Audrain. Results are expected in the next couple of weeks, Hewlett said.

The amount of genetic markers associated with COVID-19 in wastewater can serve as an indicator of the actual level of infection within a community, she said.

"This helps them monitor the trends we have for the emergence of new cases or the re-emergence," she said. "What we know now is if someone only has immunity for two to eight weeks, they can get COVID again. That is the new thinking."

This also means herd immunity likely is not achievable based on World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information, Hewlett said. This is when a majority of people either are vaccinated or have immunity to a disease that end up protecting those who have compromised immune systems or cannot be vaccinated.

The immunity rate right now is about 4%. More than 50-70% is needed for herd immunity, Hewlett said.

"They [WHO and CDC] dont see us as reaching herd immunity numbers in the next year or two," she said. "If we want to stomp this [case] number down we have to be practicing good social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands and staying home if sick."

Of the total cases in Audrain County it is nearly a 50-50 split women to men of who tested positive.

As of Friday morning, there are eight active cases of COVID-19 in Audrain County out of a total case count of 145. This is down from 14 active cases Wednesday, with nine from the Womens Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia. Nearly 3,200 people in Audrain County have been tested for COVID-19.

The health department as of Wednesday still was waiting to see if there will be a jump in the case number from the July 4 weekend.

"We know our numbers will go up," Hewlett said. "If we look at the counties all around us from the last couple weeks, Boone is up at least 200 cases. Callaway has doubled. Camden has doubled [and] Cole is up by 30%."

People are starting to be more serious about social distancing and mask wearing, she added. Hewlett warned against using hand sanitizer containing methanol, referencing a CDC advisory.

"Methanol is a toxic alcohol and it can cause blindness or death when absorbed through the skin or if it is swallowed," she said.

FREE ADULT FLU SHOTS

The health department received criteria from DHSS on Wednesday for a free flu vaccine program for adults later this year.

"It is going to be given first to high-risk groups," Hewlett said. "So, people with chronic conditions, staff and residents of long-term care facilities, adults with underlying concerns, African-Americans and adults part of the countrys critical infrastructure."

Critical infrastructure refers to agriculture, manufacturing, food processing plants, grocery employees and health care professionals.

Availability for the vaccine will be in November and December. More concrete dates will be available closer to those months.

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Recovery from COVID-19 does not always lead to immunity, Audrain County Health Department says - Moberly Monitor Index

Oral Hull volunteers, staff, clients socialize via Zoom during time of isolation

Navigating low-vision or blindness is no easy task. But add to that the inability to tell if you're six feet away from someone during a global pandemic, and life becomes even more difficult.

Though finances at Oral Hull Foundation for the Blind and Low-vision are down from normal, the mission for staff and volunteers remains the same: to create a better quality of life for those unable to experince things visually.

To keep that endeavor alive while apart from the people they serve, Executive Director Sharon Elder and Oral Hull staff members are offering Zoom gatherings to encourage socialization for those in the visually impaired community.

"This crisis has had a toll on the blind community," Elder said. "It's horribly demoralizing."

As part of the distanced socialization experience, Elder and staff have been hosting a virtual walk across America. During this project they encourage participants to be active by taking a guided nature hike or doing housework and log their mileage with the staff. Then, every day, the staff count up the miles and let those participating know how far across the country they've walked and some fun facts and fictional stories about the places they've stopped for the day. The starting point was Lincoln City, Oregon, and the group will end their trek in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

"They are loving it," Elder said of the project thus far. On Thursday, June 25, the group was on day 51 of the walk and had made it to Iowa. The day before the group walked a collective 99.3 miles.

"They're having a ball and they're moving," Elder said.

Aside from the walk across America, Oral Hull staff are also offering Braille classes via Zoom. Those interested in participating can contact the office at 503-668-6195.

Those in need of assistive equipment can also call Oral Hull to set up an appointment for pick up.

As usual, and especially now due to losses in revenue from rentals, Oral Hull is welcoming donations from the community. Every dollar helps.

