StemCell Therapy

Blindness Causes

The causes of loss of vision are extremely varied and range from conditions affecting the eyes to conditions affecting the visual processing centers in the brain. mpaired vision becomes more common with age. Common causes of vision loss in the elderly include diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and cataracts.

What is blindness?

Blindness is defined as the state of being sightless. A blind individual is unable to see. In a strict sense the word "blindness" denotes the inability of a person to distinguish darkness from bright light in either eye. The terms blind and blindness have been modified in our society to include a wide range of visual impairment. Blindness is frequently used today to describe severe visual decline in one or both eyes with maintenance of some residual vision.

Vision impairment, or low vision, means that even with eyeglasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery, someone doesn't see well. Vision impairment can range from mild to severe. Worldwide, between 300 million-400 million people are visually impaired due to various causes. Of this group, approximately 50 million people are totally blind. Approximately 80% of blindness occurs in people over 50 years of age.

When is one considered legally blind?

Legal blindness is not a medical term. It is defined by lawmakers in nations or states in order to either limit allowable activities, such as driving, by individuals who are "legally blind" or to provide preferential governmental benefits to those people in the form of educational services or monetary assistance. Under the Aid to the Blind program in the Social Security Act passed in 1935, the United States Congress defined legal blindness as either central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective glasses or central visual acuity of more than 20/200 if there is a visual field defect in which the peripheral field is contracted to such an extent that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees in the better eye. Blindness in one eye is never defined as legal blindness if the other eye is normal or near-normal.

It is estimated that more than 1 million people in the United States meet the legal definition of blindness.

What are the different types of blindness?

Color blindness is the inability to perceive differences in various shades of colors, particularly green and red, that others can distinguish. It is most often inherited (genetic) and affects about 8% of males and under 1% of women. People who are color blind usually have normal vision otherwise and can function well visually. This is actually not true blindness.

Night blindness is a difficulty in seeing under situations of decreased illumination. It can be genetic or acquired. The majority of people who have night vision difficulties function well under normal lighting conditions; this is not a state of sightlessness.

Snow blindness is loss of vision after exposure of the eyes to large amounts of ultraviolet light. Snow blindness is usually temporary and is due to swelling of cells of the corneal surface. Even in the most severe of cases of snow blindness, the individual is still able to see shapes and movement.

People often say, "I am 'blind as a bat' without my glasses." All bat species have eyes, and most have excellent vision at night but not in daylight. More importantly, the term blindness means the inability to see despite wearing glasses. Anyone who has access to glasses and sees well with the glasses cannot be termed blind.

What causes blindness?

The many causes of blindness differ according to the socioeconomic condition of the nation being studied. In developed nations, the leading causes of blindness include ocular complications of diabetes, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and traumatic injuries. In third-world nations where 90% of the world's visually impaired population lives, the principal causes are infections, cataracts, glaucoma, injury, and inability to obtain any glasses. In developed nations, the term blindness is not used to describe those people whose vision is correctable with glasses.

Infectious causes in underdeveloped areas of the world include trachoma, onchocerciasis (river blindness), and leprosy. The most common infectious cause of blindness in developed nations is herpes simplex. Other causes of blindness include vitamin A deficiency, retinopathy of prematurity, blood vessel diseases involving the retina or optic nerve including stroke, infectious diseases of the cornea or retina, ocular inflammatory disease, retinitis pigmentosa, primary or secondary malignancies of the eye, congenital abnormalities, hereditary diseases of the eye, and chemical poisoning from toxic agents such as methanol.

What are risk factors for blindness?

A principal risk factor for blindness is living in a third-world nation without ready access to modern medical care. Other risk factors include poor prenatal care, premature birth, advancing age, poor nutrition, failing to wear safety glasses when indicated, poor hygiene, smoking, a family history of blindness, the presence of various ocular diseases and the existence of medical conditions including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, and cardiovascular disease.

What are signs and symptoms of blindness?

All people who are blind or have visual impairment have the common symptom of difficulty seeing. People with similar levels of visual loss may have very different responses to that symptom. If one is born blind, there is much less adjustment to a non-seeing world than there is for people who lose their vision late in life, where there may be limited ability to cope with that visual loss. Support systems available to individuals and their psychological makeup will also modify the symptom of lack of sight. People who lose their vision suddenly, rather than over a period of years, also can have more difficulty adjusting to their visual loss.

