StemCell Therapy

Timrepigene emparvovec is a potential first-in-class AAV2 gene therapy for the treatment of choroideremia, a rare, degenerative, X-linked retinal disorder that leads to blindness

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 21, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biogen Inc.(BIIB) announced today the enrollment of the last patient in the global Phase 3 STAR clinical study, which is evaluating the investigational gene therapy timrepigene emparvovec (BIIB111/AAV2-REP1) for the treatment of choroideremia (CHM). CHM is a rare, degenerative, X-linked inherited retinal disorder that leads to blindness.

We are excited to advance innovative investigational treatments for inherited retinal disorders that have significant unmet medical need due to the lack of treatment options, said Alfred Sandrock, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Research and Development, and Chief Medical Officer at Biogen. Timrepigene emparvovec could be a transformative gene therapy for individuals living with choroideremia who would otherwise face inevitable blindness. Completing enrollment of our Phase 3 study represents a significant milestone in bringing this new potential therapy to patients.

STAR is a randomized, masked, prospective, parallel-controlled group Phase 3 study that enrolled 170 adult males with CHM. The study is evaluating the safety and efficacy of a single subretinal injection of timrepigene emparvovec. The primary endpoint is the proportion of patients with an improvement of at least 15 letters from baseline in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 12 months post treatment as measured by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) visual acuity protocol. The STAR study was initiated based on proof-of-concept data from Phase 1/2 studies, which indicated that at month 24, over 90 percent of patients treated with timrepigene emparvovec via targeted subretinal injection maintained visual acuity instead of experiencing the natural decline in BCVA expected in this degenerative disease. In a subset of treated patients with moderate to severe visual acuity loss, 21 percent experienced a gain in visual acuity of at least 15 ETDRS letters from baseline as compared to one percent of untreated patients in a natural history study.

CHM primarily affects males and is caused by a loss of function in the CHM gene which encodes the Rab escort protein-1 (REP-1). The REP-1 protein plays a role in intracellular protein trafficking, and the loss of function in the CHM gene leads to abnormal intracellular protein trafficking and impaired elimination of waste products from the retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptors. Initially, patients with CHM experience poor night vision and over time, progressive visual loss ultimately leads to blindness.

Biogen added timrepigene emparvovec to its portfolio in June 2019 as part of its acquisition of Nightstar Therapeutics.

For more information about the Phase 3 STAR study, visit http://www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03496012).

About timrepigene emparvovec (BIIB111/AAV2-REP1)Timrepigene emparvovec is an AAV2 vector administered by subretinal injection, which aims to provide a functioning CHM gene and expression of the REP-1 protein to restore membrane trafficking and thereby slow, stop or potentially reverse decline in vision. Data from the Phase 1/2 studies demonstrated a slower rate of decline in visual acuity in patients treated with timrepigene emparvovec compared to untreated patients in the natural history study. In addition, some patients treated with timrepigene emparvovec showed improvements in visual acuity. The studies also demonstrated that timrepigene emparvovec was generally well tolerated with an acceptable safety profile.

Timrepigene emparvovec has received regenerative medicine advanced therapy (RMAT) designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which includes all of the benefits of the fast track and breakthrough therapy designation programs and orphan drug designations in the U.S., Europe and Japan. The safety and efficacy of a single subretinal injection of timrepigene emparvovec is currently being evaluated in the ongoing Phase 3 STAR study.

About Biogen At Biogen, our mission is clear: we are pioneers in neuroscience. Biogen discovers, develops, and delivers worldwide innovative therapies for people living with serious neurological and neurodegenerative diseases as well as related therapeutic adjacencies. One of the worlds first global biotechnology companies, Biogen was founded in 1978 by Charles Weissmann, Heinz Schaller, Kenneth Murray, and Nobel Prize winners Walter Gilbert and Phillip Sharp. Today Biogen has the leading portfolio of medicines to treat multiple sclerosis, has introduced the first approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, commercializes biosimilars of advanced biologics, and is focused on advancing research programs in multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology, neuromuscular disorders, movement disorders, Alzheimers disease and dementia, ophthalmology, immunology, neurocognitive disorders, acute neurology, and pain.

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We routinely post information that may be important to investors on our website atwww.biogen.com. To learn more, please visitwww.biogen.comand follow us on social media Twitter,LinkedIn,Facebook,YouTube.

Biogen Safe Harbor StatementThis news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, relating to the potential, benefits, safety and efficacy of timrepigene emparvovec; the potential clinical effects of timrepigene emparvovec; results from the Phase 1/2 studies of timrepigene emparvovec; the clinical development program for timrepigene emparvovec; the treatment of CHM; the potential of our commercial business and pipeline programs, including timrepigene emparvovec; and risks and uncertainties associated with drug development and commercialization. These forward-looking statements may be accompanied by words such as aim, anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, forecast, intend, may, plan, potential, possible, will, would and other words and terms of similar meaning. Drug development and commercialization involve a high degree of risk and only a small number of research and development programs result in commercialization of a product. Results in early stage clinical trials may not be indicative of full results or results from later stage or larger scale clinical trials and do not ensure regulatory approval. You should not place undue reliance on these statements, or the scientific data presented.

These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements, including without limitation, uncertainty of success in the development and potential commercialization of timrepigene emparvovec; unexpected concerns may arise from additional data, analysis or results obtained during the STAR study; regulatory authorities may require additional information or further studies, or may fail or refuse to approve or may delay approval of our drug candidates, including timrepigene emparvovec; the occurrence of adverse safety events; the risks of other unexpected hurdles, costs or delays; failure to protect and enforce our data, intellectual property and other proprietary rights and uncertainties relating to intellectual property claims and challenges; and product liability claims. The foregoing sets forth many, but not all, of the factors that could cause actual results to differ from our expectations in any forward-looking statement. Investors should consider this cautionary statement, as well as the risk factors identified in our most recent annual or quarterly report and in other reports we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations and speak only as of the date of this news release. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

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Biogen Announces Enrollment Completion of Global Phase 3 Gene Therapy Study for an Inherited Retinal Disorder - Yahoo Finance

A group of teenage boys allegedly knocked a Philadelphia McDonald's worker unconscious after she wouldn't give them free food.

Charm Sullivan, 17, was working behind the counter at the McDonald's restaurant on Broad Street and Hunting Park on Wednesday night when the incident unfolded, her cousin Khadijah Lovett told NBC Philadelphia.

A group of boys asked her to give them free food. When Sullivan said no, at least four boys started to attack her, according to Lovett. The teenager tried to flee from the assailants by going to the bathroom at the store. But the boys followed her and continued their attack.

Lovett said the teens carried on beating the girl outside in the parking lot, where she was found unconscious between two cars. She claimed they "assaulted her several times," and hit her with a brick in front of the restaurant.

A photo of Sullivan seen by NBC shows her face with a severely swollen right eye, and red marks on her skin.

Sullivan went to hospital and returned home, before being sent back after she started to feel dizzy and threw up.

Lovett told NBC Philadelphia her cousin is "hurt" and will never return to work again.

"The only thing she keeps saying is she doesn't know. Why her. Why her?" she said. Lovett said of the culprits: "You're rude and you're ignorant and you're disrespectful and you wouldn't want nothing like this to happen to your mom, your sister."

The manager at the branch of McDonald's where Sullivan works refused to speak to NBC. McDonald's did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Newsweek.

Police have launched an investigation and are looking for the culprits.

Earlier this year in a separate attack in Australia, a McDonald's worker was blasted in the face with a fire extinguisher at a drive-thru, in an incident which could have left her "blinded."

In June, three males and one female drove up to the kiosk in a dark sedan at a Melbourne restaurant, staffed by Kimberley Friend, who was 21 at the time. The group taunted Friend, then drove away. Around 10 minutes later, they came back and a fire extinghuisher was let off in her face while others in the car filmed.

Friend told Australia's 9News at the time: "It [happened] so fast. I inhaled and tasted it straight away. [I thought], 'this is poison.'"

Her partner took her to a nearby hospital, where nurses told her the attack "could have caused blindness so, very lucky... it's not a joke, it was malicious," Friend said.

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Philadelphia Police Investigating Brutal Beating of McDonald's Worker Who Refused to Give Free Food to Teens - Newsweek

This massive societal shift was met with backlash from some white citizens, who resented attempts at leveling the playing field through policies such as busing, racial quotas, affirmative action, and disparate-impact standards. They argued that these disruptive measures infringed on their personal liberties and had the effect of discriminating against them.

As desegregationist policies reached states and cities, white parents vacated public-school systems rather than integrate them, and the Supreme Court began hearing cases from white claimants who cited the unfairness of remedial policies governing hiring and promotion practices, university admissions, and government-contract allocations.

But the dynamics soon shifted. It wasnt long before those groups that were once making color-conscious arguments in support of racial segregation began using the principles of color-blind constitutionalism to assert that racially progressive policies were discriminating against white Americans.

Meanwhile, Thurgood Marshall ascended to the Court and grew dismayed that color blindness was now the main thrust of the legal argument against practical measures seeking to establish a racially egalitarian society. He wrote in his Regents of the University of California v. Bakke dissent, It is more than a little ironic that, after several hundred years of class-based discrimination against Negroes, the Court is unwilling to hold that a class-based remedy for that discrimination is permissible.

Adam Serwer: The Supreme Court is headed back to the 19th century

In Marshalls formulation, color-blind constitutionalism was a wholly appropriate approach for obtaining the equal rights of a subjugated people, but an insufficient guide to unmaking the societal disadvantages that racism had wrought. That is, he considered it in the words of the old gospel hymnIt once was blind, but now it sees.

This view accords with what scholars have long known. The political theorist Iris Marion Young argued that when unequal societies throw off statutory constraints and declare all citizens equals henceforth, preexisting group hierarchies are perpetuated unless proactively addressed. The upshot is that color-blind constitutionalism in unequal societies compels the lifting of state-sanctioned discrimination, but the ensuing remediation must be color-conscious in the same way that the harms were.