You can call the office, mail a check made out to the Oral Hull Foundation to P.O. Box 157, Sandy, Oregon, 97055, or make a donation online at oralhull.org.

Give back, win a prize

To try and combat the loss in income, Oral Hull's staff is hosting an online raffle with three large prizes. The drawing will take place at 10 a.m. Friday, July 31. Winners will be notified by phone.

Payment for tickets should be made on the foundation's online donations page at hullparkfortheblind.org. For more information on entering the raffle, visit bit.ly/OralHullRaffle.

Prizes range from an $800 Visa gift card to a rental of the pool at the Oral Hull Park for up to 15 people.

Tickets are $10 each, three for $25, or eight for $50. Only 500 tickets will be sold. For more information about prizes, visit bit.ly/HullRafflePrizes.

Donations of any amount are always welcome.

For those unable to give financially, Oral Hull also needs people to help maintain the grounds and the Garden of Enchantment.

If you have questions about the raffle or helping at Oral Hull Park, call 503-668-6195.

You count on us to stay informed and we depend on you to fund our efforts.Quality local journalism takes time and money. Please support us to protect the future of community journalism.

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Foundation for the blind offers virtual community, resources - Pamplin Media Group

On our wedding day

Once Pete was out of the rehab centre, he took me for dinner in the city, and a kind waiter read us the menu.

Soon, friendship blossomed into love.

Our connection felt so genuine none of it was based on looks; it was about our energy and personalities. Pete was always making me chuckle with silly jokes, so I knew he was the one for me.

As hed had vision in the past, he would tell me about things I never knew.

When youre speaking to someone, its important to look at them. It lets them know youre interested in what theyre saying, he said.

After four years together, Pete and I got married.

Moving in together, we put braille labels on things to help us out.

My confidence definitely encouraged him, but Petes determined attitude meant he usually wanted to work things out for himself.

Living without vision had its challenges, though.

One time, I got home to Pete boiling some cabbage for dinner. But instead of salt, hed poured powdered Ajax all over it!

Eventually, Pete got his first guide dog, Jasper, who made such a big difference. Our ambassador, he helped us socialise and led us through life.

Wanting to help others, we set up a charity, travelling the world and supporting blind kids from disadvantaged areas.

David, Winsome, Pete and me

We also went on to have our own children, Winsome and David. Id often put the kids on a rein and attach them to me, so I knew where they were.

My sister-in-law, Jenny, guided me through things such as changing nappies and feeding, so that I could gradually do it alone.

I would sometimes get covered in the kids mess though!

At bedtime, instead of reading books to them, Pete would make up incredible stories.

We also had a regular support worker, and I joined a blind mothers club, where I learned a lot.

To clear up after the kids, I was taught to shut them out of the room and feel around, putting any toys in a big bag.

When I dressed them, Id work out what colour an item was by feeling the texture.

Sometimes, Im sure their socks were mismatched!

As they got older, our golden rule was that if we called their name, they had to answer immediately so we knew where they were.

Over the years, I wished I could see their faces change.

When they brought home schoolwork, Winsome and David would take our fingers and carefully trace over their words or drawings.

They helped me at the supermarket too, but sometimes theyd take full advantage of my low vision.

Do you really need all of those lunch wraps? a checkout lady asked one day.

Id asked Winsome to grab a pack and she cheekily piled about 50 into the trolley!

Pete, Kobie, Gracie and me

Pete, Kobie, Gracie and me

Winsome, now 52, and David, 50, have both gone on to have their own children.

How did you both do it? Winsome often says in awe.

Pete and I both have a guide dog I have Gracie, and Kobie is Petes. Theyre smart animals and make a big impact on our lives. If I lose Pete in the supermarket, Ill say to Gracie, Find Pete, find Kobie, and shell work her way around the store until she finds them.

Gracie and Kobie enable us to experience so much; simple things like going for a coffee or enjoying a walk.

Pete and I have been married for 55 years now.

Like any marriage, weve had our ups and downs.

Pete sometimes quips, Love is blind, but marriage is an eye opener!

