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Vision provides a rich source of information that most peoples lives revolve around. Yet, for blind people, how do they conceive of visual intake and what happens to regions of the brain dedicated to vision if a person doesnt have typical visual input? These are questions that drive Marina Bedny PhD, an Assistant Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and principal investigator of a neuroplasticity and development lab at John Hopkins University.

Bedny spoke at Dukes Institute for Brain Sciences on Friday, January 17th, about her work with congenitally blind adults. Her lab explores similarities and distinctions of visual perceptions between blind and seeing people and seeks to understand how nuanced, natural variation in experience shapes the human mind and brain.

Many of the studies Bedny discussed have very important linguistic components. In one trial, she investigated the meaning of verbs pertaining to light events and visual perception as compared to touch, amodal, auditory, and motion verbs.

Both blind and sighted people displayed nearly identical results when comparing the different types of verbs used in the study. This showed that there were no differences in what blind people knew about the terms. Analysis of the verbs revealed that linguistic dimensions of intensity and instability were used to evaluate the words comparative meanings. Blind people agreed more on the comparison of sound emission and touch perception words. This shows that blind participants have more aligned comprehension of the meanings of other sensory terms compared to sighted people.

In other cases, Bednys lab assessed what blind individuals know about color. One study used three object types natural kinds, functional artifacts, and non-functional artifacts. These categories were used to evaluate agreeance not only on color, but the relevancy of color to certain objects functions as well.

Another crucial question of Bednys work looks at how the innate structure of the brain constrains cortical function. The findings show that the visual system in blind participants has been repurposed for higher cognitive functions and that portions of the visual system connected to high cognitive abilities are invaded by the visual systems. Along with repurposing visual regions for linguistic use, Bednys lab found that visual regions of the brain are active during numerical processing tasks too.

Blind people display additionalactivity in the visual centers of their brain in numerous studies beyond havingthe same regional brain responsiveness as sighted people. Though furtherresearch is necessary, Bedny proposes that there is a sensitive period duringdevelopment that is critical to the specialization of the brain. Study participantswho have adult-onset blindness do not show the same sensitivity and patternedresponses in visual cortices repurposed for different functions as congenitallyblind subjects.

At birth, the human cortex is pluripotent providing the best of both worlds, Bedny said. The brain is prepared but highly flexible. Her studies have repeatedly shown that the brain is built for and transformed by language, and they underscore the importance of nature and nurture in human development.

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Visual Perception in Congenitally Blind Adults - Duke Today

A 4-year-old Iowa girls tragic bout with the flu should remind everyone why getting vaccinated is so important. Her family says that the unvaccinated girls infection led to serious neurological complications that have left her blind, perhaps permanently.

According to CNN, Jade DeLucia became sick with the flu right before Christmas. Though DeLucia appeared to have little more than a mild fever at first, her parents found her unresponsive one morning, prompting a trip to a local hospital.

Once there, she experienced a seizure, which necessitated an emergency airlift to another hospital 80 miles away in Iowa City. Doctors there eventually confirmed that the flu had made its way to the girls brain, causing a rare but well-known complication of flu called encephalopathy. DeLucia would spend over a week in the intensive care unit, fully in a coma.

Thankfully, during the first week of January, DeLucia woke up and steadily regained her ability to eat and talk. But her vision didnt return, despite her eyes being perfectly fine. The infection had damaged the areas of her brain that helped her see, and its unclear whether she ever will see again. She may also develop other lingering problems, such as learning or cognitive difficulties, her neurologist told CNN.

It affected the part of her brain that perceives sight, and we dont know if shes going to get her vision back, Theresa Czech, a neurologist who treated DeLucia at the University of Iowa Stead Family Childrens Hospital, told CNN. In about three to six months from now well know. Whatever recovery she has at six months, thats likely all shes going to get.

According to DeLucias family, she had gotten vaccinated for the flu last March. But they mistakenly believed that the vaccine would protect her for an entire year. In reality, an annual flu shot only provides some protection against the strains of flu encountered during the upcoming, current, or most recent winter season.

The vaccine doesnt completely eliminate the risk of contracting the fluon average, its about 40 to 60 percent effective at preventing the flu, largely depending on whether scientists havedone a good job at predicting the strains in circulation that season. But even when it doesnt fully work, it still greatly reduces the odds of someone developing the sort of serious, life-threatening complications that DeLucia encountered.

The family hopes that their story can encourage more people to get vaccinated.

If I can stop one child from getting sick, thats what I want to do, Amanda Phillips, Jade DeLucias mother, told CNN. Its terrible to see your child suffer like this.

While this current U.S. flu season is thought to be a relatively mild one, it still may be responsible for up to 12,000 deaths, 150,000 hospitalizations, and over 6 million doctors visits, as of the first week of January, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And its still not too late to get your flu shot or spray.

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A 4-Year-Old Girl's Sudden Blindness Is a Tragic Reminder of Why Everyone Should Get the Flu Shot - Gizmodo

Study after study has shown that people fear vision loss more than they fear cancer, stroke, heart disease, and other serious health problems. But a new study shows that Americans are scared about an issue they know very little about. And what they dont know is putting them at risk of vision loss, including blindness.

A survey conducted by The Harris Poll shows that while 81% of adults say they are knowledgeable about eye/vision health, less than 1 in 5 (19%) were able to correctly identify the three main causes of blindness in the U.S., which are glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic eye disease.

Why does this matter? Because most people are also unaware of key facts that could protect them from vision loss, according to the survey. For example, only around one-third of adults (37%) know you do not always experience symptoms before you lose vision to eye diseases. And less than half (47%) are aware your brain can make it difficult to know if you are losing your vision by adapting to vision loss.

Ophthalmologists, physicians who specialize in medical and surgical eye care, have more tools than ever before to diagnose these eye diseases earlier and to treat them better. But these advances cannot help patients whose disease is undiagnosed.

Further, ophthalmologists cannot adequately care for patients who are unaware of the seriousness of their disease. Far too often, ophthalmologists witness the consequences of patients entering our office too late to avoid severe vision loss.

In 2020, we want all Americans to have a clear vision when it comes to eye health. That starts with educating yourself about eye diseases.

The consequences of failing to increase awareness about eye health can be dire. Right now, the number of Americans affected by these potentially blinding eye diseases is expected to double within the next 30 years, due mainly to the aging of the population.

Its important to note that vision loss affects more than the eyes. Vision loss is also associated with the following:

All of these complications of vision loss can worsen other chronic illnesses.

Another key finding from the Harris poll is that less than half (47%) of respondents were aware that vision loss and blindness does not affect all people equally. But your risk of developing an eye disease varies significantly by your age, ethnicity, family history, and whether you smoke. Here are some relevant facts:

The Harris poll also found that only around one-third of adults surveyed (37%) know that vision loss is not inevitable as you age. Many people think vision loss is just a normal part of aging but it doesnt have to be. You can take many steps to reduce your risk of vision loss, including

Just because you can see well, doesnt mean all is well. Thats why the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that healthy adults see an ophthalmologist or an eye care professional for a comprehensive, baseline eye exam by age 40 and have their eyes checked every year or two at age 65 or older.

People who have other risk factors will need to be seen more frequently. People with diabetes should have a dilated eye exam every year. African Americans, age 40 and older, and people with a family history of glaucoma should have a dilated eye exam every 2 years.

If you are concerned about the cost of the exam, the Academys EyeCare America program may be able to help. This program provides eye care through volunteer ophthalmologists for eligible seniors 65 and older and those at increased risk for eye disease. See if youre eligible, visit http://www.aao.org/eyecareamerica.

Medicare provides an annual dilated eye exam for Medicare beneficiaries over 65 at high risk for glaucoma. Those eligible for this service are people with diabetes, family history of glaucoma, or African Americans over 50. To learn more, call 800-633-4227.

2020 is the year to get smart about eye health. For ophthalmologist-reviewed information about eye diseases and treatments, eye health news, and tools to locate an ophthalmologist, visit AAO.org/EyeSmart.