More recent conservative-leaning Supreme Courts seem to disagree. In a series of cases that tackle racial preferences and attempts at racial redress, the Court has found that a color-blind reading of the Constitution complicates or outright rejects color-conscious policies, even if they are implemented with the intent of furthering racial equality. For example, in Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Pea (1995), a case challenging affirmative action in government contracts, the Court established that race-based classifications must meet strict scrutiny, the highest standard of judicial review. In Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the Court ruled that a measure intended to protect voters of color in jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination was unconstitutional, effectively gutting the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Court determined that Michigans affirmative-action ban was constitutional in Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action (2014).

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How Conservatives Turned the Color-Blind Constitution Against Racial Progress - The Atlantic

Prevent Blindness has declared December as Safe Toys and Gifts Awareness Month.

CHICAGO (PRWEB) November 21, 2019

Last year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a report stating there were an estimated 251,700 toy-related injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments. Forty-four percent of the estimated injuries were to the head and face area, the most commonly affected area of the body.

According to the CPSC, of the 251,700 estimated toy-related, emergency department-treated injuries, an estimated:

Prevent Blindness, the nations oldest non-profit eye health organization, has declared December as Safe Toys and Gifts Awareness month, to help shoppers select the best gifts for children.

For those considering purchasing sports equipment, Prevent Blindness suggests that the proper sports eye protection also be included. Recommendations may be found at http://www.preventblindness.org/recommended-sports-eye-protectors.

Sunglasses with UV protection can be a helpful gift for adults and children. Only buy sunglasses that provide a clear statement about how much UV radiation is blocked. The label should clearly state the sunglasses block 99 to 100 percent of UV-A and UV-B rays.

For all other gift ideas, Prevent Blindness recommends:

By taking a few cautionary steps to give gifts that are meaningful, safe and age-appropriate for children, you can help make sure that the holidays are festive and bright, said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness.

For more information on safe toys and gifts for children, please visit http://www.preventblindness.org/safe-toy-checklist or call Prevent Blindness at (800) 331-2020.

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

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An Estimated 184,000 Children, Under the Age of 15, Sent to the Emergency Room for Toy-related Injuries in One Year, According to the CPSC - PR Web

Cilia, or flagella whiplike appendages on cells perform diverse tasks required to keep the body healthy. When cilia malfunction, the consequences can be devastating, causing a range of problems, from blindness, to lung and kidney diseases, to congenital heart defects. Now, scientists have revealed the firstdetailed lookat the inner structure of cilia.

The newly revealed structure offers a starting point to begin exploring how cilia are assembled during development, how they are maintained over a cells life span, and how they might become dysfunctional if some of the cogs in these complex molecular machines are mutated or missing. The structure of these microscopic molecular machines common to cells in organisms from algae to people potentially will answer questions about human health and disease.

The research, by investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard Medical School, was published recently in the journal Cell.

This new study is exciting because it fills in a lot of missing information about the structure of cilia, said senior authorRui Zhang, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Washington University. When cilia dont work properly, bad things happen. We need to know details of the structure in order to develop treatments for diseases, or strategies to prevent the developmental defects that can occur in the early embryo if the cilia are not functioning as they should.

In the respiratory tract, cilia move mucus and protect against viral and bacterial illnesses. In the reproductive tract, they propel sperm to fertilize an egg. Cilia also perform vital tasks in the brain, the kidney, the pancreas and in bone growth. And in the earliest stages of development, the rotational motion of specialized cilia in the embryo defines the bodys left-right asymmetry and where organs are placed. Without properly functioning cilia, the heart may not end up on the left side, where it should be, and it may not function properly.

Cilia are implicated in multiple human disorders, including polycystic kidney disease, which affects some 600,000 Americans and requires dialysis; primary ciliary dyskinesia, which causes chronic lung disease, misplaced organs and infertility; Bardet-Biedl syndrome, which causes patients to become blind in childhood and leads to diabetes, kidney disease and extreme obesity; and many congenital heart defects, which occur when left-right asymmetry goes awry and require complex surgeries to repair.

In the new study, the researchers used a technique called single particle cryo-electron microscopy to get a first look at 33 specific proteins arranged inside cilia within structures called ciliary microtubule doublets in a strict repeating pattern.

Before this work, everyone assumed these proteins inside cilia just stabilize the structure, which is true for a subset of the proteins, especially when you consider the forces produced by the continuous beating of the cilia, Zhang said. But based on how they are arranged inside this structure, we believe these proteins are doing many more things.

Since many of the proteins protrude through the cilia, Zhang and his colleagues speculate that they may allow for communication between the inside and the outside of the ciliary microtubule doublets; govern the function of enzymes that make important biochemical reactions possible; and sense changes in the calcium concentration of the environment, which plays a role in triggering the cilia to beat.

Among the proteins identified, five are associated with diseases that have been studied in mice and people, said co-authorSusan K. Dutcher, professor of genetics at Washington University. But until now, no one knew that these proteins were found inside cilia. We are just beginning to understand their roles in normal and disease states.

The researchers studied cilia in a type of algae calledChlamydomonas reinhardtii, which are single-celled organisms that have cilia structurally and biochemically similar to those of more complex organisms, including people. One question Dutcher is interested in answering is how the proteins making up cilia structure govern the type of motion that the cilia perform. The cilia of single-celledC. reinhardtiiare capable of more than one type of motion.

In some situations, the cilia are doing what you might consider a breast stroke, Dutcher said. In others, the motion is more of an S-shaped wave. The cilia of many cells in mammals can only produce one of these motions. But the single-celledC. reinhardtii, perhaps to help it adapt to its environment, can switch between them. Thats why were studying algae at a medical school the genetic problems we can study in the cilia of these organisms are similar to the ones that can occur in people, often with devastating consequences.

Zhang, Dutcher and their colleagues have plans to use the latest techniques of cryo-electron microscopy to study theChlamydomonas mutants of each of the 33 proteins inside cilia to seek answers to many questions that have arisen from this new and detailed knowledge of the structure.

Originally published by the School of Medicine

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Scientists unravel mysteries of cells' whiplike extensions | The Source - Washington University in St. Louis Newsroom

Glaucoma is an ocular disease which affects the optic nerve of the iris and progression of the same results in vision loss and blindness. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), glaucoma is the most cause of blindness across the world.

Currently, there are no existing treatments for glaucoma; however, some commercially available therapies focus on reducing the intraocular pressure, which is responsible for the development and progression of the disease. The treatment for glaucoma starts with topical eye drops, which is an alternative used to delay surgery.

Photodynamic therapy and laser therapy are effective solutions that perform well with surgery options. Rise in the number of glaucoma cases, easy availability of medical insurance coverage for diagnosis and treatment, and growth in demand for minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries are expected to drive the global glaucoma surgery devices market during the forecast period. Furthermore, increase in health care expenditure and rise in geriatric population are expected to fuel the glaucoma surgery devices market during the forecasted period.

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The global glaucoma surgery devices market can be segmented into types of product, types of surgery, end-user, and region. Based on product type, the market is segregated into punches, USC planer, USC marker, USC shaver, Alger brushes and probes, forceps, glaucoma drainage devices, knives, and others. In terms of types of surgery, the glaucoma surgery devices market can be divided into minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS), tube shunt implantation, trabeculectomy, cyclophotocoagulation, and others.

Among these segments, the MIGS segment is anticipated to dominate the market during the forecasted period owing to rising demand for minimally invasive and patient-friendly procedures. Based on end-user, the glaucoma surgery devices market can be categorized into diagnostic centers, eye-hospitals, and others.

The global glaucoma surgery devices market has a presence of several regional players which have a huge market share in emerging countries operating at regional or country level. In terms of geography, the global glaucoma surgery devices market can be divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The U.S. dominates the market due to the increase in acceptance of treatment options.

Additionally, rising awareness among patients regarding glaucoma and the introduction of favorable reimbursement policies are anticipated to fuel the glaucoma surgery devices market in North America during the forecast period. Europe is the second largest market for the glaucoma surgery devices market.

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The market in Asia Pacific, especially in countries such as India, China, and Japan, is anticipated to expand at a rapid pace in the next few years due to rising awareness regarding glaucoma surgeries and booming medical tourism in this region. The market in Middle East and Africa and Latin America is projected to expand at a sluggish pace in the near future.

Major players operating in the global glaucoma surgery devices market are Abbott Laboratories, Glaukos Corporation, Alcon, Inc., ASICO, Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Katalyst Surgical, Nidek Co., Ltd., Lumenis Ltd., Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG, and Iridex Corporation.

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Glaucoma Surgery Devices Market is Expected to Register Lucrative Growth 2026 - Downey Magazine

Ophthalmic knives, also known as microsurgical knives, are specifically designed for uncomplicated and hassle-free eye surgeries. Ophthalmic knives are available in different shapes and angles for accurate incisions in the cornea and sclera during an eye surgery. These knives consist of blades that are strong and break-resistant, and made of different materials such as stainless steel, diamond, sapphire, and silicon to provide sharpness and an accurate opening.

Growth of the globalophthalmic knives marketis attributed to increase in the global geriatric population, which is more prone to cataracts and refractive eye errors. Moreover, increase in the incidences of glaucoma, vitreoretinal, diabetes retinopathy, corneal transplantation, and technological advancements are boosting the growth of the global ophthalmic knives market.

North America dominated the global ophthalmic knives market in 2018, and this trend is anticipated to continue during the forecast period. This is attributed to rise in the prevalence of ophthalmic diseases, awareness about minimal invasive surgeries, and surge in vision impairment in the region.

However, increase in the number of local manufacturers is creating a pricing pressure, which is likely to hamper the growth of the global ophthalmic knives market in North America in the latter half of the forecast period. Asia Pacific is expected to be a highly lucrative market for ophthalmic knives during the forecast period.

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High Prevalence of Eye Disorders and Rise in Awareness to Drive Usage of Ophthalmic Knives

The incidences of eye diseases has increased across the globe, and is expected to rise significantly in the near future. Ophthalmic disorders that need surgery are cataract, glaucoma, age-related muscular disorders, corneal transplantation, and others. Globally, eye disorders such as cataract, glaucoma, andage-related macular degeneration(AMD) are the leading causes of blindness and visual impairment. The high prevalence of eye disorders is fueling the demand for minimal invasive surgeries with ophthalmic knives.