But we both know we are so lucky to have each other were kindred spirits.

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Love is blind - meet the Aussie couple who have been married for 55 years - That's Life!

The ability to recognize faces is a complex neurocognitive skill with important social implications. The disorder, which, according to some estimates, affects more than 2 percent of the population, can lead to isolation and anxiety and impair personal and work relationships.

The traditional view of face blindness--prosopagnosia in scientific parlance--has held that the disorder arises from deficits in visual perception. Under that view, individuals with face blindness are unable to visually distinguish the features of faces presented side by side and unable to determine whether the faces are the same or not.

Now a new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School and the VA Boston Healthcare System shows that face blindness may arise from deficits beyond visual perception and appears to involve glitches in retrieving various contextual cues from memory.

The results, published July 5 ahead of print in the journal Cortex, suggest that the traditional view of face blindness as a purely visual perceptual disorder may be reductive, the researchers said. Further, they reveal that successful facial recognition requires recollection, or the recall of relevant contextual details about a person, such as their name or profession.

The new findings can help explain a mystifying discrepancy in face blindness research: People with the condition often fail to visually identify familiar faces, but many also perform normally on visual-perception tests.

"This inconsistency has always hinted that there may be other factors at play that go beyond visual perception," said study senior author Joseph DeGutis, HMS assistant professor of psychiatry at VA Boston. "Our findings suggest that one important deficit beyond perception is face recollection."

The ability to recognize a face requires two forms of memory: Recollection and familiarity. Recollection is the retrieval of contextual information upon seeing a face--a fellow shopper greeting you in the store and you recognizing them as the person you met through work a few weeks back. Familiarity, on the other hand, is a fuzzier "feeling of knowing" without any contextual information, the researchers explained. Think of the fellow shopper looking vaguely familiar but without any of the relevant details that tell you how you know them.

The findings can help inform the design of techniques to boost face recognition in people with developmental prosopagnosia--a form of face blindness that is not caused by brain injury, poor vision or neurodevelopmental disorders like autism.

"Our results underscore that prosopagnosia is a far more complex disorder that is driven by more than deficits in visual perception," said study first author Anna Stumps, a researcher in the Boston Attention Learning Laboratory at VA Boston. "This finding can help inform the design of new training approaches for people with face blindness."

The research team is currently working to design one such experimental program in the VA Boston laboratory where the work was conducted.

The study involved 6o people, ages 18 to 65, half of whom had lifelong face blindness.

The participants were asked to perform a series of facial-recognition tasks by studying and then identifying sets of faces that the participants had not seen prior to the study.

Participants were asked to study 60 faces shown on a computer screen, one at a time. The participants were then shown a scramble of 120 faces--some of them already seen during the study session and some completely new.

To tease out the differences in recognition memory between participants with and without face blindness, DeGutis and colleagues measured their degree of confidence in classifying each face as "old" or "new" on a scale of 1 to 6. Correctly identifying a face as old with high confidence reflects the use of recollection, the researchers said, whereas correctly identifying a face as old with less confidence reflects the use of familiarity.

Compared with participants who had face blindness, people without it were significantly more confident that they had seen these faces before. However, those with face blindness were still able to correctly identify many of the faces they had seen before, although with less confidence. In other words, when trying to recognize a face, participants with face blindness relied on familiarity, the vague sense of knowing or having seen someone before without specific contextual information. In contrast, individuals without face blindness relied on recollection.

Taken together, these findings suggest that people with face blindness use different memory processes for face recognition.

The results, the researchers said, demonstrate that successful face recognition requires more than a vague familiarity with a face--a sense of having seen a face before but without recalling any other details to "place" the face. Memory researchers call this inability to identify a familiar face out of context "butcher-on-the-bus" phenomenon. Though everyone experiences this from time to time, for people with true face blindness this can happen frequently, as often as multiple times a day.

"Our findings suggest that people with developmental prosopagnosia use a different memory system when trying to learn and remember faces and that system is less optimally suited for the task of recognizing faces," DeGutis said.