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Do You Know the 3 Main Causes of Blindness in the... - The Doctor Weighs In

Company Receives FDA Breakthrough Device Designation to Develop Smart Contact Lens;Partners with Palo Alto-based Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Mojo Vision, the Invisible Computing company, today announced a pair of initiatives integral to its goal of assisting people with low or impaired vision. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Device Designation to Mojo for the development of its smart contact lens. The company also announced a new partnership with Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, a Palo Alto-based nonprofit that offers rehabilitation services to more than 3,000 children and adults with blindness or impaired vision each year.

Mojo Vision is building the worlds first true smart contact lens, called the Mojo Lens. The company has been developing its smart contact lens through years of scientific research and holds numerous patents on the technology. Mojo is planning an early application of its product to help people struggling with low vision by using enhanced image overlays. These overlays provide real-time contrast and lighting enhancements, as well as zoom functionality. With its inconspicuous contact lens form factor, the Mojo Lens is designed to serve as a low vision aid that could remain discreet for the wearer and allow a hands-free experience, while delivering enhanced functional vision to assist in mobility, reading, and sighting.

At least 2.2 billion people struggle with vision impairment or blindness worldwide, but rehabilitation options and technologies to enhance their vision are very limited. For those with low or impaired vision, the ability to operate the Mojo Lens discreetly and hands-free will provide more confidence and independence in day-to-day activities like crossing intersections, identifying building entrances, navigating unfamiliar environments and interacting with others.

The FDA Breakthrough Device Program is intended to help patients receive more timely access to breakthrough technologies that have the potential to provide more effective treatment or diagnosis for life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating diseases or conditions. Under the program, the FDA will provide Mojo Vision with priority review and interactive communication regarding device development and clinical trial protocols, through commercialization. The Mojo Lens is currently in the research and development phase and is not available for sale anywhere in the world.

"Receiving the Breakthrough Device Designation is a significant step in our research and development process. We look forward to continuing our work with the FDA to ensure our solution is safe and effective, and that we can bring the Mojo Lens to market and assist people with vision impairment," said Drew Perkins, CEO of Mojo Vision. "This designation continues our work towards developing a product that can truly impact peoples lives in a positive way."

Through the partnership with Vista Center, the nonprofit organizations clients will play a direct role in providing input to the companys team of scientists and engineers, helping them define the features and capabilities of Mojos innovative technology. In turn, Mojo will be able to deliver devices to market that will contribute to vision-loss rehabilitation, and improve the quality of life for Vista Centers clients and others with similar needs. The Mojo Lens will be designed to increase contrast, highlight edges, magnify objects (like text), and zoom-out to spot check surroundings, helping people with low vision navigate the world and increase their social independence.

"Through our partnership with Mojo Vision, we have a unique opportunity to help revolutionize the way those with impaired vision are able to see the world," said Karae Lisle, Executive Director of Vista Center. "Our clients will be at the forefront of this effort, playing direct, hands-on roles in the design of Mojos technology. Together through our efforts, we hope to change the future of vision-loss rehabilitation, improve the quality of life for our clients, and pave the way for others."

Mojo Vision is led by Silicon Valley veterans from Apple, Amazon, Google, HP, Microsoft, Motorola, Infinera, Agilent, and Marvell, among others, as well as medical device and optometry experts from companies including CooperVision, Abbott, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Philips Healthcare, and Zeiss Ophthalmology. Dr. Ashley Tuan, Mojos VP of medical devices and a Vista Center board member, is a Doctor of Optometry from The Ohio State University, has a PhD in Vision Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and has delivered several contact lens products. She is passionate about assisting people struggling with vision impairments.

Story continues

To find out more, go to http://www.mojo.vision.

About Mojo Vision

Mojo Vision is the Invisible Computing company, dedicated to developing products and platforms that re-imagine the intersection of ideas, information, and people. Instead of being tethered to devices that are increasingly a distraction in many aspects of our lives, Mojo envisions delivering information and knowledge that is immediate but without the disruption of traditional devices. Mojo is inventing the future of computing Invisible Computing which imagines a world where information is there when you need it, technology fades away, and you can freely connect with others in a more meaningful and confident way. Founded by technology experts with decades of experience developing pioneering products and platforms and backed by some of the worlds leading technology investors, Mojo believes the future is invisible. Mojo Vision is based in Saratoga, CA.

About Vista Center

Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, is the premier regional resource nonprofit for vision loss rehabilitation services. For more than 75 years, Vista Center has served over 3,000 people annually and offers a wide range of comprehensive programs and services that empower visually impaired community members to embrace life to the fullest through evaluation, counseling, education, and training in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, and San Benito counties.

We believe that vision loss need not be a barrier to independent living in the age of technology, heightened diversity, and inclusion in our community. http://www.vistacenter.org

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the technical, operational, and financial benefits of Mojo Vision's solution. These statements are not guarantees of results and should not be considered as an indication of future activity or future performance. Actual results may vary materially from these expectations as a result of various risks and uncertainties.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200116005187/en/

Contacts

Brian Mast104 West Partners for Mojo Visionbrian.mast@104west.com 720-407-6060

Kim McCoy, Director of DevelopmentVista Center for the Blind & Visually Impairedkmccoy@vistacenter.org 650-858-0202

Link:
Mojo Vision Working with FDA, Nonprofit Organization to Assist People with Low Vision - Yahoo Finance

Regularly getting an eye exam is a key action people with diabetes can take to safeguard their vision. Diabetes not only doubles ones risk for cataracts and glaucoma, but it can lead to diabetic retinopathy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetic retinopathy is among the leading causes of blindness and low vision in the United States.

Biomedical research has produced remarkable advances in our ability to treat diabetic retinopathy. First, laser photocoagulation in the 1980s and 1990s was able to slow serious vision loss. Then, in 2010, clinical trials demonstrated that injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) could reduce vision impairment from diabetic macular edema, a subtype of diabetic retinopathy and the leading cause of vision impairment from the disease.

Concurrently, bioengineers developed imaging technologies, such as optical coherence tomography, which measures swelling of the light-sensitive retinal tissue at the back of the eye. The ability to image the retina in such detail has radically improved our ability to follow patients over time, so we can adjust treatment strategies as needed.

Yet, despite these diagnostic and therapeutic leaps forward, our ability to optimally leverage these advances depends on patients and eye health professionals detecting the disease in its early stages.

About one in three people with diabetes have diabetic retinopathybut are unaware he or she has it because, in its early stages, it is symptom-free. The best way for a patient or eye health professional to identify diabetic retinopathy is through a comprehensive dilated eye exam, which allows viewing of the retina at the back of the eye.

Timely eye exams are necessary to take advantage of the available treatments. The American Diabetes Association advises people with Type 2 diabetes to receive an eye exam as soon as possible after their diabetes is diagnosed. Those with Type 1 diabetes should have the exam within five years of diagnosis. The schedule for regular follow-up exams thereafter is every one or two years depending on the patients risk.

Diabetes leads to complications, such as heart, kidney and eye disease by affecting large and small blood vessels in the body. In the case of late-stage retinopathy, new small vessels grow abnormally in the eye. The fragility of these vessels makes them prone to rupture, which can cause bleeding inside the eye and potentially detachment of the retina, leading to blindness.

At any stage of retinopathy, inflammation and other factors cause the accumulation of fluid or edema, within the retina. When a person develops macular edema occurring in the area of the retina that enables sharp, central vision it results in the loss of vision required for activities such as reading or seeing faces.

The risk of developing retinopathy increases the longer a person has diabetes.1 It is estimated that individuals with Type 2 diabetes have a 50-60% lifetime risk of developing retinopathy, while those with Type 1 diabetes have up to a 90% lifetime risk. Of those who develop the disease, 5-10% of them progress to late-stage disease.

Much progress has been made in understanding the underlying pathology that leads to diabetic retinopathy. High blood glucose levels can lead to degeneration of neurons in the retina. At the same time, high blood glucose levels are associated with abnormalities of small vessels in the eye and to the neurovascular unit, a complex unit of cells that regulates blood flow to neurons.