Associated symptoms, such a discomfort in the eyes, awareness of the eyes, foreign body sensation, and pain in the eyes or discharge from the eyes may be present or absent, depending on the underlying cause of the blindness.

A blind person may have no visible signs of any abnormalities when sitting in a chair and resting. However, when blindness is a result of infection of the cornea (the dome in front of the eye), the normally transparent cornea may become white or gray, making it difficult to view the colored part of the eye. In blindness from cataract, the normally black pupil may appear white. Depending on the degree of blindness, the affected individual will exhibit signs of visual loss when attempting to ambulate. Some blind people have learned to look directly at the person they are speaking with, so it is not obvious they are blind.

What specialists treat blindness?

Ophthalmology is the specialty of medicine that deals with diagnosis and medical and surgical treatment of eye disease. Therefore, ophthalmologists are the specialists who have the knowledge and tools to diagnose the cause of blindness and to provide treatment, if possible.

How do health care professionals diagnose blindness?

Blindness is diagnosed by testing each eye individually and by measuring the visual acuity and the visual field, or peripheral vision. People may have blindness in one (unilateral blindness) or both eyes (bilateral blindness). Historical information regarding the blindness can be helpful in diagnosing the cause of blindness. Poor vision that is sudden in onset differs in potential causes than blindness that is progressive or chronic. Temporary blindness differs in cause from permanent blindness. The cause of blindness is made by a thorough examination by an ophthalmologist.

What are treatments for blindness?

The treatment of visual impairment or blindness depends on the cause. In third-world nations where many people have poor vision as a result of a refractive error, merely prescribing and giving glasses will alleviate the problem. Nutritional causes of blindness can be addressed by dietary changes. There are millions of people in the world who are blind from cataracts. In these patients, cataract surgery would, in most cases, restore their sight. Inflammatory and infectious causes of blindness can be treated with medication in the form of drops or pills. Corneal transplantation may help people whose vision is absent as a result of corneal scarring.

What is the prognosis for blindness?

The prognosis for blindness is dependent on its cause. In patients with blindness due to optic-nerve damage or a completed stroke, visual acuity can usually not be restored. Patients with long-standing retinal detachment in general cannot be improved with surgical repair of their detachment. Patients who have corneal scarring or cataract usually have a good prognosis if they are able to access surgical care of their condition.

Is blindness preventable?

Blindness is preventable through a combination of education and access to good medical care. Most traumatic causes of blindness can be prevented through eye protection. Nutritional causes of blindness are preventable through proper diet. Most cases of blindness from glaucoma are preventable through early detection and appropriate treatment. Visual impairment and blindness caused by infectious diseases have been greatly reduced through international public-health measures.

The majority of blindness from diabetic retinopathy is preventable through careful control of blood-sugar levels, exercise, avoidance of obesity and smoking, and emphasis on eating foods that do not increase the sugar load (complex, rather than simple carbohydrates). There has been an increase in the number of people who are blind or visually impaired from conditions that are a result of living longer. As the world's population achieves greater longevity, there will also be more blindness from diseases such as macular degeneration. However, these diseases are so common that research and treatment are constantly evolving. Regular eye examinations may often uncover a potentially blinding illness that can then be treated before there is any visual loss.

There is ongoing research regarding gene therapy for certain patients with inheritable diseases such as Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA) and retinitis pigmentosa. Improvements in diagnosis and prevention of retinopathy of prematurity, a potentially blinding illness seen in premature babies, have made it an avoidable cause of blindness today.

Patients who have untreatable blindness need tools and help to reorganize their habits and the way in which they perform their everyday tasks. Organizations, such as the Braille Institute, offer helpful resources and support for people with blindness and for their families. Visual aids, text-reading software, and Braille books are available, together with many simple and complex technologies to assist people with severely compromised vision in functioning more effectively. In the United States and most other developed nations, financial assistance through various agencies can pay for the training and support necessary to allow a blind person to function.

John Milton and Helen Keller are well known for their accomplishments in life despite being blind. There are countless other unnamed individuals with blindness, however, who, despite significant visual handicaps, have had full lives and enriched the lives of those who have interacted with them.