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More than meets the eye - Science Codex

In closing, I wish to make three observations: first, the egregious actions of just a single officer greatly complicate the work of the many officers still conscientiously performing their duties. Trust, once broken, is hard to restore. Yet trust between officers and citizens, and between police departments and their communities, is essential. Second, I worry that police departments will have trouble attracting, hiring, and retaining good people, especially African Americans, when a diverse police force is critical. And third, it seems to me that police are too often charged with treating the symptoms, as it were, of conditions which our society has failed to effectively address. We are to blame, at least as much as the police.

It was a privilege to meet and observe police officers from Roanoke, Virginia Tech, and surrounding counties. I trust we will afford them the respect we expect them to show us. I hope police departments will be open to change and active in helping to facilitate that change. Crisis can be opportunity, if we are able to be patient with each other, act constructively, and look to the future.

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Bechtel: What the sculptor saw - Roanoke Times

A blind cane user feels her way along the sidwalk while carrying a brightly colored umbrella in the rain.

Amidst the current resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and the celebration of LGBTQ pride, I have come across admirable efforts to educate. I have appreciated the Black and LGBTQIA creators of literature, podcasts, music, and memoirs for helping me better understand diverse lived experiences of oppression. I write this not to dilute or distract from the potency of racism in the United States or from the celebration of LGBTQIA rights, but instead because I wish to share in efforts to elucidate realities about marginalized experiences.

Before my vision deteriorated, I admittedly had no concept of blindness.My lived experience and connection to members of the blind community have given me a more nuanced perspective, and I hope to share this information to help answer questions or clarify misconceptions about blindness.

1. Myth: Blind people see all black.

Fact: Blindness is a spectrum, and many blind people have some functional vision.On one end of the blindness spectrum is seeing absolutely nothing. Though I havent had this experience, I have heard that for most, the experience is not seeing all black, but instead is an absence of sight. Have you eaten something with your nose clogged and not kind of clogged, but completely, totally clogged? If so, you have likely experienced being unable to taste. You could not describe the flavor because there is an absence of information. That lack of input is what blindness is like. There simply is no visual information.

Related: Download The Mighty app to connect in real time with people who can relate to what you're going through.

On the other end of the blindness spectrum is the threshold of legal blindness. Visual acuity worse than 20/200 with correction (glasses or contact lenses) constitutes legal blindness. This means that even with correction, the legally blind person sees from 20 feet away what a typically-sighted person can see from 200 feet. Although everyones visual experience is a little different, for me, when I saw 20/200, I could recognize people around 15 feet away and read print using enlarged text (e.g. 24 point font). Complete lack of sight is rare; most blind people perceive some light and shapes.

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2. Myth: Blindness is stable.

Fact: Many forms of blindness lead to differences from day to day and over the course of weeks and years.Blindness varies between people and within people over time. I experience fluctuations I affectionally referred to as bad vision days. My cause of vision loss is degenerative, which means it continues to change over time. Even within a day, my degree of functional vision changes dramatically.

Related: Vision Portraits Documentary Chronicles Lives of Artists With Low Vision

I hear this facet of blindness is hard for sighted people to understand sometimes. I like to describe it as more intense experiences of typical visual fluctuations. For example, most sighted people will have a difficult time seeing upon walking into a dark room after being outside in the sun. Most sighted people will experience eyestrain after using a laptop for long hours. For me, these visual changes are far more exaggerated and longer-lasting and generalizes to other visual experiences like glare.

3. Myth: Blind people like to feel faces.

Fact: I have never met or heard of a blind person wanting to feel others faces.That is all.

4. Myth: When someone loses sight, their other senses get stronger.

Fact: When someone loses sight, they may learn ways to rely on other senses more, and reliance on other senses can lead to changes in the brain.My senses of hearing, taste, smell and touch work the same way they did before I lost my sight. I have, however, learned to use other senses in lieu of vision. To illustrate, I use my sense of touch to determine whether a surface is clean. Using my sense of touch instead of vision does not inherently mean my sense of touch is stronger. Over time though, I have spent years relying on non-visual senses and I have now trained myself to use these senses. For instance, I have learned to listen to books and podcasts at increasing speeds, often four to five times the average listening speed. Though I have no way of confirming, I imagine this has changed my brains wiring.