These insights about pathology inform the steps that patients are advised to take to limit their risk as much as possible. The good news is that several studies demonstrate that the risk of developing retinopathy or having it progress to later stages is lowered significantly when diabetic patients tightly manage their blood glucose and blood pressure levels. Achieving optimal blood glucose and blood pressure targets require adhering to drug therapy and a healthy lifestyle, including diet, exercise and smoking cessation.

Lack of lipid control also contributes to diabetic retinopathy. Some studies have demonstrated that persons who have better control of their dyslipidemia have less diabetic retinopathy progression.

Finally, although advances such as laser coagulation and anti-VEGF therapies have been a game-changer for managing diabetic retinopathy, they are not a cure.

Researchers including those funded by the National Eye Institute continue to explore other potential therapeutic targets for preserving vision on behalf of the growing population of people who develop diabetes. According to the CDC, the number of Americans with diabetic retinopathy is expected to grow to 14.6 million by 2050.

In addition to having a comprehensive dilated eye exam, following these simple steps can help everyone stay on top of their eye health.

References

1 Klein, R., Klein, B. E., Moss, S. E., Davis, M. D. & DeMets, D. L. The Wisconsin epidemiologic study of diabetic retinopathy. II. Prevalence and risk of diabetic retinopathy when age at diagnosis is less than 30 years. Arch. Ophthalmol. 102 (1984).

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Early detection is crucial to prevent blindness from diabetic retinopathy - Open Access Government

About 2.2 billion people today struggle to see without a pair of glassesBy ELIZABETH MERABMore by this Author22hoursago

How often do you clean your eyes or how well do you do it?Every day, we hear about whats bad for our health.Did you know that watching TV at night is bad for your eyes? In fact, looking at any type of screen right before bed in the dark, including your cell phone, e-reader, television and computer, can be harmful. This is because the levels of light are changing rapidly, so your eyes have to work hard to process the changes, which can lead to eyestrain, pain, headaches, dry eye and redness. Even worse? It can mess with your sleep schedule, too.Reading in dim light isn't advised either.These, coupled with other commonly ignored things like misusing eye make-up, sleeping in contacts, rubbing your eyes, overusing eye drops and not eating a well-balanced diet, among others, could be making your eyesight deteriorate. According to a recent report by the World Health Organisation, these have now led to at least one billion vision impaired people globally.In its first world report on vision, WHO said these simple, yet preventable, lack of simple eye care is increasingly pushing more people towards blindness now more than ever.Globally, the report added, about 2.2 billion people today struggle to see without a pair of glasses and have an impairment or blindness.While eye conditions and vision impairment conditions like short and far-sightedness, cataracts and glaucoma could be prevented, they are increasingly widespread, and far too often they still go untreated the report noted.

In a world built on the ability to see, vision, the most dominant of our senses, is vital at every turn of our lives, said WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus.Now, the world needs Sh1.5 trillion to address the backlog of blindness s due to short and farsightedness, and cataracts.Dr Alarcos Cieza, who heads WHOs work to address blindness and vision impairment, said: Millions of people have severe vision impairment and are not able to participate in society to their fullest because they cant access rehabilitation services. In a world built on the ability to see, eye care services, including rehabilitation, must be provided closer to communities for people to achieve their maximum potential.According to the report, millions of people are suffering from conditions which could be corrected through a simple operation or prevented from causing blindness if detected early. These conditions include cataracts and glaucoma. An estimated 826 million people around the world have unaddressed presbyopia, an age-related condition that causes vision to become blurred, but can usually be treated with multifocal lenses. And roughly 124 million people who are short or long-sighted (have a refractive error) do not currently wear glasses or contact lenses.Low- and middle-income regions of western and eastern sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have rates of blindness that are eight times higher than in all high-income countries. Rates of cataract and trachomatous trichiasis are higher among women, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Whereas things like exposing your bare eyes to the sun are actually one of the most common causes of damaged eyesight, infections, chronic illnesses like diabetes, age, genetic disorders also contribute to this rising silent epidemic.Closer home, the report said, it is estimated that 224,000 Kenyans are blind while another 750,000 are visually impaired. The singles out the Kalenjin as largely predisposed to blindness. According to a survey in Nakuru, the odds of being blind were 2.5 times higher among the Kalenjin than the rest of the countys population.The situation in the country is worsened by the low number of eye specialists. Women, migrants, indigenous peoples, the disabled, and rural communities bear the greatest burden.Trachoma is largely found in poor, rural communities that have inadequate access to water, sanitation and health care.As a two-decade push to end blindness by 2020 draws to a close, the report noted that goal was unlikely to be met, as the number of people with myopia, an eye condition that makes it difficult for a person to see distant objects, was expected to increase from the estimated two billion people in 2010 to 3.4 billion by 2030.People in need of yearly or biennial retinal examination for diabetic retinopathy will increase by 50 per cent in 2040.

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Over 2bn struggle to see without glasses: WHO - nation.co.ke

The claim that belief in God requires some degree of blindness has been made countless times throughout recorded history. We are told we need merely accept His existence without needing to verify His existence. Yet, the existence of God does not require any degree of blindness to know He exists.

There are others who believe faith of any kind in God is automatically blind by its very definition. According to Merriam-Webster, faith has three definitions and only one has to do with having a firm belief in something in which there is no proof, which falls under 2 b. Those who do not believe in God often point to this definition as a reason to discount all faith.

2 a is often ignored, since both parts give faith a completely different meaning. Part 1 is defined as belief and trust in and loyalty to God. Part 2 is defined as belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion. Nothing under the first definition requires faith to have no proof.

There are absolutes that exist in the universe and the absolutes must have come from God. One such absolute is the first law of thermodynamics, which states energy can neither be created or destroyed. If energy cannot be created, where did the energy originate? Only God could have put energy in place at the beginning, since there is no other explanation for the very existence of something that cannot be created.

There are other absolutes, but each lead to the same questions and same point of origin. Absolutes exist and only God can bring about the answers to the questions, since only God can set the laws in place. Energy exists only because God put it there and no other scientific explanation can be given for something that we know exists that cannot be created or destroyed.

It is not just physics that proves the existence of God, but in mathematics as well. When a new formula is introduced, it is never referred to as an invention. New formulas are always referred to as discoveries. Why is it referred to as a discovery? The answer is all mathematics that will every be known is already in place and waiting for the right mind to make the discovery.

God is the only explanation for the existence of energy and God is the only explanation for the existence of mathematical formulas. The laws of physics and mathematics have been tested and both have been proven true. To deny the existence of God is to deny the overwhelming evidence that does exist.

There is other evidence of God in the very existence of Israel as a nation today. It is only through God that Israel survived her War for Independence and won the wars that followed. They should have been crushed in days due to overwhelming force of arms and soldiers, but God has never forgotten his covenant and acted on their behalf.

The Jews remain the chosen people of God and nothing can alter what God promised. His covenant was without end and no other religion has ever replaced Judaism. God scattered the people of Israel and God is calling His people home.

For those who believe Christians replaced Jews as the chosen people of God, should take a close look at Matthew 5:17 and 18.

There is scientific and mathematical evidence to show God does exist. The existence of Israel is further proof. God created energy, which cannot be created, and God created the mathematical formulas for us to discover. It is only God who could have intervened on behalf of the rebirth of Israel.

Bob Ryan is a science-fiction author and believes the key to understanding the future is to understand the past. As any writer can attest, he spends a great deal of time researching numerous subjects. He is someone who seeks to strip away emotion in search of reason, since emotion clouds judgement.Bob is an American with an MBA in Business Administration. He is a gentile who supports Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.

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Blind Faith is Not Needed to Believe in God - The Times of Israel

(PRESS RELEASE) NEW YORK Priv Revaux, the affordable celebrity eyewear brand that exploded onto the scene two years ago, is continuing its massive retail expansion and exclusive optical partnership with Americas Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, part of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE), one of the nations largest optical retailers providing quality, affordable eye care and eyewear. After an extremely successful pilot program at select Americas Best locations, Priv Revaux is now available at all brand locations nationwide.