Cataract is the most prevalent eye disorder across the globe. Hence, the demand for eye surgeries to treat this disorder is high. Rise in cataract surgeries has induced manufacturers to focus on developing efficient and versatile ophthalmic knives. According to the NCBI journal, the rate of blindness caused by cataract is rising at 1 million per year, globally, and the number of people undergoing cataract operations is increasing by 4 million to 5 million per year.

According to a WHO report (2010), glaucoma was estimated to cause blindness in 4.5 million people, which is around 12% of all global blindness, while AMD was the third-leading cause of blindness after cataract and glaucoma, with a global prevalence of 8.7%.

The incidences of eye disorders such as cataract are expected to rise, due to the increase in the geriatric population. According to research, the prevalence of cataract is three times higher in India compared to that in the U.S., with 82% people in India aged between 75 years and 83 years affected by cataract as compared to only 46% in the U.S. in the same age group.

Increase in Geriatric Population Increases the Need of Surgeries

The geriatric population is likely to suffer from cataract more often than the younger population. Moreover, the geriatric population is increasing at a faster pace than the younger population.

Increase in the geriatric population aged above 65 years is projected to surge the incidences of eye disorders, which, in turn, is anticipated to boost the need for corrective surgeries and treatment of these disorders. Eye surgeries require ophthalmic knives for successful incisions. These factors are likely to boost the global ophthalmic knives market.

According to the United Nations, the geriatric population aged above 60 is expected to double by 2050 and triple by 2100, an increase from 962 million in 2017 to 2.1 billion in 2050, and 3.1 billion by 2100.

Adoption of Technologically-Advanced Blades

Technological advancement is key for the growth of the medical devices market. Hence, manufacturers are keen on developing and offering innovative solutions to surgeons and patients.Bio blade is an innovative ophthalmic surgical blade recommended for uncomplicated eye surgeries, with excellent sharpness and consistency for smooth and uniform incisions.

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Bio blades are manufactured from highly purified stainless steel, which makes the blade hard and break-resistant, and are highly preferred by surgeons. Rise in the adoption of bio blades offers considerable opportunities to the providers of advanced ophthalmic care across the world.

Key Players Driving Global Ophthalmic Knives Market

The global ophthalmic knives market is fragmented in terms of number of players. Key players in the global ophthalmic knives market include Sidapharm, Surgical Specialties Corporation, Pfm medical ag, Alcon, Surgi Edge, Eagle Lab, Mani, Inc., Optitech Eyecare, Unique Technologies Inc., and Shah Eye Care Pvt. Ltd.

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Ophthalmic Knives Market is Expected To Increase Up to US$ 460 mn by 2027 - Downey Magazine

Global Vision Care Market: Overview

An upcoming report on the global vision care market by TMR Research could be a valuable source of information for major stakeholders in the market. The report would offer a brilliant study of the market with its focus on market dynamics, segmentation, and geographical outreach. It could prove to be a useful guideline for players wanting to cement their position in the global vision care market.

Vision care or maintaining eye health are the major concerns globally. Vision-related diseases elevate the risk of blindness or significant vision loss. Good vision eases out daily important activities such as writing, reading, and watching. These also helps in communication, health, work, developmental learning and impacts in overall quality of life. Various factors such as chronic diseases, pollution, and unhealthy diets can affect in functioning of the eyes. Thus, plenty of products and treatments are developed to control vision related problems.

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Global Vision Care Market: Trends and Opportunities

Increasing usage of laptops, tablets, PCs, and phones in day-to-day lives, growing older population, and rising number of vision-related problems are believed to be driving the global vision care market. Apart from blindness, there are various vision related problems such as astigmatism, myopia, macular edema, retinal tears, and diabetic retinopathy. Growing demand from the population aged 65+ years, increasing healthcare industry, and rapid technological advancement in eye care products are expected to boost the global vision care market.

Although, declining eye care treatment rate, product design, and brand name are also projected to hinder the growth in the global vision care market. However, growing brand awareness and paradigm shift in the consumer behavior are projected to propel the global vision care market.

Global Vision Care Market: Market Potential

Growing advent of innovative product launches is expected to fuel the global vision care market. There are several products available for vision care such as contact lens, glass lens, contact lens solution, and IOLs. The incorporation of technology in developing vision care products increase efficiency, improves quality and precision of the final product, and reduces overall cost. Increasing demand for restoring normal vision with eyeglasses or contact lenses, cost-effectiveness in using vision care products instead of LASIK eye surgery, and rising advanced medical treatment are believed to be driving the global vision care market.

Global Vision Care Market: Regional Outlook

Region wise, there is a possibility of North America to lead the global vision care market as the region has witnessed rapid development in healthcare industry. Growing population suffering from eye related disorders, rapid technological advancement, and increasing healthcare industry with advanced infrastructure could also be fueling the global vision care market. The prominent countries in this region are US and Canada. Easy availability of glass lens and innovative product launches with the help of modern technology are projected to propel the global vision care market in these countries.

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Global Vision Care Market: Competitive Dynamics

Some of the prominent players operating in the global vision care market areJohnson & Johnson, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, ZEISS and The Cooper Companies.The upcoming TMR report would provide crucial information on their product offerings, market standing, and strategies for progress.

About TMR Research

TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.

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Vision Care Market Poised to Expand at a Robust Pace Over 2028 - Statsflash

ANI | Updated: Nov 22, 2019 06:58 IST

Abu Dhabi [UAE], Nov 21 (ANI): Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), such as intestinal worms in children, river blindness and glaucoma, cause physical disability among the victims and make them liable to their families and societies for the rest of their lives especially in poor countries across the globe, an expert told WAM news agency."Neglected Tropical Diseases, NTDs, affect 1.5 billion people across the globe, causing massive disability. These disabled people cannot work and fully contribute to their communities," said Ellen Agler, CEO of END Fund, a non-governmental organisation working to eliminate NTDs.Diseases like intestinal worms in children hold them back from their school and cause anaemia and growth disorders; river blindness (also known as onchocerciasis) and blinding glaucoma cause blindness at an early age, which affects their ability to study and work, Agler explained in an interview on the sidelines of the Reaching the Last Mile Forum (RLMF) in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.Therefore, these diseases make a ripple effect on education and economy of a society, she stressed.Presently, there is a funding gap of an estimated USD 300 million a year. "This is a small amount, compared to other global health needs. One of the important things about NTDs is, they can be treated for US$0.50 per person per year," she noted.Agler, from her experience of working in more than 25 countries, recalled that community health workers and teachers play a major role in treating NTDs."In many [poor] countries there are more schools than health clinics, and they are a good platform to capture children who need deworming medicine. Therefore, teachers play an incredible role in treating these diseases," she was quoted saying.Meanwhile, Agler also appreciated Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for taking steps in eradicating NTDs."Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed launched the Reaching the Last Mile Fund, RLMF, two years ago in 2017," the expert said.Administered by the END Fund, RLMF is a 10-year, USD 100 million initiative launched by the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK's Department for International Development, DFID.The Forum aims to pave the way for global elimination of river blindness and Lymphatic filariasis.Caused by parasitic work, the disease leads to severe itching, skin disfigurement, and blindness among more than 197 million people in 31 countries.Studies also estimate that river blindness elimination in Africa could generate up to US$6 billion in economic benefits across the continent.More than 856 million people in 53 countries are in need of treatment for lymphatic filariasis, which is caused by the transmission of filarial parasites through mosquitoes.Lymphatic filariasis damages the lymphatic system, which causes abnormal growth of body parts called elephantiasis and can lead to disability, social stigma, and isolation.In 2018, Reaching the Last Mile Fund delivered over 13.5 million treatments for river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, and trained 76,000 health care workers to help expand treatment and outreach.The Fund is currently targeting river blindness elimination in seven countries: Mali, Senegal, Niger, Chad, Sudan, and Ethiopia in Africa, as well as in Yemen in the Middle East. (ANI)

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Neglected tropical diseases leave victims liable to families, says expert - ANI News

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN) today announced that Japans Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has approved the extension of the current marketing authorization of SOLIRIS (eculizumab) to include the prevention of relapse in patients with anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibody-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), including neuromyelitis optica.

We are pleased that the Japanese health authorities have approved SOLIRIS as a new treatment for patients suffering from this complex and unpredictable disease, said John Orloff, M.D., Executive Vice President and Head of Research and Development at Alexion. Nearly all patients treated with SOLIRIS were relapse free at 48 weeks in the Phase 3 PREVENT study, providing new hope for Japanese patients with NMOSD and their clinicians.

NMOSD is a rare, devastating, complement-mediated disorder of the central nervous system characterized by relapses, also referred to as attacks. Each attack can result in stepwise accumulation of disability, including blindness and paralysis and sometimes premature death. NMOSD disproportionately strikes young women in the prime of their lives, with the average age of first onset at just 39 years. Previously known as Devics Disease, NMOSD is often confused with other neurological illnesses such as multiple sclerosis (MS), which can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment with medicines that can worsen disease progression.

The understanding of NMOSD has rapidly evolved in recent years since complement activation by AQP4 antibodies was identified as an underlying cause of the disease, said Kazuo Fujihara, Professor, Fukushima Medical University, Director of the Multiple Sclerosis & Neuromyelitis Optica Center at Southern Tohoku Research Institute and a principal investigator in the PREVENT trial of SOLIRIS in anti-AQP4 antibody-positive NMOSD. With the first approved medicine for NMOSD in Japan, SOLIRIS will provide highly effective treatment to prevent future relapses in these patients.

The approval of SOLIRIS was based on comprehensive results from the Phase 3 randomized, double-blind placebo controlled PREVENT trial, which were published in The New England Journal of Medicine and a long-term extension study (ECU-NMO-302), which is still underway. In the PREVENT study, patients with NMOSD who were anti-AQP4 antibody-positive were treated with SOLIRIS (n=96) or placebo (n=47). The study met its primary endpoint of prolonging the time to first adjudicated relapse and reducing the risk of relapse. At 48 weeks, 98 percent of patients treated with SOLIRIS were relapse free compared to 63 percent of patients receiving placebo. Of the approximately one quarter of patients treated solely with SOLIRIS monotherapy, without receiving other immunosuppressive therapies, 100 percent were relapse free at 48 weeks compared to 61 percent in the placebo group. Sustained effects of SOLIRIS were observed through 144 weeks of treatment.