Medically Reviewed on 11/14/2017

References

American Academy of Ophthalmology. "Eye Health Statistics at a Glance." <http://www.aao.org/newsroom/upload/Eye-Health-Statistics-April-2011.pdf>.

Switzerland. World Health Organization. "Visual Impairment and Blindness." Oct. 2017. <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs282/en/>.

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Blindness Symptoms, Treatment & Types

Bryan Christie

Injected anti-VEGF agents can help reverse eye damage and stabilize vision.

Wet macular degeneration occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina, often leaking fluid or blood into the macula and damaging central vision. Although far less common than the dry form, in which deposits destroy the macula, wet AMD is much more destructive, leading to more rapid and profound vision loss. Fortunately, a new class of drugs called anti-VEGF agents, now widely available, can halt and sometimes even reverse the damage. Injected into the eye, the medications block VEGF proteins, which normally help blood vessels form. "Before anti-VEGF agents, we had nothing to stop wet macular degeneration," says Jeffrey Heier, M.D., chair of research and therapeutics for the American Society of Retina Specialists and director of the Vitreoretinal Service at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston. "Now, in a majority of patients, we can stabilize vision and, in some patients, even restore some vision."

The shots have one big drawback: They have to be administered as often as monthly. To eliminate repeated injections, researchers are developing innovative ways to deliver medication to the eye. One approach under investigation is to implant a small reservoir that steadily releases medication over time, says Heier. Another, more dramatic possibility: using gene therapy to reprogram cells in the eye to produce their own anti-VEGF agents.

The holy grail of research to treat macular degeneration, though, is finding ways to regenerate healthy cells to replace those damaged by disease. That may not be far off. In 2014, a team at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, reported early success growing retinal cells in the lab and injecting them into the eyes of patients with several different forms of AMD. The scientists began with pluripotent stem cells, which have the ability to become any cell. "Over a period of months, the cells are coaxed into becoming retinal pigment epithelial cells, which support the photoreceptor cells in the retina," explains Eddy Anglade, M.D., chief medical officer for Ocata Therapeutics, the Massachusetts-based company that is developing the procedure. Early results show significant improvements in vision in some patients, and clinical trials are under way to refine the procedure.

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Treating Blindness and Vision Loss - Restoring Eyesight

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A young racing enthusiast battling blindness is making the most of his eyesight before his driving dreams are ended.

Ethan Tailor, nine, suffers from Stargardt disease, a rare degenerative condition that could blind him and has already left him relying on a magnifier to read at Goffs Oak Primary School.

Mum Bhavna, from Goffs Oak, was heartbroken when her son turned to her a year after he was diagnosed in January 2016 and said 'mummy, I am never going to be able to drive am I?'

But after featuring in a BBC news report, the mother of two-time world champion go-karter Matt Luff, 16, was compelled to reach out and offer a one-to-one session last Tuesday (August 29) at Brentwood Kartway.

Ethan described the experience as 'the best day ever'.

"This really made his year, he loved it and it was such a kind-hearted thing to do," said Bhavna.

"Matt has also invited him to watch him race at Silverstone. He has never been there so he is really excited for it. He said go-karting with Matt was the best day ever."

READ MORE: Hertford boy, 10, with rare genetic disorder fronts national Jeans for Genes campaign

With no cure or current treatment available for the disease, Ethan's family does not know when he could lose his sight completely.

Ethan was registered as sight-impaired in January 2016 and cannot even recognise his friends in the playground.

As the disease is hereditary, there is a 25 per cent chance of Ethan's four-year-old sister, Elise, inheriting the disease.

But Bhavna is determined to help her son make the most of his sight and raise awareness of the disease.

READ MORE: Middleton School in Ware receives new minibus after fundraising by 15-year-old

She said: "As a mother, I feel a little helpless but we will still fight his corner and do all we can to give him the best.

"The hardest part is not knowing how long it will take [for his sight to go]. He can only read two lines off the sight chart now."

Ethan has remained upbeat and last year delivered a school assembly to explain the disease to his classmates.

His message was that he can overcome the physical problem, and he pointed to the example set by Paralympic sprinter and gold medallist Libby Clegg, who also has Stargardt.

Mrs Tailor sets time aside for the family to capture visual memories, which have included a VIP trip to Universal Studios in California, a visit to Yosemite and fishing trips.