An impressive assortment of Priv Revauxs affordable, handcrafted, on-trend frames in both sun and optical are now available at all Americas Best locations nationwide. Prices start at $30 per pair for non-prescription sunglasses and as a special introductory offer in January, customers can get two pairs of optical frames with single vision lenses for $89.95. Each Priv Revaux style is made with high-end materials including acetate and proprietary lightweight, yet durable metal alloy. A majority of sunglasses also have polarized lenses with UVA/UVB protection.

I am so proud of our brand and how far we have come in only two short years, says Priv Revaux partner Hailee Steinfeld. Our expansion with an amazing group like Americas Best is representative of that progress. Adding our high-quality, affordably priced frames to their high-quality, affordably priced eyewear offerings is a total no brainer.

Adds Priv Revaux founder, David Schottenstein, I couldnt be more proud of our success with Americas Best, National Visions largest retail brand. This is an exciting time for us, and we look forward to supporting this expansion and our continued growth with our partners at National Vision.

The partnership expansion will kick off with an exclusive in-store shopping event and customer meet-and-greet with Priv Revaux brand partner Hailee Steinfeld on Saturday, January 11th from 2 4pm EST. The event will be held at Americas Best Contacts & Eyeglasses in Glendale, NY, located in The Shops at Atlas Park, 8016 Cooper Avenue. The partnership will be further amplified by a national advertising campaign from Americas Best, which will include social, digital and TV campaigns as well as dedicated in-store Priv Revaux fixtures utilizing the brands creative visuals and marketing assets. Additional in-store events will be planned throughout the year.

During the pilot phase, customers really embraced Priv Revaux, and we are thrilled to be able to offer their stylish frames to our Americas Best customers nationwide, said Megan Molony, National Visions senior vice president of merchandising. The partnership allows us to offer our customers a fantastic blend of stylish frames at a price they can afford and we are thrilled to be Prive Revauxs exclusive optical retail partner.

Priv Revaux was built on a shared passion for style and quality with the goal of disrupting the eyewear industry and making high end sunglasses accessible. Serial entrepreneur David Schottenstein along with an elite team including celebrity visionaries Jamie Foxx, Hailee Steinfeld and Ashley Benson, as well as VP of Celebrity Relations Dave Osokow and Creative Directors Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn have done just that. The brand launched in June 2017 via e-commerce and direct-to-consumer with affordable, high quality and on-trend eyewear starting at $89.95 for two pairs of optical frames with prescription.

With Priv Revaux we just want to make great eyewear, where people really appreciate the price point and quality sunglasses and frames that are fly and affordable, says Priv Revaux brand partner, Jamie Foxx. National Vision understands that, and I couldnt be more excited about our future together.

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There Might Be a Faster and Cheaper Way to Test for Myopia - InvisionMag

Neuroscientists have discovered that brain pressure is physiologically connected to eye pressure commonly associated with glaucoma. The theory that brain pressure might play a role in glaucoma has long been questioned by researchers, but until this new study, it had not been confirmed.

The groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Physiologyfound that the amount of strain on the optic nerve depends not just on eye pressure, but the difference in pressure between the brain and the eye. The study altered brain pressure in animal models and noted changes in the fluid drainage properties of the eye that could be blocked by chemicals that eliminate feedback signals from the brain. It was found that the eyes ability to clear fluid could change to restore a healthy pressure difference across the optic nerve.

Chris Passaglia, PhD, professor in the USF Department of Medical Engineering said, The drainage control system may service to protect the optic nerve from swings in eye or brain pressure. Its discovery offers a new target for glaucoma treatment, wherein the modulatory mechanisms of the system might be exploited to help lower eye pressure and impede disease progression in glaucoma patients.

Glaucomais relatively common and is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 60. If left untreated, it can cause damage to the optic nerve. It is associated with increased pressure in the eye due to reduced ability of the eye to maintain proper fluid drainage. This pressure then applies mechanical strain to the optic nerve as the nerve exits the eye, resulting in vision loss and potential blindness.

Symptoms of glaucoma tend not to arise until the condition is advanced, so ophthalmologists recommend checking eye pressure during routine exams using an air puff test. However, this test may miss some complex aspects of the disease that makes diagnosis a challenge.

Some patients with high eye pressure dont always show signs of glaucoma, while others who exhibit symptoms of glaucoma have normal eye pressure. This is why it is so important to have other forms of glaucoma testing.

Additional studies are currently underway to pinpoint the location of the brain cells that are sending signals to the eye and find which nerve fibers in the eye are being mediated by the brain. Researchers hope this significant advancement will help physicians better diagnose and treat glaucoma and have a greater understanding of the disease.

While there are no known ways of preventing glaucoma, blindness or significant vision loss from glaucoma can be prevented if the disease is recognized in the early stages. Anyone with high risk factors should be tested every year or two after age 35. Those at higher risk include people of African descent, people with diabetes, and people with a family history of glaucoma.

Some other preventative steps for glaucoma include getting regular exercise, wearing protective eyewear when engaged in sports activities or home improvement projects, and consuming a healthy diet. Although there is limited scientific evidence suggesting that certain vitamins and minerals prevent glaucoma or delay its progress, carotenoids (especially lutein and zeaxanthin), antioxidants (such vitamins C and E), vitamins A and D, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids may all contribute to better vision.

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Glaucoma Is Associated with Increased Pressure in the Brain: Study - Bel Marra Health

Susan Tedeschi, Ivan Neville, Buddy Guy, Derek Trucks, John Scofield and Warren Haynes are among the all-star lineup for an upcoming tribute to the late legendary blues guitarist B.B. King. The Thrill Is Gone: A Tribute To B.B. King will be held at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York February 16 and 17.

The Thrill Is Gone will also feature Anthony Hamilton, Bob Margolin, Bobby Rush, David Hidalgo, Jamey Johnson, Jimmie Vaughan, John Scofield, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Little Steven, Robert Cray, Robert Randolph, Shemekia Copeland, Southside Johnny, Steve Cropper, Tony TC Coleman and William Bell. Acclaimed drummer/producer Steve Jordan will serve as musical director. Additional guests will be revealed in the coming weeks. On January 28, the daily lineups will be announced.

Blackbird Presents and The Capitol Theatre are producing the concert in partnership with the B.B. King Estate. A portion of proceeds from ticket sales will go towards the Seva Foundation and its mission of transforming lives and strengthening communities by restoring sight and preventing blindness. Two-night tickets go on sale this Friday, January 17 at 12 p.m. ET via Ticketmaster. Single-day tickets will be available starting on January 31.

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The Thrill Is Gone: All-Star Tribute To BB King Coming To Capitol Theatre - JamBase

Aicardi syndrome is a very rare condition that usually affects girls.

Depending on its severity, it can cause developmental delay, epilepsy, problems with vision, and a shortened life expectancy.

In this article, learn more about Aicardi syndrome, including its risk factors, symptoms, and treatments.

Aicardi syndrome is a rare condition that almost exclusively affects females, with doctors having reported only a few cases in males.

Another name for Aicardi syndrome is agenesis of corpus callosum, or ACC.

Experts think that the condition develops in an embryo during early pregnancy, when there is a change in the DNA of one or more genes.

Aicardi syndrome is not passed down through families. It occurs in people with no family history of the condition.

Doctors usually diagnose Aicardi syndrome in early infancy after the baby experiences seizures called infantile spasms.

Children with Aicardi syndrome may also have developmental delays, learning difficulties, and partial sight or blindness. They may also have a shortened life expectancy.

Aicardi syndrome is very rare, occurring in just 1 in 105,000167,000 babies in the United States. Around the world, there are likely about 4,000 people with the condition. Most of these people are female.

Researchers believe that Aicardi syndrome results from genetic mutations that happen while an embryo is forming. One change may involve the X chromosomes in affected females.

Female embryos have two X chromosomes, while males embryos have just one.

Research indicates that when the characteristic genetic mutations occur in one X chromosome, female embryos can survive because another, healthy X chromosome is present.

If these changes occur in the single X chromosome of a male embryo, it is unlikely to survive. This could explain why babies born with the syndrome are almost exclusively female.

However, very rarely, male babies have been born with Aicardi syndrome. Some boys with the condition have an extra X chromosome.

A mutation in the TEAD1 gene on chromosome 11 may also be responsible for some cases of Aicardi syndrome in boys and girls.