Related: To My Fellow Moms With an Invisible Disability

5. Myth: You can tell if someone is blind.

Fact: You usually cannot tell someone is blind.Though some people use assistive tools like white canes and guide dogs, many blind people do not.A Google search indicates that only 2-8 percent of blind people use white canes and 5 percent use guide dogs. The vast majority of blind people, like myself, often navigate without a visible form of mobility assistance. It is also a myth that you can tell someone is blind by looking at their eyes. While some blind people have forms of vision loss that influence their eye movements and focus, many blind people can and will direct their gaze to where they are focusing even with very low functional vision. I have been told I appear to make eye contact most of the time, despite the reality that when I look at someone they disappear into my blindspot.

6. Myth: Blind people wear dark sunglasses all the time.

Fact: Some blind people wear sunglasses or tinted lenses, some do not, and others use varies.Because there are diverse causes of vision loss and diverse experiences of vision, some people benefit from tinted lenses. Personally, I have learned that blue light blocking glasses are really helpful for reducing eye strain. I also wear dark sunglasses outdoors and benefit from green-tinted lenses when it is cloudy. I am especially sensitive to glare and will wear sunglasses inside if the sun is shining in, otherwise I usually only wear blue light blocking lenses indoors. Lenses come in diverse shades amber, green, yellow and it can be helpful to work with a low vision specialist to try out the various options.

7. Myth: Blind people dont care about appearance.

Fact: Many blind people care about appearances; there are diverse preferences just as there are with sighted people. Blind people can and do care to create an aesthetic in their style and in their physical spaces. How? Many blind people have had some sight and may have visual preferences. Many also rely on sighted people for assistance. My friends and family know my preferences, often better than I do, and help me identify items that express who I am. Again, blind people come in all varieties some like doing their make-up, some like decorating their homes, some take immense pleasure in fashion.

A key thread across many of these myths pervades across culture and identity: there is diversity in lived experiences, preferences, and expressions. Some blind people are obsessed with interior design. Some blind people use a cane. Some blind people wear tinted glasses. Not all blind people cannot see anything. And frankly, no blind people go around touching peoples faces. A step towards mitigating bias and discrimination is creating empathy through understanding.

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Let's Bust These 7 Myths About Blindness - Yahoo Lifestyle

A shameless grandmother who stole more than 1 million in benefits has been called the "craftiest woman ever" by her husband.

Christina Pomfrey, 65, used the first name of his husband's late first wife, and falsely claimed she was blind, disabled and suffering from multiple sclerosis as she carried out the con for 15 years, a court heard last month.

At one point she was banking more than 13,000 a month after fraudulently claiming a number of benefits - and she will not have to pay back a single penny of it.

Pomfrey, from Runcorn, Cheshire, convinced her third husband, John, that she owned a string of newsagents and blew the money on everything from clothes and cosmetic treatments to luxury getaways in the Caribbean.

She laundered almost 89,000 over six years through the bank account of her 34-year-old daughter Aimee Brown, the court heard.

Mr Pomfrey said he had no idea his wife of 15 years was carrying out the scam - or claiming to be blind and confined to a wheelchair - until she was caught.

He told the Daily Mail: "She has destroyed my life and I cannot forgive her. She is the craftiest woman I have ever known."

When he met his wife at a Seventies disco at a Butlin's holiday park in Skegness, Lincolnshire, she claimed she was a millionaire who owned seven newsagents around Liverpool.

She was always well-dressed and had "immaculate hair", she bought him an MG car just months after the met and she paid for their holidays abroad, he said.

But she was hiding the truth - she worked in a newsagent's until she was sacked for stealing cash.

She kept up the pretence until December 2017.

Mr Pomfrey, a water softener engineer, added: "I fell for her because I was at a low ebb after my previous wife of 21 years left me for someone else. Tina told me she would look after me and that I should not worry about anything.