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Cheshunt boy facing blindness, 9, races with world champion - Hertfordshire Mercury

India currently has the highest number of visually impaired and blind people and according to experts majority of cases is because of cataract. It is the sole largest factor for blindness in India and accounts for nearly 63 per cent of the total vision impairment in the country.

Ramanjit Singh Sihota, Professor of Ophthalmology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), said after cataract (62.7 per cent), in descending order of prevalence, the causes of blindness were uncorrected refractive error (19.7 per cent), glaucoma (5.8) per cent, posterior segment disorder (4.7 per cent) and corneal blindness (1 per cent). In this backdrop, aiming to understand the real burden of visual impairment and blindness in children of north India over the last one decade, the AIIMS is conducting nation's first large-scale community-based study in Delhi where 20,000 children will be screened.

The study, results of which are expected in a year's time, is currently underway in small clusters of east Delhi's Trilokpuri. According to the doctors, the clusters have been divided and from every cluster 500 children are being examined. Once the results are out, the study will also be carried out in other parts of India.

"In India, there are nearly 0.8 crore blind and 5.4 crore visually impaired. Nearly 80-90 per cent blindness is avoidable and more than 90 per cent of it is seen in people aged 50 years and above," said Praveen Vashist, head of Community Ophthalmology at AIIMS. "It is an epidemiological study on childhood blindness. The age group being examined is 0-15 years. This is a pilot study and will be implemented in other parts of the country," said Atul Kumar, Chief of Rajendra Prasad Eye (RP) Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences at AIIMS.

Stating that patients were ignorant about various causes which damaged optic nerves, Jeevan S. Titiyal, Professor of Ophthalmology at AIIMS, said that tobacco, betel nut and lime also caused damage to eyes, without the patients having any idea. On being asked if steroids were also a reason behind blindness, Titiyal said: "This is becoming common and nearly 20 per cent of children with blindness is because of the steroids. However, with the advancement in age, chances of people going blind due to steroids become less."

The RP Centre is also conducting a "National Blindness Survey 2015-18" with a sample size of 90,000 people, using Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB)-6 method. Blindness surveys have been completed in 23 districts to date and is scheduled to be completed in all 30 districts by June 2018. Doctors said that the survey would provide the most reliable representative current estimates of blindness and visual impairment among those aged 50 and above. It will also generate, for the first time, the burden of diabetic retinopathy and sight threatening diabetic retinopathy in a representative community sample.

Lens is usually made of water and protein but while ageing protein may start covering lens making it difficult for the person to see. Cataract which leads to blur vision and faded colour is most common in adults.

(With IANS inputs)

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63% blindness cases in India is caused by cataract, say experts - India TV

Since 2014, Dialogue in the Dark Ace Take 1 has trained 4,100 PwDs and created 3,000 job opportunities for the differently-abled across 18 sectors.

Most people come up with a feeling of sympathy when they meet us. But I/we dont need sympathy. I can do every normal thing, like everyone else, all by my own. I am used to working in the darkness, says 25-year-old Faizal, when asked about the challenges faced by a visually-impaired person. And like Faizal, many others with visual impairment or physical disabilities, believe that they dont need sympathy or help from the society; rather, a mutual feeling of equality is what they stake a claim for.

But this natural outburst of sorry feeling mixed with sympathy towards people with disabilities (PwDs) is the norm. It leads to discrimination and largely hinders the availability of economically empowering opportunities for them across the country. While many consider physical disability as a weakness cursed upon them, people like Faizal want to subvert this notion. And as more progressive social groups join hands to build up a mutually inclusive society for all, the view, that the so-called disabled are not disabled but differently-abled, should prevail.

Dialogue in the Dark ACE Take 1 came to the fore with an aim to bring about a mindset change in the corporates of India for creating employment opportunities for PwDs. With the conviction that experiences and encounters are powerfully effective pedological tools, Dialogue in the Dark provides an empathy experience for its visitors by putting them through daily life situations, in complete darkness.

With a mission to facilitate social inclusion of the disabled community on a global basis, Dialogue in the Dark was founded by Andreas Heinecke at Hamburg, Germany, in 1988. With the goal to change the mindset of people towards disability and diversity, and consequently boost employment creation for PwDs, in the past 27 years, Dialogue in the Dark has been presented in more than 41 countries. Today, it is available in across 21 countries and 29 cities worldwide. Its exhibitions and workshops, where people undergo day-to-day activities in complete darkness, have witnessed more than 9 million visitors.