Scientists have yet to prove these theories definitively, and research into the causes of Aicardi syndrome is ongoing.

Infantile spasms are usually the first symptom of Aicardi syndrome. These are seizures that involve single jerks of the whole body.

The spasms often appear before 3 months of age, and they can occur several times a day.

Before a doctor can make a diagnosis of Aicardi syndrome, they need to conduct tests to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms. These alternate causes could include:

Children with Aicardi syndrome usually have some degree of developmental delay and learning difficulties.

Epilepsy is a feature of Aicardi syndrome, and one study found that those with more severe epilepsy had poorer cognitive skills, involving organization and memory.

Some people with Aicardi syndrome have milder symptoms and may not receive a diagnosis until they are adults.

A doctor can detect Aicardi syndrome's changes to the brain with an MRI scan. Some or all of the following features could be present:

People with Aicardi syndrome often have chorioretinal lacunae, which are round, whitish-yellow lesions in the retina the tissue that lines the back of the eye. An ophthalmologist can see these lesions with an ophthalmoscope.

A person with Aicardi syndrome may also have:

Sometimes, these symptoms cause partial-sightedness or blindness.

Also, some people with Aicardi syndrome have distinct facial features and other physical attributes, including:

Other health issues associated with Aicardi syndrome are:

Aicardi syndrome can cause different symptoms in different people, and the treatments also vary.

The aim of treatment is to manage the symptoms, and a doctor will tailor their approach to address each person's situation.

Some treatments focus on easing the severity and frequency of seizures. Others, such as physical, speech, and occupational therapies, can help people with Aicardi syndrome overcome developmental delays and problems relating to vision.

Having a rare disease or being the parent or caregiver of someone with this type of illness can be difficult. A person may feel isolated.

Support groups give people a space to voice their concerns and speak with others who face similar challenges.

The following groups may be useful for people with Aicardi syndrome and their loved ones:

Aicardi syndrome is a rare condition that can cause seizures, vision problems, and other symptoms. It mainly occurs in females.

Most experts think that Aicardi syndrome results from genetic mutation in embryos during very early pregnancy. It is not passed down through families.

As there is no cure for the condition, treatment aims to manage each individual's symptoms.

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Aicardi syndrome: Definition, causes, symptoms, and more - Medical News Today

SparingVision, a biotechnology company innovating treatment of blinding inherited retinal diseases such as Retinitis Pigmentosa and pioneer in the development of a gene-independent treatment for retinitis pigmentosa, attends the Biotech Showcase in San Francisco to meet with investors and strategic partners. The company announces today that Stephane Boissel is joining its Board of Directors as Chairman of the Board. Stephane Boissel is set to replace Laurent Arthaud, a representative of Bpifrance, who will remain a Board Member.

Stephane Boissel is Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy at Sangamo Therapeutics, a gene-editing company listed on the NASDAQ. He was previously CEO of TxCell, a CAR-TReg company that he sold to Sangamo Therapeutics in 2018. Prior to TxCell, Stephane has served as CEO of Genclis a molecular diagnostic company, EVP and CFO of Innate Pharma, NASDAQ listed company and Transgene. He has been member of several boards of directors including Erytech Pharma a NASDAQ listed company and Elsalys Biotech, where he served as Chairman of the Board until 2018. Earlier in his career, Stephane Boissel worked in investment banking for Lazard, where he focused on principal investment in France, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Stephane Boissel is graduated from the IAE Lyon, University of Lyon and Paris-Dauphine University (France) and received his MBA from the University of Chicago.

"I would like to thank Laurent Arthaud who served as Chairman of the Board of SparingVision since our inception in 2016" said Florence Allouche, CEO of SparingVision, "We are pleased to welcome Stephane Boissel as new Chairman of the Board. He is a seasoned biotech professional who brings over 25 years of leadership across general management, corporate finance, strategy and business development, that will be a strong asset as SparingVision is entering in a new phase of its growth."

"I wish to thank the Board of Directors and Florence Allouche for their trust," said Stephane Boissel, new Chairman of the Board at SparingVision. "I'm delighted to share my vision and experience with Sparingvision and to join the company at such an exciting time. My first priority will be to help the team to secure the funding that will enable SparingVision to prove in human its unique concept of gene independent therapy in Retinitis Pigmentosa. Ophthalmology remains a field with significant unmet medical need and the SparingVision team is dedicated to rapidly bring its product to commercialization in order to address those needs."

About SparingVision

SparingVision is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of innovative therapies for the treatment of blinding inherited retinal diseases. SparingVision is developing SPVN06, a gene-independent treatment for retinitis pigmentosa, the most common inherited retinal degeneration. There is currently no treatment to treat all genetic forms of this rare retinal disease that leads to blindness and affects nearly 2 million worldwide. SparingVision is a spin-off of the Paris Vision Institute. Bpifrance, Foundation Fighting Blindness (US) and Fondation Voir & Entendre invested 15.5 million in the company. SparingVision was laureate and Grand Prize of i-Lab 2017, the French National Innovative Companies Competition. SparingVision has been awarded from the EIC Accelerator program (H2020 SME instrument Phase 2), securing non-dilutive funding of 2.5 million.

Florence Allouche, President CEO of SparingVision is PharmD, MBA from HEC Paris, Associate Professor at University of Paris. She has been honored by the Mercures Entrepreneurs Prize and the Women Trajectory's Awards from HEC Paris and was elected "Woman of the Year 2017" by the financial magazine "La Tribune".www.sparingvision.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200115005607/en/

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SparingVision to Attend the Biotech Showcase During JPMorgan Conference in San Francisco, Announces the Appointment of Stephane Boissel as New...

One of Maine's most famous figures is being slammed online for espousing a controversial view.

Thousands of people responded to horror author Stephen King Tuesday after at tweet in which he said, "I would never consider diversity in matters of art, it seems to me that to do otherwise would be wrong."

The author made the statement in describing how he would conduct judging for the Academy Awards.

Critics included other authors and fans who called King's comments "unfair" and disappointing.

"Quite honestly, it was the blindness of white privilege sort of smacking you in the face," said Wes Jackson, director of the Business Creative Enterprises Program at Emerson College.

Jackson, who had followed King and admired him and his work, says the author's comments were confusing and off-brand for someone he saw as "progressive."

"If you make no effort to watch movie from Jordan Peele or other black directors, how can you possibly make the best decision?" asked Jackson.

In Maine, where libraries and stores have entire sections dedicated to Stephen King sections, the comments were not seen as controversial or shocking.

"I've only really heard a couple political things he said," one King reader said at Longfellow Books in Portland.

"When it comes to art, it's more about the quality, rather than the diversity," said Susan Roux, an artist and owner of a fine arts gallery.

Roux says she has works from people from all kinds of ethnic and economic backgrounds and her clients look at quality above all else.

"I show art from 10 different countries over here," she said. "If I didn't mark where the art was coming from, nobody would be able to tell the difference."

King himself followed up his comments up a different way.

Hours after his initial tweet, he took to Twitter again saying, "the most important thing we can do as artists is make sure everyone has the same fair shot regardless of sex, color or orientation. Right now such people are badly under represented and not only in the arts."

Jackson says that explanation still falls a bit flat and thinks the Oscars and the art world won't be truly diverse until the issue affects companies' bottom lines.

"These movements tend to switch when the dollar starts to affect you," he said.

Read the rest here:
Stephen Kings Controversial Comments on Diversity Draw Varied Reaction - NECN

The use of QR codes has developed in leaps and bounds since it was first developed in the mid-90s.

Today, QR codes are used in almost every sector. From marketing and education to helping people with different abilities, QR Codes are ubiquitous.

The advancement in its technology allows you to easily create a QR code and link it with any information youd like the user to have. All you have to do is select one of the best QR code generators to create the code.

Most websites have an in-built landing page builder that allows you to redirect the users to a site, image gallery, PDF, audio clip, navigational directions, and more.

In India, however, QR codes rose to popularity only recently for digital payments. Payment apps like PayTM and Bharat QR gave the Indian citizens a convenient method to make payments at stores or even to pay their utility bills. Since then, the government and private organizations have discovered innovative ways to make use of QR codes to help people.