The safety profile of SOLIRIS was consistent with that seen for SOLIRIS in other clinical studies and real-world use in its three approved indications. The most common adverse events observed in the PREVENT study were upper respiratory tract infection (29 percent of patients in the SOLIRIS group vs. 13 percent in the placebo group), headache (23 vs. 23 percent), nasopharyngitis (21 vs. 19 percent) and nausea (17 vs. 26 percent). The serious adverse events that were reported for more than one patient in either group were pneumonia (three patients in the SOLIRIS group vs. one patient in the placebo group) and cellulitis, sepsis and urinary tract infection (two patients for each event in the SOLIRIS group vs. no patient in the placebo group). One patient receiving SOLIRIS and concomitant supportive IST died from a pulmonary empyema. The patient had an extensive history of pulmonary disease and was an active smoker. No cases of meningococcal infection were observed in the study.

SOLIRIS was approved for the treatment of NMOSD in adult patients who are anti-AQP4 antibody-positive by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2019 and by the European Commission (EC) in August 2019. SOLIRIS received Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) for the treatment of NMOSD in the U.S., EU and Japan.

About NMOSDNMOSD is a rare and severe, autoimmune, inflammatory disorder that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), in which complement activation due to anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibodies plays a significant role in the disease process. Patients with NMOSD experience unpredictable attacks, also referred to as relapses, which can cause irreversible damage to the optic nerve and spinal cord and can lead to long-term disability. The most common symptoms of NMOSD are optic neuritis and transverse myelitis. Optic neuritis can cause visual problems including blindness; transverse myelitis can cause mobility problems including paralysis. The disease primarily affects women, often in the prime of their lives, with an average age of onset of 39 years. The prevalence of NMOSD may be more common and more severe in non-Caucasian populations worldwide.

Approximately three quarters (73%) of all patients with NMOSD have AQP4 auto-antibodies. In patients with anti-AQP4 antibody-positive NMOSD, the bodys own immune system can turn against itself to produce auto-antibodies against AQP4, a protein on certain cells in the optic nerve, brain and spinal cord that are critical for the survival of nerve cells. The binding of these anti-AQP4 auto-antibodies activates the complement cascade, another part of the immune system. Complement activation by anti-AQP4 auto-antibodies can cause destruction of vital cells in the CNS, leading to demyelination and to the death of neurons, predominantly in the spinal cord and optic nerve.

About SOLIRISSOLIRIS (eculizumab) is a first-in-class complement inhibitor that works by inhibiting the C5 protein in the terminal part of the complement cascade, a part of the immune system. The terminal complement cascade, when activated in an uncontrolled manner, plays a role in severe rare and ultra-rare disorders. SOLIRIS, an intravenously administered therapy, is approved in the U.S., EU, Japan and other countries as a treatment for adult patients with PNH and for adults and children with aHUS. SOLIRIS is not indicated for the treatment of patients with Shiga-toxin E. coli-related hemolytic uremic syndrome (STEC-HUS). In the U.S., SOLIRIS is also approved for the treatment of generalized MG (gMG) in adult patients who are anti-AChR antibody-positive and for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in adult patients who are anti-AQP4 antibody-positive. In the EU, SOLIRIS is approved as the first and only treatment of refractory gMG in adults who are anti-AChR antibody-positive and for the treatment of NMOSD in adult patients who are anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibody-positive with a relapsing course of the disease. In Japan SOLIRIS is approved for the treatment of patients with gMG who are anti-AChR antibody-positive and whose symptoms are difficult to control with high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy or plasmapheresis (PLEX).

Important Safety Information

INDICATIONS & IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR SOLIRIS (eculizumab)

INDICATIONS

What is SOLIRIS?SOLIRIS is a prescription medicine called a monoclonal antibody. SOLIRIS is used to treat patients with a disease called Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH). SOLIRIS is used to treat adults and children with a disease called atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS). SOLIRIS is not for use in treating people with Shiga toxin E. coli related hemolytic uremic syndrome (STEC-HUS). SOLIRIS is used to treat adults with a disease called generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) who are anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody positive. SOLIRIS is used to treat adults with a disease called neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) who are anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibody positive. It is not known if SOLIRIS is safe and effective in children with PNH, gMG, or NMOSD.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

SOLIRIS is a medicine that affects the immune system. SOLIRIS can lower the ability of the immune system to fight infections. SOLIRIS increases the chance of getting serious and life-threatening meningococcal infections. Meningococcal infections may quickly become life-threatening and cause death if not recognized and treated early.

Meningococcal vaccines must be received at least two weeks before the first dose of SOLIRIS if one has not already had this vaccine. If ones doctor decided that urgent treatment with SOLIRIS is needed, meningococcal vaccination should be administered as soon as possible. If one has not been vaccinated and SOLIRIS therapy must be initiated immediately, two weeks of antibiotics should also be administered with the vaccinations. If one had a meningococcal vaccine in the past, additional vaccination might be needed before starting SOLIRIS. Patients should ask their doctor if an additional meningococcal vaccination is needed. Meningococcal vaccines reduce the risk of meningococcal infection but do not prevent all meningococcal infections. Call ones doctor or get emergency medical care right away if any of these signs and symptoms of a meningococcal infection occur: headache with nausea or vomiting, headache and fever, headache with a stiff neck or stiff back, fever, fever and a rash, confusion, muscle aches with flu-like symptoms, and eyes sensitive to light. Ones doctor will provide a Patient Safety Card about the risk of meningococcal infection. Carry the card at all times during treatment and for 3 months after the last SOLIRIS dose.

SOLIRIS is only available through a program called the SOLIRIS REMS.

SOLIRIS may also increase the risk of other types of serious infections. If ones child is treated with SOLIRIS, make sure that the child receives vaccinations against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). Certain people may be at risk of serious infections with gonorrhea. Talk to the doctor about whether one is at risk for gonorrhea infection, about gonorrhea prevention, and regular testing. Certain fungal infections (Aspergillus) may also happen if one takes SOLIRIS and has a weak immune system or a low white blood cell count.

Do not receive SOLIRIS if one has a meningococcal infection, or has not been vaccinated against meningitis infection unless ones doctor decides that urgent treatment with SOLIRIS is needed.

Before one receives SOLIRIS, tell the doctor about all of the medical conditions, including if one: has an infection or fever, is pregnant or plans to become pregnant, and is breastfeeding or plans to breastfeed. It is not known if SOLIRIS will harm an unborn baby or if SOLIRIS passes into the breast milk.

Tell the doctor about all the medicines one takes, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. SOLIRIS and other medicines can affect each other, causing side effects. It is important that one: has all recommended vaccinations before starting SOLIRIS, receives 2 weeks of antibiotics if one immediately starts SOLIRIS, and stays up-to-date with all recommended vaccinations during treatment with SOLIRIS. Know the medications one takes and the vaccines one receives. Keep a list of them to show the doctor and pharmacist when one gets a new medicine.

If one has PNH, the doctor will need to monitor closely for at least 8 weeks after stopping SOLIRIS. Stopping treatment with SOLIRIS may cause breakdown of the red blood cells due to PNH. Symptoms or problems that can happen due to red blood cell breakdown include: drop in the number of the red blood cell count, drop in the platelet counts, confusion, kidney problems, blood clots, difficulty breathing, and chest pain. If one has aHUS, the doctor will need to monitor closely during and for at least 12 weeks after stopping treatment for signs of worsening aHUS symptoms or problems related to abnormal clotting (thrombotic microangiopathy). Symptoms or problems that can happen with abnormal clotting may include: stroke, confusion, seizure, chest pain (angina), difficulty breathing, kidney problems, swellings in arms or legs, and a drop in the platelet count. SOLIRIS can cause serious side effects including serious allergic reactions. Serious allergic reactions can happen during ones SOLIRIS infusion. Tell the doctor or nurse right away if one gets any of these symptoms during the SOLIRIS infusion: chest pain, trouble breathing or shortness of breath, swelling of the face, tongue, or throat, and feeling faint or pass out. If one has an allergic reaction to SOLIRIS, the doctor may need to infuse SOLIRIS more slowly, or stop SOLIRIS.

The most common side effects in people with PNH treated with SOLIRIS include: headache, pain or swelling of the nose or throat (nasopharyngitis), back pain, and nausea. The most common side effects in people with aHUS treated with SOLIRIS include: headache, diarrhea, high blood pressure (hypertension), common cold (upper respiratory infection), stomach-area (abdominal) pain, vomiting, pain or swelling of the nose or throat (nasopharyngitis), low red blood cell count (anemia), cough, swelling of legs or feet (peripheral edema), nausea, urinary tract infections, and fever. The most common side effects in people with gMG treated with SOLIRIS include: muscle and joint (musculoskeletal) pain. The most common side effects in people with NMOSD treated with SOLIRIS include: common cold (upper respiratory infection); pain or swelling of the nose or throat (nasopharyngitis); diarrhea; back pain; dizziness; flu like symptoms (influenza) including fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, and body aches; joint pain (arthralgia); throat irritation (pharyngitis), and bruising (contusion).

Please see the accompanying full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide for SOLIRIS, including BOXED WARNING regarding serious and life-threatening meningococcal infections.

About AlexionAlexion is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on serving patients and families affected by rare diseases through the discovery, development and commercialization of life-changing therapies. As the global leader in complement biology and inhibition for more than 20 years, Alexion has developed and commercializes two approved complement inhibitors to treat patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), as well as the first and only approved complement inhibitor to treat anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody-positive generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Alexion also has two highly innovative enzyme replacement therapies for patients with life-threatening and ultra-rare metabolic disorders, hypophosphatasia (HPP) and lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL-D). In addition, the company is developing several mid-to-late-stage therapies, including a second complement inhibitor, a copper-binding agent for Wilson disease and an anti-neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) antibody for rare Immunoglobulin G (IgG)-mediated diseases as well as several early-stage therapies, including one for light chain (AL) amyloidosis and a second anti-FcRn therapy. Alexion focuses its research efforts on novel molecules and targets in the complement cascade and its development efforts on the core therapeutic areas of hematology, nephrology, neurology, metabolic disorders and cardiology. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Alexion has offices around the globe and serves patients in more than 50 countries. This press release and further information about Alexion can be found at: http://www.alexion.com.