"I now think she picked on me because I was another name, in another county, that she could use for her cons. I feel a fool."

Neighbours were stunned that she was able to get away with the con for so long.

The scam unravelled in 2017 when undercover investigators from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) put her under surveillance.

They filmed her walking around Asda unaided, driving a car, reading a newspaper and picking up her grandchildren from school, the Liverpool Echo reported.

Pomfrey confessed, but launched another bogus claim while on bail.

Last month, at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, she was sentenced to three years and eight months for 34 counts including fraud, false accounting and making or supplying articles for use in frauds.

When she was jailed, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that Pomfrey was not subject to a confiscation order.

A spokesperson for the CPS said no assets linked to Pomfrey could be traced during the DWP's investigation into her claims.

Meaning she had squandered a staggering 1,010,090.66 over 15 years.

During one fraud, she claimed it took her up to ten minutes to walk three yards because of her MS. She also claimed she had been totally blind since 2007.

Pomfrey claimed that her sister acted as a personal assistant helping her with her care - a claim her sister remained oblivious to.

As such, when her sister tried to make a legitimate claim for tax credits, she was refused because of Pomfreys fraudulent claims.

When she was arrested in 2017, Pomfrey immediately admitted her guilt.

Despite this - while still under investigation - she made further dishonest benefit claims for Universal Credit in which she lied again about her health and circumstances and falsified documents.

Promfrey's daughter, Aimee Brown, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment suspended for two years for money laundering.

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Gran who lied blindness to steal 1 million in benefits was 'craftiest woman ever' - Mirror Online

"Nice to meet you. And when were you saved?"

Umm I hesitated.

"I remember the exact date" he interjected while I was still thinking. "August 3, 1972!"

This was the date that he had attended a revival, felt a stirring, and "accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior." He told me about this holy experience and then turned back to me, expecting me to now have an answer.

I wondered if I was to tell him about the year I started to attend church, or perhaps he wanted the date of my baptism - was that the day I was "saved"? Or perhaps I should cite the time I felt a call to ministry (the first time), the radical deconstruction of the first faith in college, the emergence of renewed faith formation in graduate school, or the second calling into ministry that I had now pursued, or the incredibly recent moment that I was introduced to theologians who possessed the language I had been seeking all my life???

I settled on the time of sensing a gravitation toward ministry and responded, "I guess it would be the summer of 1999?"

"Oh." He was bewildered. And because I could not offer a particular date, he was suspicious.

The idea of immediate and radical conversion has become quite prominent within the Christian tradition. Where one "was blind but now one sees," as the hymn goes. Where the "scales fall from the eyes" and the entire identity changes to the degree that it requests a new name - Saul to Paul. I do not intend to discount the power of experience to reshape and reform us instantly and drastically, but I think that the dominance of this image of conversion is more influenced by human desire for effortless change and convenient resolution rather than sincere reflection on the experience of human transformation.

When we look at the example of the conversion of Saul to Paul in Acts 9, even there we read that the story of the conversion was not instantaneous. Instead, Saul has a revelation, is blind for three days (symbolism), has a mentor assigned to him, and dwells within the learning community "for several days." This is the pace of the most prominent image of conversion within the tradition, and there is wisdom and grace with this image for us today.

Within the white church, there is a great awakening to the pervasive presence of racist ideas and racist power. White Christians are awakening to the power and reality of racism within America and also within the systems and structures of the church itself (white supremacy and substitutionary atonement theory are a hell of a toxic combination). While there is blessing in the revelation and the desire to repent and change (convert), this is certainly not the time to uphold an image of immediate conversion.

Instead, now is a time to remember the pace of conversion that is more common to lived experience and described in the journey of Saul to Paul. There is a revelation that cannot be dismissed, there is a time of blindness (of acknowledging that we do not see clearly), of listening to mentors (those who do see clearly), and a time of entering into community with those who are striving to live in a more faithful way. As white communities and white Christians are coming to understand the calling to anti-racist work and living, we must be clear about the process of this conversion and what it will require.