Introduced to the Indian audience by SV Krishnan and Sudha Krishnan, Dialogue in the Dark has received 8,000 pledges till date, through its sensitisation mission. According to SV Krishnan, in 2009, while waiting for a delayed flight in Atlanta, he came upon an exhibit of DID. He was deeply enthralled by its powerful message and the innovative way of showing how ordinary events like walking in the park, shopping, taking a boat ride in complete darkness were empowering. This encounter inspired him to begin thinking about the pedagogical power of such experiences and employing entertainment as a medium to convey socially relevant messages.

Visitors are assisted by tour guides through the exhibition, but the fact the guides are visually-impaired is not revealed to the visitors. At the end of the experience, the visitors are led out of the exhibition into the light by the guide. This role reversal brings about a transformation in the mindset of the visitors, thereby leaving them with the understanding that the disabled need empowering opportunities and not sympathy, says SV Krishnan.

With the determination to bring the concept to India, Krishnan established DID in Hyderabad in 2011. It has now expanded to other cities like Chennai, Bengaluru, and Raipur. DID has also been set up across 15 cities on a temporary basis for conducting corporate sensitisation workshops on the abilities of PwDs.

The wide acceptance and success of Dialogue in the Dark led to the establishment of ACE Take 1. It aims to create employment opportunities for PwDs through skill development trainings and by bridging the gap between the market requirement and PwD skill levels through vocational skill training.

Through its ACE Take 1 skill development training, DID has trained 4,100 PwDs, created 3,000 job opportunities for them across 18 sectors of the country.

According to Krishnan, Through DID, corporates are sensitised towards hiring PwDs as they get to experience their abilities without even knowing that they are hosted and taken care of by a visually-impaired.

While Dialogue in the Dark changes the views of several visitors by providing an empathy experience, the differently-abled connected to it consider it a blessing in disguise.

Rohit Gowlikar, who is currently working as Probationary Assistant Manager in Syndicate Bank, says, Ignorance of the society about what a PwD like me can do resulted in me not getting a job for three years till Dialogue in the Dark hired me. Working at Dialogue in the Dark has immensely boosted my self-confidence.

Another PwD guide at DID, Nasir Hashmi, has over the last four years interacted with more than 10,000 guests and conducted over 100 workshops across India, spreading the message of diversity and social inclusion.

Meanwhile, Dialogue in the Dark plans to expand to other Indian cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru by 2018. Furthermore, it aims to provide employment enhancing vocational skills training for 5,000 PwDs, annually, across India till 2020.

Enter the SocialStory Photography contest and show us how people are changing the world! Win prize money worth Rs 1 lakh and more.Click here for details!

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Sensitising 90 lakh people worldwide about blindness, Dialogue in the Dark shows the way - YourStory.com

During presentations she was giving to elementary school children about blindness, Juliet Cody was stunned to learn about their misperceptions surrounding blindness. She also found those misperceptions with the general public and became committed to teaching people about what it really meant to be without her vision. So, she started writing a series of books to educate readers about guide dogs, their handlers and the roles they play in each others lives.

The purpose is to spread the message that blindness is not a tragedy. Instead, it can be positive and life is what we make it, she says.

Cody, 50, lives in Escondido and is a motivational speaker and the author of the series Marvelous Adventures with Marly & Aerie. She says shes always had low vision, but became completely blind in 2000 as a result of retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disorder that causes damage to the cells of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye.

Cody still has perception of light but has otherwise lost her vision.

Over the years, shes served as a state board member for the National Federation of the Blind; the Disabilities Issues Advisory Committee of California State University, San Marcos; and is chapter president of the Surf Dogs chapter for the North County Guide Dogs for the Blind.

She took some time to talk about her book series, her advocacy work and her message to others about what she and others who are blind are capable of.

Q: Tell us about your book series, Marvelous Adventures with Marly & Aerie.

A: All of the books are narrated by the guide dogs, Marly and Aerie. Book one takes place on the beaches of San Diego. We demonstrate how blind people can have fun with their guide dogs by body surfing, finding the perfect stick in the surf, digging for clams, catching other peoples Frisbees, getting our dogs mixed up, and more. Throughout all of this, we are supposed to be exhibiting our well-behaved dogs.