[ALXN-G]

Forward-Looking StatementThis press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties relating to future events and the future performance of Alexion, including statements related to: the potential benefits of SOLIRIS as a treatment and prevention of relapse in adult patients with anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibody-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and the potential impact of SOLIRIS on patients suffering from NMOSD; and that Soliris can help prevent future relapses. Forward-looking statements are subject to factors that may cause Alexion's results and plans to differ materially from those expected by these forward looking statements, including for example: the anticipated benefits of SOLIRIS for NMOSD patients may not be realized (and the results of the clinical trials may not be indicative of the results once approved for use in the European Union); results of clinical trials may not be sufficient to satisfy any other regulatory authority in order to approve SOLIRIS as a treatment for NMOSD (or they may request additional trials or additional information); results in clinical trials may not be indicative of results from later stage or larger clinical trials (or in broader patient populations); the possibility that results of clinical trials are not predictive of safety and efficacy and potency of our products (or we fail to adequately operate or manage our clinical trials) which could cause us to discontinue sales of the product (or halt trials, delay or prevent us from making regulatory approval filings or result in denial of approval of our product candidates); unexpected delays in clinical trials; unexpected concerns regarding products and product candidates that may arise from additional data or analysis obtained during clinical trials or obtained once used by patients following product approval; future product improvements may not be realized due to expense or feasibility or other factors; delays (expected or unexpected) in the time it takes regulatory agencies to review and make determinations on applications for the marketing approval of our products; inability to timely submit (or failure to submit) future applications for regulatory approval for our products and product candidates; inability to timely initiate (or failure to initiate) and complete future clinical trials due to safety issues, IRB decisions, CMC-related issues, expense or unfavorable results from earlier trials (among other reasons); our dependence on sales from Soliris, our principle product; future competition from biosimilars and novel products; decisions of regulatory authorities regarding the adequacy of our research, marketing approval or material limitations on the marketing of our products; delays or the inability to launch product candidates due to regulatory restrictions, anticipated expense or other matters; interruptions or failures in the manufacture and supply of our products and our product candidates; failure to satisfactorily address matters raised by the European Commission and other regulatory agencies regarding products and product candidates; uncertainty of long-term success in developing, licensing or acquiring other product candidates or additional indications for existing products; inability to complete acquisitions or grow the product pipeline through acquisitions (including due to failure to obtain antitrust approvals); the possibility that current rates of adoption of our products are not sustained; the adequacy of our pharmacovigilance and drug safety reporting processes; failure to protect and enforce our data, intellectual property and proprietary rights and the risks and uncertainties relating to intellectual property claims, lawsuits and challenges against us (including intellectual property lawsuits relating to Ultomiris brought by third parties and inter partes reviews of existing patents); the risk that third party payors (including governmental agencies) will not reimburse or continue to reimburse for the use of our products at acceptable rates or at all; failure to realize the benefits and potential of investments, collaborations, licenses and acquisitions; the possibility that expected tax benefits will not be realized; potential declines in sovereign credit ratings or sovereign defaults in countries where we sell our products; delay of collection or reduction in reimbursement due to adverse economic conditions or changes in government and private insurer regulations and approaches to reimbursement; uncertainties surrounding legal proceedings, company investigations and government investigations, including investigations of Alexion by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and U.S. Department of Justice; the risk that estimates regarding the number of patients with PNH, aHUS, gMG, NMOSD, HPP and LAL-D and other indications we are pursuing are inaccurate; the risks of changing foreign exchange rates; risks relating to the potential effects of the Company's restructuring; risks related to the acquisition of Syntimmune and other companies and co-development efforts; and a variety of other risks set forth from time to time in Alexion's filings with the SEC, including but not limited to the risks discussed in Alexion's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2019 and in our other filings with the SEC. Alexion disclaims any obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, except when a duty arises under law.

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SOLIRIS (eculizumab) Receives Approval in Japan for the Prevention of Relapse in Patients with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD) -...

Rubin Jure

Director, Centro Privado de Neurologa y Neuropsicologa Infanto-Juvenil Wernicke

The ability to see plays a large role in the development of the brain so it makes sense that there would be a connection between vision and autism, which is essentially a condition of brain development.

When the eyes are open, vision is the dominant sense. Continuous input from the eyes links stimulation from other senses into a coherent whole.

A typical newborn already looks preferentially at faces, driven by an innate motivation to interact with others1. In this way, vision drives social-communication skills. Visual input shapes the brain during the first year of life. The visual system also processes aspects of nonverbal communication, such as shared visual attention, facial expressions, gestures and body postures.

Sight is also crucial for acquiring some basic concepts such as cause-and-effect relationships among actions, self as separate from others and object permanence.

So it stands to reason that without vision, brain development would go awry.

As a child neurologist, I treat children with various developmental disabilities, including autism. Every year, I see at least one blind child who shows the full clinical manifestations of autism. Because congenital blindness is rare, this was striking to me, particularly because the autism traits in these children are typically severe.

In 2012, I decided to investigate the relationship between autism and blindness in an unbiased population. Although the study was small, it indicated that autism is more than 30 times as common in blind people as in sighted people2. Other work from my team suggests this relationship is specific to vision: Hearing impairment is not strongly connected to autism3. The association is also independent of intellectual ability, showing that problems with cognition alone cannot explain the connection4.

The first report of autism in blind children appeared in more than 60 years ago5. In that study, the researcher identified autism in 5 of 60 infants who became blind because of retinopathy of prematurity, a condition in which the retina does not fully develop. (The rest of the children also had mild autism traits.)

Since then, scattered reports have drawn an association between congenital blindness and autism traits. But professionals typically did not recognize childrens social and other difficulties as autism often because they did not know much about autism. Instead they collectively called these issues blindism.

To a seasoned eye, the similarities between blindism and autism are striking. They include atypical communication, language and social skills, as well as stereotypies, resistance to change, severe anxiety and high pain tolerance. And like sighted autistic children, about one in four blind children experiences regression at 15 to 30 months of age.

To find out more about this connection, I visited a school for the blind and evaluated 38 of the schools 125 students for autism. I diagnosed autism in 18 of 25 students with congenital blindness but in only 1 of 13 with partial or acquired blindness. A statistical analysis showed that congenital blindness is the main factor responsible for the autism. No other variable, including etiology of blindness, the presence of intellectual disability, overt brain damage or socioeconomic status, accounted for its high prevalence2.

As part of this study, I evaluated 12 previous studies of blindness and autism. Each study focused on specific causes of blindness, under the assumption that the participants autism stemmed from the same cause say, congenital rubella or optic nerve atrophy. But I found that, taken together, the studies suggest that blindness itself (no matter what its cause) is connected to autism: About half of the collective 859 children who were blind from an early age also have autism. The rate of autism was even higher, ranging from 55 to 74 percent, in children with total congenital blindness.

Some researchers have proposed that the connection between autism and blindness is cognitive. Results published earlier this year suggest that idea is incorrect, however.

This population-based study looked at core autism traits in more than 3,000 adults with intellectual disability, 386 of whom are visually impaired. They found that the visually impaired adults with intellectual disability are more likely to have autism traits than the sighted adults, indicating that the effects of blindness extend beyond intellect. And once again, the prevalence of autism traits is highest among the adults with congenital blindness4.

My clinical experience jibes with the notion that intellectual disability is not what binds blindness and autism. There are highly intelligent people who are both blind and autistic. For example, I saw a congenitally blind teenage girl named Brisa who has social and communication difficulties as well as atypical prosody, the musical quality of speech. Brisa has excellent reasoning skills and excels academically.

Among the senses, vision also may have a special connection with autism. In 1991, we found that only 46 of 1,150 hearing-impaired children met the criteria for autism. The presence of autism is related more to medical conditions that affect the brain, such as congenital rubella or prematurity, than to the severity of the hearing impairment, suggesting that deafness itself does not contribute to autism3.

Researchers need to nail down the brain mechanisms that account for the autism-blindness overlap. One place to start looking is a brain region called the superior colliculus. This structure receives direct input from the retina. It is involved in not only the recognition of faces and biological movement but also the integration of sensory input with emotions, basic body functions and motor planning functions that are often altered in autism6.

Another outstanding question is: Why does a small proportion of congenitally blind children develop typically? Early in life, communication is mostly visual in nature, so how do some blind children acquire communication and social skills despite the lack of visual input? Understanding the factors that protect them could provide clues to autism therapies.

Rubin Jure is a child neurologist and director of the Centro Privado de Neurologa y Neuropsicologa Infanto-Juvenil Wernicke in Cordoba, Argentina.

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Seeing connections between autism and blindness - Spectrum

Just past the front desk of the Milwaukee Public Librarys Central Branch on West Wisconsin Avenue, theres a hallway you have to walk through to get to the stacks. Through the end of November, that hallway will be lined with a series of striking black and white photographic portraits.

The "My Heart Is Not Blind" exhibition is made up of photographs, a book, and audio recordings by Texas photographer Michael Nye. They tell the stories of people who have been affected by blindness or limited vision. Nye says he's been working on the project for seven years. The exhibition was brought to Milwaukee by Wisconsins Vision Forward, a nonprofit group that works with people who've experienced vision loss.

"This exhibit is about our shared humanity and our shared fragility," says Nye. "I think we all share both of those qualities in our lives. And its about adaptation and about perception, and its about understanding."

We met Nye at Milwaukee Public Library's Central Branch to see the exhibit and learn more about why he was compelled to tell these stories:

Photographer Michael Nye speaks with Bonnie North at the Milwaukee Public Library's Central Branch.

Read more here:
'My Heart Is Not Blind' Exhibition Explores Blindness And Perception - WUWM

In 2008, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had six times more blindness than other Australians. The leading cause of this blindness was unoperated cataract.

Compared with other Australians, Indigenous Australians were 12 times more likely to be left blind from cataract, had to wait more than 50 per cent longer for surgery and surgery was performed seven times less frequently.

These dire findings, along with some others, led to the development of the Roadmap to Close the Gap for Vision launched in 2012.