To make learning a more interactive and fun experience for students, the Department of State Education Research and Training (DSERT) includes QR codes in NCERT textbooks. These QR codes are printed along with the relevant text. When scanned, it gives the students access to additional learning material like video tutorials, images, maps, audio clips, worksheets, and more.

QR codes are being placed on trees by volunteers to educate others about the value of trees. One such example is when the botany students of PB Siddhartha College of Arts and Sciences in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, took the initiative to place QR codes on trees within their campus to spread awareness about the importance of trees. Another such effort was undertaken by Dr. Smitha Hegde hailing from Mangalore, Karnataka. She, along with her students, placed QR codes on trees around the city that educated the public about the value of each tree. In both cases, the QR codes would redirect the users to a landing page that gave them information about the trees like its general and scientific name, age of the tree, its medicinal value, or about its history/origin.

An app called HimmatPlus was launched by the Police Department in Delhi in an initiative to make commuting via public transport safer, especially for women. How this works is auto-rickshaw and public taxi drivers were assigned unique QR codes that they place behind their seat, where its visible to the commuter. The commuter can scan this QR code using the HimmatPlus app to access details about the driver and vehicle. If the commuter at any point feels unsafe, they can call for help through the app, and the police can track the journey in real-time through the app as well.

Another initiative was taken by an enterprise resource planning and web solutions firm that developed an app Gateway to School to ensure the safety of school children. How this works is any parent entering the school will have to scan the QR code that has their digital ID attached. So this way the school can keep a digital track on anybody entering the school and only parents of the children enter the premises. The app also creates an exit QR code for the parent on the app when they exit the school premises.

Cashless payments have become very popular in India with apps like PayTM and Bharat QR. It picked up steam during the time of Demonetisation in India. It presented itself as the most convenient mode of transaction. Merchants and stores without POS systems all readily accepted cashless payments, and the public did the same as well. Today, most stores in India allow their customers to pay via UPI.

Delhi and Noida Metro allows its commuters to pay digitally using a QR code. Even in Ahmedabad, bus commuters have to simp[y scan the QR code generated on the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) app to pay for their ride.

BookMyShow allows its users to scan the QR code generated on the app to enter the cinemas, removing the need to print the movie tickets.

The official identification document Aadhar card, issued by the Government of India includes a QR code that stores information about the Aadhar card holder like their name, address, date of birth, and the fathers name.

The use of QR codes in India has come a long way. But more innovative applications are being discovered as well. Many of the use-cases are inspired by other countries as well. For example, the concept of scanning QR codes to make payments first became popular in China through apps like WeChat and Alipay. Similarly, we are now seeing innovative uses of QR all over the world. One such example is to make things more accessible for individuals with vision impairment and blindness by using QR codes.

Several initiatives have been launched to help individuals with vision impairment and blindness across different countries. Using QR codes to activate audio navigational directions or audio of bus routes at bus stations are some examples. The goal of such initiatives is to try things more accessible to individuals with vision impairment and blindness.

Lets take a look at such similar initiatives around the world:

In an attempt to make the subway more accessible for individuals with vision impairment and blindness, Tokyo Metro is experimenting with audio QR codes for navigation. Stickers with QR codes on them are stuck on the tactile walking surface indicators used by individuals with vision impairment and blindness to get a sense of their way around the subway. When the QR code on this sticker is scanned using a smartphone, theyll immediately receive audio directions using which they can easily find their way around the station.

These QR coded stickers are stuck on raised tiles around the stairs, turning points, or walls that alert individuals with vision impairment and blindness about the obstacles ahead. This enables them to walk around the subway station with more ease and help them have a safer and convenient journey.

The Public Transport Operator in Barcelona has come up with an initiative to help individuals with vision impairment and blindness go around the city with more ease. These QR codes are designed by the Mobile Vision Research Lab of the University of Alicante in collaboration with a startup in Spain NaviLens. When scanned, these QR codes alert and communicate with individuals in real-time. The QR codes can be designed to give warnings such as steep stairs or suggest the best way to enter the subway.

The smartphone vibrates when it automatically detects a QR code and alerts the individual who can then play the alert message with a flick of a wrist. Not just that, these QR codes are designed in such a way that the camera can read the QR codes from at least 15m away. These QR codes help individuals with visual impairment and blindness to go around the city with much ease and have a smoother journey.

A similar initiative can also be seen at bus stations in the city of Donostia, Spain.

To help individuals with vision impairment, QR codes are placed next to bus stations that give real-time information about bus schedules and routes. When the individual scans the QR code, they can easily read the information in a large font or hear the instructions on their smartphone. This initiative was taken by an organization called NoisyVision to help individuals with vision impairment get around the city with more ease.

To help customers with vision impairment and blindness access the menu with ease, a restaurant in Germany replaced its menu in Braille with an audio QR. When scanned, the customer can access the audio version of the menu and quickly decide what they want to order.

Such initiatives help individuals with disabilities feel more included and give them better access. It not only helps them get around but also makes them feel more independent and confident. Similar usage of QR codes is already seen at Delhi Universitys Miranda House. Audio navigational QR codes are placed around the campus to help students with VI and blindness get around with ease. When scanned, their smartphone will give our audio instructions about their current location and how to get from point A to point B within the campus.

Across the globe, organizations are coming up with innovative uses of QR codes to make the world more accessible to individuals with disabilities.

This is a sponsored article.

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How QR Codes Have Grown In India And The World - NewzHook

The main gate at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Photo: Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum.

The Israeli novelist Aharon Appelfeld died in 2018. His novel To the Edge of Sorrow, published in Israel in 2012, is out this week in English from Schocken Books, translated by Stuart Schoffman.

The book is set during the Holocaust. Amid recent news reports of violent antisemitism in America, a story about partisan fighters weathering a bleak Eastern European winter while trying unsuccessfully to prevent genocide stuck me as a potential downer. All the more so because, notwithstanding its title, the tale at times goes far beyond the edge of sorrow and ends up deep in the depths of it: One of the fighters once sank into a depression so deep it seemed he was finished. His face grew grayer by the hour, and he was on the edge of collapse.

Dont be scared away by the topic or the title, though: Its actually a tale with inspiring, even uplifting themes, told in a suspenseful way that makes you feel like you are right there in the woods during World War II. The leader of the band of partisans, Kamil, is described as saying, If we will learn to conquer despair, to stay fixed on our goal, and to understand that being a Jew is no small matter, we will live to see the downfall of the enemy. Or, in other words, Kamil wants to instill in us the feeling that it is impossible to fight a determined enemy without love of the tribe, its God, and its beliefs. Kamil quotes the Talmud: He who comes to kill you, kill him first.

The narrator, Edmund, had before the war dated a non-Jewish woman. She asked him, Why do people hate the Jews? This is a question still on peoples minds in contemporary reality.

January 15, 2020 1:58 pm

The questions in this book are some of the liveliest dialogue. How do we know that God is in the world? one character asks. Why dont I see him?

A character in the book named Grandma Tsirl tries to answer. Earlier generations saw God everywhere, even in the lowliest mosses; in our generation there is great blindness, and people see only what the physical eye can see. Open your eyes and look inside. God is within you.

These are questions for pondering by professors and rabbis and historians and theologians and for newspaper reporters and columnists. But they are also questions for novelists, for literature. That the questions persist are a sign they are less about the Jewish situation than about the Jewish condition, or, perhaps even for the universalists among us, the human condition. Appelfeld is dead, but people will still be reading him for years, asking his characters questions and, one hopes, learning from their answers.

Ira Stoll was managing editor of The Forward and North American editor of The Jerusalem Post. His media critique, a regular Algemeiner feature, can be foundhere.

Here is the original post:
Book Review: Aharon Appelfeld's 'To The Edge of Sorrow' Asks the Right Questions - Algemeiner

Published: 12:54 Wednesday 15 January 2020

RNIB are aiming to get people who are losing their sight talking.

The Need to Talk team supports adults and young people over the age of 11 who are blind or partially sighted.