This is and will be a lengthy journey of conversion - there is much to understand, repent, heal, and transform within the body and within the nation. So let us hold the urgency of change before us, and the pace of conversion within us, that we may remain prepared and committed to the process of transformation.

The Rev. Chris McCreight is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and currently serves as minister of the Hiram Christian Church and chaplain of Hiram College. He is on Twitter @revmccreight.

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The Pace of Conversion - Suburbanite

Just dont drink it full stop (Credits: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

People have reportedly been cracking their way into communal hand sanitiser stations so that they can drink the gel inside, which contains a potentially lethal mix of chemicals and alcohol.

Dispensers in places such as South Shields, South Tyneside have been broken into, with vandals putting the gel into bottles so it can be drunk.

These hand gel stations have been made with a view to helping people keep safe from coronavirus but while the gel can save lives and kill germs when applied externally, if consumed, hand sanitiser can be highly dangerous.

Worryingly, York-based company BusinessWaste.co.uk have been tasked with dgetting rid of thousands of damaged gel containers every week.

Director Mark Hall spoke to the Independent on the matter, saying: Its happening all over the place, pretty much everywhere. We take these away for councils and businesses, and were seeing so many damaged you wouldnt believe.

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Its mindless idiocy. This stuff is 80% proof with who knows what other chemicals inside. Do not drink it.

While actions like this suggest extreme foolishness or and/or terrible addiction in the perpetrators, it bears repeating that you should not under any circumstances drink hand sanitiser.

Not only is the alcohol content high enough for you to overdose before you even start to feel drunk, but the other chemicals that make up hand gel are not remotely fit for human consumption

As if that wasnt bad enough, theres often no way to tell exactly how toxic the ingredients of communal hand gels are.

According to Sciencenotes.org: Two types of alcohol are used in alcohol-based hand sanitisers. The most common type contains between 60% and 95% ethanol (ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol).

This type of hand sanitiser can get you buzzed or drunk, but its the equivalent to 120-proof liquor. In contrast, vodka is 80-proof.

The webpage adds: The other type of alcohol-based hand sanitiser contains isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol or rubbing alcohol).

This kind of alcohol is toxic and can cause brain damage, blindness, kidney damage, and liver damage.

However, the ingredient with the potential to be the most toxic will often be listed as just fragrance, because said scents are often made using petrochemicals.

So please, we implore you, do not drink hand sanitiser.

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Please don't drink hand sanitiser just because it has alcohol in it - Metro.co.uk

MADISON Parasitic filarial nematodes infect hundreds of millions of people, causing diseases such as river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, which can lead to elephantiasis, a severe swelling of the limbs.

Mosquitoes spread the parasitic worms, which engage in sophisticated migrations within their insect and mammal hosts. One worm, Brugia malayi, starts in the mosquitos gut, migrates to its flight muscles, then to its mouth. In its human host, the worm travels between the lymphatic system and the blood. Researchers have little idea how the nematodes achieve these nomadic lifestyles that are crucial for their survival.

In new research, University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists provide the first look at the genetic underpinnings of the worms migration through their hosts. They identified two genes the nematodes use to respond to cues in their host environment. When the genes are disrupted, the worms are lost and less effective at infecting their hosts.

The genes are part of the nematodes chemosensation network, a combination of chemical-sensing proteins and nerve cells that let the parasites detect and respond to molecules in their environment. Because these responses are key for the nematodes complex life cycle, theyre a potential target for future treatments.

Were hopeful that a better understanding of how worms are transmitted between hosts and move within them may lead to new approaches for parasite treatment and control, says Mostafa Zamanian, a professor of pathobiological sciences in the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and senior author of the report. The work was published in June in the journal PLOS Biology.

STORY CONTINUES AThttps://news.wisc.edu/parasitic-worms-use-their-keen-senses-to-wriggle-through-their-hosts/

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UW-Health: Parasitic worms use their keen sense of smell to wriggle through their hosts - Wisbusiness.com