The Roadmap recognised that the pathway of care or the patients journey was complex like a leaky pipe with many leaks. But if only one or two of these leaks were fixed, the pipe would still leak.

As part of this work, the Roadmap identified 42 issues that needed addressing. It set out a long-term plan to provide well-coordinated care and support for Indigenous people requiring eye care.

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It aimed for adequately resourced and supported eye services to meet the population-based needs of these communities.

The good news is that since 2012, some significant progress has been made with strong support from the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health sector, the eye care stakeholders and successive governments.

But more needs to be done.

The 2019 report on Indigenous Eye Health Measures by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows that the number of outreach eye examinations received by Indigenous Australians has almost tripled in the last six years.

This is one of many changes that have occurred in the eye care system, including the organisation of regional networks to coordinate regional eye care, changes in Medicare item numbers, the enhancement of screening for diabetic retinopathy and the dramatic reductions in the rates of trachoma.

The 2019 Annual Update of the Roadmap shows that good progress is being made across the board. Twenty one of the 42 recommendations have now been fully implemented.

Progress is being made on every one of the intermediary steps and almost 80 per cent have been completed.

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Progress has also been made in providing better access for cataract surgery. The number of cataract operations performed for Indigenous Australians has increased nearly two and a half times.

Its interesting that the AIHW data also shows that Indigenous people have cataract surgery at a much younger age than non-Indigenous people.

However, the 2015 National Eye Health Survey found only 59 per cent of Indigenous Australians who needed cataract surgery had actually had the surgery, whereas 88 per cent for non-Indigenous Australians had received surgery.

Overall, 73 per cent of all hospital admissions for Indigenous Australians are to public hospitals compared to 33 per cent for non-Indigenous Australians.

However, in Australia, some 70 per cent of cataract surgery is performed in private. Although the precise data is not available, it seems likely that most cataract surgery for Indigenous Australians occurs in public hospitals.

The average waiting time for Indigenous patients to have cataract surgery in a public hospital in 2016-17 was 58 per cent longer than that for non-Indigenous patients and they were also twice as likely to wait for more than one year.

Based on population size, we would expect about 7,581 cataract operations would be required in 2015-17 for Indigenous people, but AIHW reports only 5,131 operations were done that is 68 per cent of the estimated need.

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This gap of 2,400 or so operations is very small when compared to the total of 296,570 cataract operations performed in 2017-18 in Australia.

Another problem that is so often overlooked is the waiting times for assessment of cataract in the eye clinic.

But, the data on outpatient waiting times is not easy to find and variably reported.

In Victorian hospitals, the median wait for an initial eye clinic appointment ranges from 62 days to 347 days 90 per cent of people would be seen between 159 and 828 days.

In South Australia, the median waiting time is between 12 and 18 months and the maximum waiting time is between 61 months to 134 months thats more than 11 years.

Clearly, the public hospital system is not working well in providing equitable and timely cataract surgery.

Given the propensity for Indigenous patients to seek public hospital care, this actually has a discriminatory effect, so its a key area that needs to be addressed if we really are going to close the gap for vision.

The Roadmap also included recommendations for regional planning and organisation, case management and support, resources to meet population-based needs, monitoring and evaluation and the need for oversight at multiple levels.

This list needs to be expanded to include some reform of the public hospital management of cataract surgery.

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In March this year, the Council of Australian Governments Health Council set the elimination of avoidable blindness as a high priority issue for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and this also is one of the priorities in Australias Long Term National Health Plan.

However, to improve access to cataract surgery and close the gap for vision, a number of further changes are needed.

The regional stakeholder groups need their services fully funded to meet their population-based needs. People requiring assessment for cataract surgery should have access to public hospitals without long waits and, if that clinical assessment has to be done in private, it should be done without gap fees.

Then, once listed for cataract surgery, that surgery must be done in a timely manner.

Public hospitals should report on their waiting lists both for clinical assessment and for surgery. And a wait of less than 90 days should become the standard target for both the clinical assessment and the surgery waiting times.

Although a lot of progress has been made in improving eye care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, there is still a gap in the eye care they receive and their eye health.

One of the critical areas remaining is the provision of prompt access to culturally safe and affordable cataract surgery.

It means much still needs to be done to rectify the often unacceptably long waiting times for both outpatient assessment and cataract surgery in Australias public hospitals.

Banner: Getty Images

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Can we close the gap on blindness by 2020? - Pursuit

We all are exposed daily to bisphenol-A (BPA) and other bisphenols estrogen-like substances added to food can liners, paper receipts and plastic containers.

That exposure, according to research that regulators are willfully ignoring, is increasingly linked to harmful health impacts ranging from birth defects to cancer.

A year-long investigation by Environmental Health News finds that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has stacked the deck against such findings from independent scientists studying BPA as well as many compounds used in "BPA-free" products.

Hundreds of emails obtained via the Freedom of Information Act and dozens of interviews show that science is being perjured:

Significantly, the FDA's maneuvering to keep BPA unregulated extends a similar "get out of jail free" card to thousands of other suspected hormone-altering compounds.

"Their failure to use modern science in examining the risk of BPA and other bisphenols leaves the health of the American public at significant risk," said Pete Myers, founder and chief scientist at Environmental Health Sciences, which publishes Environmental Health News.

Environmental Health News is an award-winning nonpartisan organization dedicated to driving science into public discussion and policy. Read the four-part series below, as well as a comic strip interpretation of the investigation.

And follow the fallout from this investigation on Twitter at the hashtag: #ExposedBPA

Read more from the original source:
Exposed: How willful blindness keeps BPA on shelves and contaminating our bodies - Environmental Health News

Congenital vision loss may protect against psychosis because of the high stability of an internal world characterized by other sensory modalities, according to an article published in Schizophrenia Bulletin.

Dr Thomas A Pollack and Dr Philip R Corlett, researchers at Kings College London in the United Kingdom and Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, respectively, used a Bayesian prediction error minimization model to illuminate the role of vision loss in psychosis, particularly regarding positive symptoms.

The Bayesian approach to psychosis in schizophrenia conceptualizes the brain as a hierarchicalinference machine: the brain interprets the probability of present events using information gleaned from past stimuli, or priors. The more precise a prior, the more strongly it influences decision making and beliefs at higher levels in the hierarchy. In schizophrenia, this hierarchy is disturbed, and irrelevant stimuli may become abnormally salient.[to] beliefs higher in the hierarchy.

Congenital blindness may protect against these computational deficits that underlie schizophrenia. Investigators hypothesize that blind individuals experience greater stability of high-level priors, possibly driven by increases in N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-mediated signaling. NMDAR-mediated signaling is thought to be top-down and modulatory in nature. Visual deprivation has been shown to cause higher-level, multisensory neurons to shift from sensory-driven responses to a more modulatory influence, a phenomenon that is likely NMDAR dependent.

According to the researchers, other published data suggest that visual deprivation causes increases in NMDAR-dependent cortical excitability. As such, increased top-down modulatory signaling associated with stable higher-level priors is more prevalent in the visually impaired brain. This computational rationale may explain the protective effect congenital blindness offers against psychosis. With more stable priors, blind individuals are less susceptible to the perception abnormalities that characterize schizophrenia.

Notably, later-life vision loss offers no such protective effect against psychosis. The top-down model cortical hierarchy asserts that the brain is equipped with hyperpriors, or internal expectations concerning perceived features of the world. In psychosis, a hyperprior may generate false attributions of the causes of sensory input. According to this same model, hyperpriors also predispose the developmentally typical brain to have visual hallucinations following visual deprivation because the brain expects a cause for sensory data. In the absence of visual information, the brain creates false external attributions, which manifest as hallucinations.

According to this model, investigators outlined several experimentally testable hypotheses, including the theory that congenitally blind individuals will show lessened psychosis-proneness compared with their sighted counterparts and lower psychotomimetic response to ketamine. The Bayesian error minimization model may be useful in further efforts to explore the nature of psychosis, vision loss, and visual hallucinations.

Reference

Pollack TA, Corlett PR. Blindness, psychosis, and the visual construction of the world [published online October 11, 2019]. Schizophr Bull. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbz098

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How Does a Visual Construction of the World Influence Psychosis? - Psychiatry Advisor

Mona Minkarastood on a train platform in Johannesburg, South Africa, tapping at her phone in frustration. The GPS was malfunctioning and the devices automated voice kept repeating that there was no transit information available.

Minkara, a newly appointed assistant professor of bioengineering at Northeastern, has been blind since she was seven years old. She was in Johannesburg filming the first part of a documentary series demonstrating how she navigates public transportation around the world.

I always tell people I cant wait to get lost, Minkara says. Sometimes society tells you, Youre blind, so you cant do this. So my freedom matters so much to me.

In July, Minkara was awarded the Holman Prize by LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, which is given to individuals who are blind and want to push their limits with some sort of groundbreaking adventure. The award is named for James Holman, a blind, Victorian-era explorer who spent years traveling the world alone and successfully circumnavigated the globe.

As with Holman, Minkaras adventure is rooted in solo exploration. She started with a trip to Johannesburg in October. In December, she will fly to London, and explore Istanbul, Singapore, and Tokyo before returning home. She is traveling with a videographer, but the woman is not allowed to help her in any way other than by filming what happens.

The footage will be made into a five-episode documentary series called Planes, Trains, and Canes, which will be released on YouTube in 2020. Minkara intends the series to show how blind people deal with different public transportation systems, and that adventure is possible for anyone.

It gives me a sense of freedom, to be in a city that has good public transportation, Minkara says. It means I can do my own thing for myself. Thats huge.

At Northeastern, Minkara is using her background in computational chemistry to study molecules that reside on the inner surface of our lungs, called pulmonary surfactants. They reduce the surface tension of water, which allows our lungs to expand more easily, helping us breathe.

Minkara will be modeling this substance at the molecular level. Her work could help researchers understand how vaping affects our lung function, as well as lead to better treatments for diseases such as respiratory distress syndrome.

To do her research, Minkara works with access assistants who take notes, proof-read publications, and trace the shape of plots on the back of Minkaras hand, so she can understand what they look like. Their assistance is invaluable, Minkara says, but she hopes blind researchers will have more tools in the future, such as tactile plots or braille displays, that could provide tangible access to the different images they are working with.