Talking can help move your life forward in the direction you want whether it is about ambitions for your family, work, social life or emotional and physical wellbeing.

They can also offer support to help face the future with confidence.

The RNIB Need to Talk counselling service, which is delivered alongside Fighting Blindness, aims to rebuild confidence and help you retain independence.

People can receive eight to ten counselling sessions over the phone.

People can get in touch with Need to Talks counselling and Living with Sight Loss team by telephoning, or emailing RNIB or Fighting Blindness.

Phone RNIB on: 0303 123 9999, or email: needtotalk@rnib.org.uk (rnib.org.uk).

See the article here:
'Need to talk' campaign launched by RNIB - as someone begins to lose their sight every 15 minutes - Belfast Newsletter

Throughout its eight-season run, Arrow gave fans plenty of bad guys to develop a love/hate relationship with. Sometimes the audience just plain hated them. From mob bosses to metahumans, Team Arrow has seen it all and defeated them all. But the wins often came at a cost.

RELATED:Arrowverse: The 5 Best Metahumans (& 5 Worst), Ranked

While some villains forever made their marks on the series and the fans, others fizzled out or never made an impression at all. When it came to Oliver Queen, some villains walked the line between enemy and ally. Here are five of the best, and five of the worst, villains on the show.

Following the "Undertaking" event where the Glades were nearly demolished, Sebastian Blood became the Mayor of Starling City with the help of Slade Wilson. Working under Deathstroke, the leader of the Church of Blood agreed to acquire Mirakuru soldiers to destroy the city so that he could guide the city to salvation.

Brother Bloodmade a deal with a madman with a vendetta to create chaos that he had the power to stop. But he didn't account for Slade's obsession for Oliver Queen's blood. In the end, that blindness killed Brother Blood.

Malcolm Merlyn used his influence and wealth to orchestrate a major terrorist attack against the Glades. Malcolm's motivations for attacking it stem from the death of his wife, who was killed by a thug from the neighborhood.

When his character returned with the plot of being Thea's real dad, he became obsessed with using her to get to the Arrow who thwarted him. If he'd been smarter and less myopic, he could have expended all that time and money on fixing systemic issues instead of trying to attack the symptoms.

The Head of the Demon led the League of Assassins and mentored Oliver. The back and forth of ally to enemy between him and Oliver made Ra's al Ghul a worthy villain. His dedication to the Demon eventually led to the fallout between him and his mentee.

RELATED:10 Things That Make No Sense About The Arrowverse

Ra's looked for a successor as the Head of the Demon and he chose Oliver, but the Arrow declined. When it looked like Ra's al Ghul killed Oliver on the mountain top fight, the fans waited with bated breath.

Carrie Cutter became obsessed with the Green Arrow and mimicked him by learning archery. She called herself Cupid as she believed she was in love with the vigilante. Where once she stopped crimes as part of the SCPD her obsession with the Arrow led her to commit them to get his attention.

Her manic obsession with a superhero that didn't even know her just made her seem like a lovesick school girl who went off the deep end. Her characterization didn't go far enough to show how she became that way.

Helena Bertinelli was the daughter of Frank Bertinelli, a huge crime boss in Starling City. When he killed her fiance because he thought Michael was gathering evidence against him to turn into the FBI, she became a vigilante. She was dubbed the Huntress by Quentin Lance.

The Huntress made for a complex villain because she did the same as Oliver, go after bad guys. She also had a personal score to settle as it was her that had gathered evidence against her father's crimes, and her fiance paid the price.

The pun in this bad guy's name led to an even worse codename: the Bug-Eyed Bandit. Her superpower? Bees. Robotic bees to be exact. She controlled the mechanical bugs remotely to do her bidding. The first thing she did was exact revenge on her boss who fired her and the coworkers who ratted her out on her experiments.

Brie's overall characterization was cheesy and ridiculous. Granted, that is the nature of comic books and their characters. But considering the series had taken a darker tone than its source material, she just didn't fit right.

Damien Darhk once fought alongside the Ra's al Ghul in the League of Assassins, but he went rogue and started his own faction of the League called H.I.V.E. He took water from the Lazarus Pitto create the assassins he needed for his army.

RELATED:Arrowverse: 5 Best Bromances (& 5 Heroes That Cant Stand Each Other)

He planned to implement a razed earth policy, in which he burned everything down to start the world anew. He built a following and they created bunkers to survive the apocalyptic event he had in mind. Team Arrow defeated him butlost the Black Canary, Laurel Lance.

The hacker organization founded by Cayden James was an obvious bad guy from the start, but Felicity Smoak was too blind to see it. Alena easily manipulated the Team Arrow tech expert, using Felicity's desire to do good against her.

But Cayden was not the same man he was before going into prison. He developed a plan to rid the world of its internet. Devastating as that might have been to social media junkies,it wasn't exactly an evil-genius level plan.When he attacked his follower Alena it proved he wasn't great at keeping allies.

Slade Wilson was a member of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service who became one of Oliver's mentors after he survived the sinking of the Queen's Gambit. But when Oliver chose to save Sara Lance over Shado, Slade's paramour, he vowed vengeance against the vigilante.

The Mirakuru running through his veins didn't help Slade's judgment either. Deathstroke eventually made amends with Oliver, agreeing to help him take down Adrian Chase. At that point, all Slade wanted was to find and reconnect with his sons. He was a character that walked the line between villain and ally.

The former district attorney Adrian Chase feigned friendship with Oliver while secretly committing murder as Prometheus. The villain wanted revenge against Oliver for killing his father during his days as the Hood. When Oliver first started as a vigilante with no remorse for taking life, it wasn't his finest hour.

But Adrian's vendetta to expose Oliver as a murderer by murdering innocent people himself never made sense. Adrian just killed to get Oliver's attention rather than make an actual statement. He didn't end up being as intelligent a villain as he was made out to be.

NEXT:Arrowverse: 10 Most Hilarious Crossover Memes

Next10 Celebrities You Forgot Were Guest Stars On M*A*S*H

Meagan Cahuasqui is a Latinx writer, poet, traveler, and reader. She holds a B.A. in creative writing from UCF and an M.B.A. in marketing from NSU. When shes not engaged in the aforementioned activities, she can be found yelling and crying at her TV over fictional people that break her heart.

Originally posted here:
Arrow: The 5 Best Villains On The Show (& 5 Worst) | ScreenRant - Screen Rant

CEDAR RAPIDS Losing your vision can be an isolating experience, but a new Cedar Rapids-based support groups aims to create a community among blind and visually impaired area residents.

The Blindness Support Group is made up of more than a dozen blind and visually impaired individuals who meet once a month to learn from one another how to overcome barriers specific to their disability.

The group was formed by Jonathan Ice, a Cedar Rapids resident and longtime advocate. The group held its first meeting in March.

When people go blind and by that I mean the whole range of vision loss they feel very isolated, Ice said. They feel like theyre the only one going through this.

To find out youre not alone in this is really a very helpful thing. Not only are you not alone in this, but there are other people who are finding ways of dealing with it, he said.

But Ice emphasized the group is focused on positive experiences.

If its just people having a pity party about how awful it is being blind, its not going to do any good, Ice said. But if you can have people who can share ideas and patterns to cope with the challenges you have as a person, you can do a lot.

For Sarah McDonough, a 42-year-old Coralville resident, the Blindness Support Group has helped her navigate the world safely after her vision was damaged by a stroke two years ago. She has learned how to use a knife and how to cook safely with a hot stove, among other skills, she said.

That has been a huge help to me that I know I have support and help that I can ask for, McDonough said.

In addition to sharing ideas among themselves, the Blindness Support Group invites guests to speak at its meetings. For example, Ice said they have invited an official with the city of Cedar Rapids to learn about public transportation options.

The support group also plans to invite an ophthalmologist, or a vision care specialist, to next months gathering.

Ice found a passion for teaching blindness skills during his time at the Iowa Department for the Blind, where he worked for more than 17 years.

Although Ice was born legally blind, he said he didnt know it until he was diagnosed at age 20.