Minkara, who grew up watching The Magic School Bus and reading stories of Sherlock Holmes, knew she wanted to be a scientist. Her blindness didnt change that goal.

I actually started out undergrad wanting to be a surgeon, she says with a laugh. I remember having a conversation with the pre-med advisor saying something like, Would you want a blind person cutting up your brain? And I thought, Hmm, maybe were not ready yet, as a society.

Instead, Minkara pursued computational chemistry. When she took a postdoctoral position at the University of Minnesota, her advisor, J. Ilja Siepmann, helped Minkara realize that her blindness was actually a strength in scientific research.

Siepmann pointed out that being blind had taught Minkara to think differently and solve problems in creative ways. He wanted her in his lab because those skills would help her approach research questions from different angles, and see things that a sighted person might miss.

It just floored me, Minkara says. It was the first time in my professional life in which somebody saw my blindness as an asset, when I had felt like I needed to keep on running to keep up with my peers.

And she envisions a future with a lot more blind researchers.

There are a lot of hurdles, but I personally feel like theyre worth overcoming, Minkara says. I want to be there for kids that are trying to be scientists and are blind. Or really, any kid that is trying to do something that society thinks they cant.

For media inquiries, please contact media@northeastern.edu.

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A bioengineering researcher who studies how vaping affects lung function sees a future with more blind scientists - News@Northeastern

Most blind people have some light perception but I'm one of the 2pc that have total darkness. I was born with retinoblastoma, an extremely rare cancer of the eye, and by four months old, both my eyes had been removed.

My parents had a fruit farm in Kildare and when I was born in the mid 1970s, there was no internet, no support groups.

I think they did not know what approach to take and so decided to treat me exactly the same as my younger twin sisters. They worked tremendously hard and everyone had to pitch in; blindness was no excuse. Their work ethic rubbed off on me, and I could not imagine a life without work.

The profit mentality

I left a secure and pensionable job with the National Council for the Blind (NCBI) to set up the Irish operations of Sight and Sound Technology, a 40-year-old company that provides hardware and software for the blind, visually impaired, and for people with learning and reading difficulties.

People told me I was insane and questioned would a British company remain in Ireland post-Brexit. But one year on, there are not enough hours in the day for me to keep up with the work.

I had worked in the technology area in the NCBI, so I knew there was a market here.

My main motivation is to provide a quality product that can help people, and I don't want to lose my values. It is hard to balance with the pressure that a profit has to be made for the shareholders.

Learning curve

The first two months were tricky. I had spent 17 years surrounded by colleagues and suddenly it was just me. I was walking 40 minutes to sit in an empty office and bang out emails to tell people who we were. I confided my difficulties to my boss and he told me I could arrange my working life any way I preferred.

So now I work from home, and come into the office when meeting people, and we have hired someone to help with admin. My mental health is better working from home. I go to a lot of events and travel quite a bit anyway, on average three times a month to the UK.

Usability is key

What we do is integrate specialist solutions into mainstream technology, to make it more accessible for the blind, visually impaired, and those with learning and reading difficulties.

I have a braille keyboard with the usual commands of a regular keyboard. I will either listen to my emails, or else use a refreshable braille display, that shows a series of pins raised and lowered. I can also plug in this braille display to my phone or my Kindle.

Zoom text magnification software and background readers are lifelines for those with impaired sight, and now applications read verbally from the screen in high-quality synthetic speech - which is crucial.

I have proved to be great quality control. Although I can read graphs in braille, I was finding that the most difficult part of my job was interpreting financial data with lots of figures and spreadsheets. Up until then, my colleagues did not have a blind person working as their equal, so it has been helpful in pinpointing where we need to improve usability. No matter how good technology is, it has to be easy to use, otherwise it's useless.

Advance schmoozing

I've learned that the trick with networking at conferences is to do most of my schmoozing beforehand. I will get a list of who is going and try to build a rapport by email before I go.

My phone is useful when looking for a person. I will ask at the desk to check who has registered and then can send a message to say I will be at this stand at 10.30am.

I'm really specific, but there is subtlety; I make it look seamless.

Otherwise, people say 'great, see you there', but I'm never going to spot someone across a room and I have to make it concrete.

Everyone has their own perceptions of their world as they know it. In an ideal world, all would be treated equally, and there is no doubt that society is getting better. The technology is improving, and getting cheaper, all the time and I'm hoping in time there will be more employment opportunities for the blind.

Compartmentalising

Myself and my fiance (Paralympian Nadine Lattimore) had our son Adam six months ago. This has thrown a grenade into my work-life balance; it is the biggest challenge I have faced and I have not yet got it right.

I do find it difficult to stop working and find myself sending emails with Adam on my lap. I just dislike putting off until tomorrow what I can do today.

It can be challenging for a blind person to find accessible fitness activities, but I've started walking more, with Adam strapped to my chest in the baby carrier.

Living your life

Nadine lost her sight 14 years ago and I do feel that growing up blind from birth, I have had an easier time of it.

My reality is normal for me. If I was offered sight back, I'm not sure what I would do. I think about this question a lot. It would be a huge disruption and throw my life right out of kilter.

People always ask how we manage with a newborn. But looking after a baby is such a tactile process; we have had no problems, it's been a joy. I know I have a higher risk of getting cancer again but I don't give it much thought; my life is to be lived now and it's a wonderful one.

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'Everyone had to pitch in on the farm, blindness was no excuse' - Independent.ie

The government won't say the words 'climate change' and 'fires' in the same sentence.

A great deal of NSW is currently on fire. It is Spring.

Usually that kind of environmental devastation begins, at worst, in Summer. So many blazes, particularly at this time of year, is worryingly out of the ordinary.

Of course, we all knew that something like this was coming. Weve been warned for decades that climate change was set to increase the number of freak weather events, and that the drought would continue to dry out our natural woodlands, making blazes inevitable.

But just try telling that to Australias politicians. After all, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Prime Minister Scott Morrison have spent every hour since the blazes began vehemently attempting to deny any link between the destruction and climate change.

According to them, its not right to politicise the blazes. Instead, we should simply mourn a problem while obstinately, repeatedly ignoring its causes.

Its enough to make you weep. Or, at least, thanks to those folks over at SBSsThe Feed, to weep while bitterly laughing.

Yep,The Feed have dusted off their best yellow wig, and filmed a sketch lampooning the governments almost pathological inability to say the words climate change and fire in the same sentence.

Beginning with an itemised list of the public figures that have gone on the record to draw the line between environmental collapse and our changing climate, the sketch descends into pure, hysterical surreality, as the governments obstinance slowly morphs into straight-up denial.

Watch it through your tears here:

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NSW Fires: 'The Feed' Blasts Government's Blindness On Climate Change - Junkee

Leave a Legacy SupplementChai Brady speaks to Sightsavers about the devastating diseases and blindness they combat

Easily treated diseases that are now quickly tackled in the Western world with readily available medicines are still a scourge in developing countries, with blindness being one of the devastating outcomes.

Charlie Lamson, CEO of Sightsavers, told The Irish Catholic that it wasnt so long ago that countries like Ireland were struggling with diseases, such as Trachoma, easily treatable at its early stage with antibiotics.

Returning from Senegal recently, Mr Lamson saw first-hand the effects of Trachoma, and how the horrific disease develops. Working in over 30 countries the charity assist communities, governments and train local staff who will stay in the country helping those in need.

The way we work is a collaborative approach, the country office works with local partners and then works with the ministry of health, so a lot of what were doing is based on working directly with the countries, Mr Lamson says.

Were not just flying in, doing all this great stuff, and then flying out again. Its very much about working with government ministries to create genuine change in the way that they approach the challenges they have.

In 2018 the charity carried out more than 16 million eye examinations across the countries in which they work, and distributed more than 113 million treatments to prevent and treat debilitating diseases.

Sightsavers first programmes began in the 1950s, starting in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, with several other African countries following in the next two decades.

In the 1960s and 70s this was expanded into Asia with their first projects in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The charity also continued to extend their work across Africa. More recently, their work in Yemen began in 2018.

Their work in Sri Lanka came to an end in 2016, which was the first time the charity finished working in a country as they were satisfied that they eye care services they set up would continue without them.

Mentioning Francis Ford Coppolas film, The Godfather Part II, when fictional character Vito Corleones eyes are checked for Trachoma before he enters New York from Sicily, Mr Lamson says this is an example of how the Western world was once challenged with the disease.

All of the support thats provided to older people through a wealthy society, a modern economy, if you were to remove all of that and then find yourself in a very poor economy without any of those structures in place its very devastating.

Trachoma is the worlds leading infectious cause of blindness, and is part of a group of conditions known as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Much like conjunctivitis it starts as a bacterial infection, but if it is not treated it can become unbearable.

Over time it causes scarring to the eyelid that pulls the eyelashes inward, so with every blink they scrape against the eye. This advanced form is called trichiasis and is so intensely painful that people afflicted resort to pulling out their eyelashes due to the agony of blinking.

The disease thrives where there are water shortages, poor sanitation and infestations of flies. Its caused byrepeated infection with bacteriaknown as chamydia trachomatis, and it spreads through contact with infected flies and via hands, clothes or bedding that have been in contact with an infected person.

Mr Lamson says they are working on a campaign called The End is in Sight, which endeavours to eliminate the disease by 2025. Currently there are still 44 countries that count the disease as a public health problem.

We train ophthalmologists, ophthalmic surgeons, ophthalmic nurses, were working with ministries of health around things like budgeting and long term planning, all of these, he says.

The result of this will be a trained medical professional from the country who will stay there and continue to work with people. In addition to training, they provide expertise and medical equipment, with Mr Lamson saying the model is based on true sustainable development.

***

Trachoma is not the only disease the charity is combatting. River blindness is a parasitic infection spread by flies near fast flowing rivers and can cause severe irritation, itching and even blindness if the infection is not treated.

Mr Lamson says: Were not working directly with river blindness in Senegal, although we do see it for example in Ghana. One of my colleagues was down there and has unbelievable stories.

You see a whole village river blindness can affect up to 70% of a community when it really takes hold, and 40 years ago that would be the case. She visited a community in Ghana and was interviewing seniors within the community. She interviewed about five or six people, all of them were blind as a result of river blindness.