I just thought my vision was bad, Ice said. Suddenly, I get this label when I was 20, but it was a bit amusing because it didnt really change my life. I was still doing things like playing softball and riding a bike and all the things I was doing before.

But then, Ice said he began to notice things he didnt have in common with people who werent visually impaired. They didnt face job discrimination or lowered expectations from others like he did.

Ice saw the impact support groups statewide had on his clients at the Iowa Department for the Blind, and said he felt it was important to bring a group back to Cedar Rapids.

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Support groups for blind and visually impaired individuals have existed in the past, but they have tapered off over the years.

The second-largest city in the state should have (a support group), too, Ice said.

Meetings are held from 1 to 3 p.m. the fourth Thursday of the month at Cottage Grove Place, Sedlacek Hall, 2115 First Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. For more information, call Ice at (319) 298-2919 or email jkice89@q.com.

Comments: (319) 368-8536; michaela.ramm@thegazette.com

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Cedar Rapids group formed to support blind, visually impaired residents - The Gazette

January 11, 2020

By Jana ReissReligion News Service

Drawn from his fiction and nonfiction writings, The Reading Life: The Joy of Seeing New Worlds Through Others Eyes takes snippets of C.S. Lewis various writings, all themed around the capacious love he had for books and reading, and gathers them into a gift book perfect for the new year.

Nostalgia for childhood

The pieces are short and well-chosen, and often draw upon nostalgia. Several times in different essays, Lewis reflects on childrens literature as a nourishing source of adult reflection. He says those stories meant something different to him as a mature man than they did in childhood, but that very timelessness is what makes them important to revisit.

When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up, he writes.

This attraction to myth and childrens fantasy leads him to review his friend J.R.R. Tolkiens work. Lewis early reviews of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring are included in the collection and make for fascinating reading for anyone who loves the series.

He urges people to take The Lord of the Rings books seriously as literature, asserting readers who revisit The Hobbit again and again will realize what deft scholarship and profound reflection have gone to make everything in it so ripe, so friendly, and in its own way so true.

Prediction is dangerous, Lewis writes, but The Hobbit may well prove a classic.

In a similar vein, he notes that true readers just dont have an age-based timetable for what they find interesting:

The neat sorting-out of books into age-groups has only a very sketchy relation with the habits of any real readers. Those of us who are blamed when old for reading childish books were blamed when children for reading books too old for us. No reader worth his salt trots along in obedience to a time-table.

Lewis covers some familiar and controversial questions is it permissible to dog-ear a book? No, he insists; such behavior ought to fill us with shame. (I stubbornly dog-eared that page.) Yet he gives the thumbs-up to marginalia: He underlines, indexes and comments in his books, particularly ones he didnt think were very good, thereby making them his own.

Many an otherwise dull book which I had to read I have enjoyed in this way, with a fine-nibbed pen in my hand: one is making something all the time and [a] book so read acquires the charm of a toy without losing that of a book.

Not all of the essays are lighthearted love letters to the act of reading. In The Case for Reading Old Books, he takes on a question that plagues me constantly: What will turn out to have been the blindnesses of our own age?

When we read writers across the centuries, we are alive to their false assumptions in a way they were not able to be:

Nothing strikes me more when I read the controversies of past ages than the fact that both sides were usually assuming without question a good deal which we should now absolutely deny. We can be sure that the characteristic blindness of the 20th century the blindness about which our posterity will ask, But how could they have thought that? lies where we never would have suspected it, and concerns something about which there is untroubled agreement.

Magic about the past

When we read this collection more than half a century after Lewis death, his own blind spots will seem obvious to us his utter lack of attention to questions of gender, race and colonialism; and his assumption that the Western canon of literature is canonical because it is superior and not simply because it helps to reify those assumptions about gender, race and colonialism.

But thats not the point. Or at least, thats not the only point. That essay, like all great literature, should make us pause and turn the tables on ourselves, and try to spot our own Achilles heels. Its not that there is any magic about the past, as Lewis makes clear. People were not cleverer or more moral then than they are now.

But a regular habit of keeping the clean breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, as Lewis wrote, broadens our perspective and makes us challenge the unquestioned assumptions of our age in a way that reading only contemporary writers cannot.

Read more from the original source:
Review: Readers will love 'The Reading Life' compiled from CS Lewis' writings - Alabama Baptist

Inclusive education for the specially-abled is one of the most effective ways through which we can move towards a just society that is more sensitive to the needs of the less fortunate among us.

Our society is developing at a rapid pace, the message that needs to be delivered among the people is of social acceptance and inclusion along with creating an environment that is supportive for the learning of people with any form of disability. A socially inclusive society is one in which all people enjoy the same rights and where no one experiences any stigma and discrimination. In India and around the world, many times, people with disabilities are denied the right to go to school, find a job, access health care and take part in political processes. Addressing this very issue and to propagate the idea of inclusivity, Sightsavers supports comprehensive education and social inclusion to ensure that children who are blind or visually impaired are included in mainstream education and people with disabilities such as blindness or visual impairments have an equal right to achieve their full potential, just like everyone else. This is crucial to boosting the confidence of the people with any form of disabilities and making them an equal part of society.

Importance of inclusive education

India is home to nearly 8 million blind people, which is approximately one-fourth of the total blind population in the world. Inclusive education enables children with disabilities to realise their rights, facilitating their participation in, and contribution to society; supports poverty reduction and can tackle discrimination through social integration.

The vision we want to inculcate in the society is for them to practice a system of inclusive education that will ensure people with disabilities to have access to equal educational opportunities. People may be born without a completely functional organ or senses but that shouldnt deter anyone from leading a life of independence and dignity.

Holistic education of children with visual impairment is necessary, as when children with disabilities participate in mainstream education on an equal basis with other children, they learn from an early age that they are valued members of society. A plethora of initiatives are taken by the government and NGOs to ensure people with any form of disability are registered in mainstream schools. Moreover, the practice of inclusive education in schools helps them to participate more actively in general community activities throughout their lives and will promote social acceptance.

Now, the challenge is to ensure learning outcomes, to find the right teacher that is skilled to teach children with disabilities and to create an environment that is supportive of the learning of children with visual impairment. For inclusive education in India to succeed, training of specialist teachers is required. Assistive devices and accessible educational material should be made available, provision of compensatory skills training, suitable infrastructure, better accessibility and building education management and leadership among others for people with visual impairment are of primary importance. Our government should demonstrate scalable, cost-effective approaches to education for children with disabilities.

Need for socially inclusive society

Change is the only constant, hence change in the attitudes of communities, schools and governments by ensuring they adopt socially inclusive policies towards people with disabilities is an important step for making a disabled-friendly India. For a socially inclusive society, it is required to equip disabled people with skills; tools and assistance they need to earn a living and lead an independent life. Access to digital platforms and technology has made it easier for people to learn, adapt and upskill technologically in the recent years. It has created more opportunities and new possibilities for disabled in helping them overcome discrimination, for example, a visually impaired person can now listen to audiobooks and learn. As citizens of this society, we should encourage people with disabilities converse with other children to be active participants in society. For the development of the society, a standardised approach is required for mainstreaming inclusive education and disability inclusion.

We all have to create an environment to make our society more aware and discrimination-free for people with disability. And the situation is improving now. The disabled people are also contributing greatly towards society. Sightsavers India has been working to achieve governments goal on Accessible Elections. The campaignTowards an inclusive election: Leaving no one behind aims at creating awareness regarding accessible election and in ensuring increased participation of the PwDs in voting. Inclusion in the election process with complete participation of people with disabilities (PWDs) is a step in the right direction to ensure that no voter is left behind. Through this initiative, Sightsavers India is encouraging more voters and empowering DPO members (Disabled Peoples Organisation) all the more.

It is important to create an environment where disabled can equally participate in the society and share classrooms with other children in a mainstream education environment from an early age. This can be achieved when we take a step forward to create an inclusive society, where everyone including people with disability (PwDs) are treated alike with equal opportunities and pay. It is crucial to uplift the disableds confidence and send a message to the society that how there are no limitations for people with visual disability.

The author is director-funding and marketing, Sightsavers India

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Education is the first step towards an inclusive India - The Sunday Guardian