The community his colleague visited had to abandon their former village to move further away from the river, due to the prevalence of river blindness.

The community was dying, the young people all moving away, you were left with a lot of visually impaired seniors in the community so it was devastating, to see the pictures and hear her talk about it, he says.

River blindness is interesting because it can take years for it to manifest before it then starts to manifest in the eye and cause vision loss.

When someone is bitten by the flies, larvae invade the body and develop into worms that can live for 15 years. Female worms produce thousands of microscopic larvae each day known as microfilariae which spread through the body and can be passed on to others. When the microfilariae die, they cause a reaction leading to immense irritation, inflammation and itching. If the larvae travel to the eyes, it can cause irreversible sight loss.

As well as pain, blindness and the associated stigma, river blindness forces people to move away from fertile river valleys where the disease is prevalent. As a result, they can struggle to find suitable areas to farm or grow crops, pushing families and communities into poverty.

However, treatment is relatively cheap, with Mr Lamson saying 50 can protect 1,000 people from river blindness. The medication comes in the form of tablets and a simple method used to gauge the height of a person informs what dose someone should be given.

Almost all of usare going to be disabled, and the majority are going to face that disability when we get to that age in our lives, when were older

The instrument is called a dose pole, which is tall and colourful, with each colour having dots representing how many tablets should be given depending on a persons height.

For example if a person is 172cm, the dose pole would be placed beside them and would show they need three tablets. Due to some community members being wary of the medicines, Mr Lamson explains, having community directed distributors (CDDs) is a huge benefit.

People from within the community are each given a dose pole, which is easy to use regardless of literacy levels, and they can be trained and subsequently trusted to treat other members of the community properly.

The added benefit is the distributors are nominated by their local community and are therefore ideally placed to deliver the medication as they understand the communitys dynamics and customs, enabling Sightsavers to deliver aid to those who need help the most and ensure that people in the most poor or remote areas are treated.

***

One of the most vital parts of the charitys ability to continue with these, and other life-changing initiatives is through their legacy donations.

Legacy donations are critical, its a huge part of our work. Oftentimes a legacy giftwe can use in the areas that we need it most, which is really important, says Mr Lamson.

Its such a personal form of support for us. We recently have a number of legacy gifts come through and weve ended up getting some absolutely incredible letters from the family who are talking about the person who had passed away and how this was important for them, in that they had wanted to do something and they had chosen us because they had known something about us. Or theyd been giving to us for years as a regular donor, and theyd receive our correspondence.

A lot of what were trying to do is tell people about what it is that were doing. Whats wonderful to me is that a lot of people feel moved by that enough and trusting enough of the work that were doing.

Reflecting on the disparity of opportunity and affluence between the Western world and developing countries such as the ones the charity works with in West Africa, Mr Lamson says since he started with Sightsavers two years ago it really struck him how eye glasses in Senegal are not common the percentage of people who have them is extremely low and in rural communities its almost zero.

I do a fair number of presentations and things like that, and if Im sitting with an audience, and I were to ask everyone to take off their glasses, half the audience wouldnt be able to see the presentation, he said.

You think about the impact of eye glasses, how we take them so much for granted, and if you were suddenly to say none of us could have eye glasses the impact on our lives at a personal level, on the community where we live, on the whole functioning of our society. If you were to remove the capacity of people who need eye glasses to get through the day thats a big one.

Almost all of us at some point in our lives are going to be disabled, and the majority are going to face that disability when we get to that age in our lives, when were older.

Sightsavers also do large amounts of work to promote inclusive societies for the disabled, whether in education, employment, healthcare or politics.

In Senegal the charitys inclusive education pilot project was launched in three schools in Dakar in 2014. Part of this was to work with the General Directorate of Social Action to provide scholarships to blind students, they also give financial assistance to parents, translate textbooks to braille, adapt school facilities, certify children as visually impaired and provide eye care through the Senegal eye care programme, including low vision aids, braille and referrals for treatment such as cataract surgery, to name a few.

If youre talking about an underdeveloped economy like Senegal, where you have 54% illiteracy and then you throw on top of that those who are disabled, or have a vision impairment then you really are at the end of the line there, so were trying to work with those guys, Mr Lamson added.

While Sightsavers work in a variety of countries across the world, at times some communities and societies are in greater need of immediate action to mitigate harm. Legacy donations, Mr Lamson explains, help the charity to pour resources and initiate positive change quickly; protecting eyes against blindness and disease and combatting exclusion because of disability.

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An end to Trachoma blindness is in sight - The Irish Catholic

Brittany Howards new album, Jaime, is her first solo effort. The project takes its name and inspiration from her older sister, who died in 1998 after a battle with retinoblastoma, a disease Howard herself has dealt with, causing partial blindness in one eye.

The singer, now 31, was inspired by her sister to write poetry and play music. And she has made a life of it.

After two hugely successful albums with Alabama Shakes, Howard who plays Denver on November 14 and Boulder on November 15 has blossomed with Jaime, which is genre-defying, powerful and at times downright funky and fun.

Westword caught up with her to discuss her tour and the new album.

Westword: I saw this video of you saying how excited you are about this tour, and as the camera zoomed out, you were getting a mani and a pedi at the same time.

Brittany Howard: [Laughs.] Oh, yeah, sometimes that happens. You know, we treat ourselves every once in a while.

How important is it to have a sense of humor on the road, with all the stress?

Massively important. Otherwise, who knows what could happen? Its super-important for anyones well-being.

Have you discovered the things on the road, over the years, that you should absolutely do and absolutely not do?

You should absolutely not go out every night after a show. Absolutely do drink lots of water and make sure you sleep a lot.

Youve played in Colorado quite a bit. Do you have a specific feeling about the area?

Yeah, the crowds are usually pretty cool in Denver; theyre a real chill, laid-back, cool bunch of open-minded people.

What was it like opening for Neil Young at Red Rocks?

That was one of my favorite shows ever. I got to meet Mr. Young and talk some. It was really cool.

The new album is obviously your first solo record. What were the biggest differences writing and recording as Brittany Howard rather than as Alabama Shakes?

Just the freedom to make whatever choices I want, whether theyre good choices or bad choices. Its just fun to make those choices and get to paint my own picture how I envision it, how I hear it. I think thats been the biggest difference, just steering my own ship. Touring, its been interesting because I play less guitar when Im on stage, so Ive been really exploring what its like to just be so open to a crowd when Im on stage. Its been new and cool.

I heard you were a big fan of AC/DC growing up. How did you discover that place where Bon Scott might meet Aretha Franklin or Nina Simone?

I think the cross-section would be just performing from a real place. You know, theres a difference between just performing and making tons of dough, and being a performer because your spirit needs to do it. I think thats the difference between something good and something great.

There seems to be a parallel between your new album and the new records by Sturgill Simpson and also St. Paul and the Broken Bones. These artists who come from a rootsy background and are now just shattering boundaries. How did you get to that place where virtually anything can be a Brittany Howard song?

I mean, Ive never liked musical boundaries, just because it puts a limit on what you can do creatively. If its fun to do a little concept record or whatever, then do it. If its fun to mix and match everything youve heard before, do it.

How do you carry where you come from with you on stage every night, and writing? How much Alabama do you keep with you?

Well, its always ingrained in me. I think, for me, I feel pretty empowered to come from Alabama, just because the history is so radical and challenging. For me, just existing came from overcoming those things, so Im very much proud to be an Alabamian and just stand on stage and say, Yeah, this is me. Im a pretty radical person, and I come from a place thats considered so conservative, backwards. But guess what? Im from there, so can it be all that you think it is? Its kind of neat in a way to be this sort of un-elected ambassador.

Do you feel like a role model for young black women who might not have seen a black woman with a guitar fronting a rock band before?

I could see how someone would think like that, just because Im different to see on a stage as far as media goes. You dont usually see someone who looks like me doing what I do. I think thats cool. Its something that I definitely wouldve appreciated, being younger, seeing something like that and being like, Oh, thats me! I have options for what I can do with my life. Its not up to anything I see on television. On the other hand, Im just walking around like everybody else; its not like I behave or act according to what anybody made for me. I think Im really just being the best self I can be for myself. If that inspires other people, then awesome. I really want them to do the same thing.

The new album was inspired by your late sister. Do you feel her presence on stage every night as you play these songs?

Yeah, I do especially when Im tired and I need a little extra strength. But then, also its a kind of everyday relationship when you lose somebody close to you. It doesnt mean theyre gone. Its not really how it works. Its not like the movies, you know? That presence is always with you, always trying to get you through whatever youre trying to get through. I live my life in my sisters presence and memory, so of course when I made this record, it only made sense to just say Thank you, you know?

Your favorite song with her was Dont Worry Be Happy, by Bobby McFerrin. Since she passed away, what new music have you heard that you think you would have bonded over?

I dont know probably anything I liked. She had really good taste. Im not sure if she wouldve gone the pop way or more the avant-garde way. Its hard to say.

So many people have heard you sing Hold On," and sometimes during powerful, trying times in their lives. Its an empowering statement, but it prompts the question, just how do you hold on?

I guess its different in every situation. I think a massive part of it is giving yourself a break, and feeling whatever it is youre going through. Just experience that and sit with that, knowing its not going to kill you to feel sad, or to feel down for a moment, because happiness is always kinda coming around. Its never permanent. Youre not alone in that, and its just a normal part of being a human being. Things can get easier. And also, I really believe things work out the way theyre meant to if we kinda stay out of the way, so to speak. Things sort themselves out eventually, no matter how painful the experience might be. I think you just gotta remember that and stand in awe of that, that we all have something to offer.

Brittany Howard, with Georgia Anne Muldrow, plays at 8 p.m. Thursday, November 14, at the Ogden Theatre. 935 East Colfax Avenue. For tickets and more information, go to ogdentheatre.com. Howard and Muldrow also play at 8:30 p.m. Friday, November 15, at the Boulder Theater, 14th Street, Boulder. For tickets and more information, go to bouldertheater.com.

Pittsburgh native Adam Perry is a cyclist, drummer and University of Pittsburgh and Naropa University alum. He lives in Boulder and has written for Westword since 2008.

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Brittany Howard on Freedom and Taking a Break From Alabama Shakes - Westword