The second book takes place in the Big Apple (New York City), where we are annoyed by a Chihuahua in the subway. We find ourselves leading a parade up Broadway, and wind up with balcony seats for a Broadway show. This, and more, as we are trying to demonstrate guide dog etiquette in the city.

In book three, we take our readers to Washington, D.C., and we visit the monuments, museums and the Tidal Basin. Plus, Marly gets lost in an elevator in the hotel and as her blind handler tries to find her, we run into the big, mean security guard. Smiling, but stressed, we are educating our capital and their members about how guide dogs provide independence to their handlers.

The books each contain a teaching manual pertaining to its stories. My books bring awareness to enlighten the general public. If I can bring education early into elementary schools, we can remove the many stumbling blocks and start learning about the capability of blind people and guide dogs.

Q: Where did the idea to write your series come from?

A: I went back to school and got a guide dog, Marly. Being blind at the university with Marly led me to experiences that were compelling and humorous, so I started writing about them for class assignments. My professors loved them and my classmates thought they were captivating. I used my stories for my creative writing thesis and my committee recommended that I publish.

Q: Why was this series one you felt compelled to write?

A: I felt compelled when I discovered the misperception the general public has about blindness. I became fully committed when I started doing presentations about blindness in elementary schools, and I was stunned by what the children thought, which was that blindness meant being incapable, scary and that the people were ugly.

In north Escondido, I love the smell of the orange blossoms, the sound of the mockingbirds in the morning, and horses trotting throughout the day. And the crickets saying good night to me at night.

Q: Marly was your dog?

A: Marly was born in 2001 and died in 2011. She was my first guide and she was half Golden Retriever and half yellow Labrador, and intelligent. She went through school with me, and accompanied me to accept 28 scholarships. She also traveled across the country with me to the White House to meet First Lady Laura Bush.

Marly remembered routes well and would take me around the university wherever I needed to go. I would give her a command, and she would take me there. She never missed stopping at a curve or walked me through puddles. She was so wonderful that when I wore my high heels, she was extra careful and would slow down. In the airports or malls, we would hop on escalators and many times I was wearing my back pack and pulling my suitcase.

Q: How would you describe guide dog culture?

A: The guide dog is always maintained desirable by grooming them every day, including their teeth and ears. Theres strict discipline, so misbehaviors such as barking, jumping on guests coming into the house or distractions where they lose focus is not allowed. Also, when out, guide dogs should not be petted by anyone. A good handler will keep these behaviors in check. It is important to respect the team relationship between the guide dog and handler. It is vital that the guide dog is not distracted by other human interactions because the result could be dangerous to the handler.

Q: What is the National Federation of the Blind?

A: The NFB is an organization that advocates for the rights of the blind at local, state and federal levels. They advocate for the blind to receive Braille literacy and access to digital technology through primary, secondary, and post-secondary school, which includes opening doors to employment. We advocate for security, opportunity and equality. I joined the NFB when I was almost blind, in 1994 and served on the state board for five years. I chaired state-wide fundraisers, coordinated Braille symposiums, held a seminar on blindness for senior citizens, started a Parents with Blind Children group, was a counselor for the Colorado Center for the Blind for blind adolescents, and Ive participated several times in the NFBs legislative agenda presentation to Congress where we discussed issues concerning the blind.

Q: What has the transition from having your vision to not having it, been like for you?

A: It has not been a tragedy. I just have to be organized and use alternative methods. I went to the San Diego Center for the Blind and learned living skills. I just pretend as if I have my eyes closed and do everything the same way in my mind. My imagery vision kicks in, and I can see again.

Q: When you have speaking engagements to bring awareness about the abilities of the blind, what do you say?

A: I express that being blind is not stumbling block. Instead, it is a caution sign that alerts your senses and mind to focus and reach for your goals. Its a positive opportunity to have faith and believe in yourself. Focus on challenges and make them a learning experience, and let the people who want to help you, help. I convey that the only way to fail is not to take the challenge that could turn into triumph. Giving up is failing.

Q: What is it about societys views of the blind that you want to change?

A: The view of the public that the blind are incapable of handling life independently.

Q: Whats been challenging about your work advocating for others who are also blind?

A: The hardest is working with a newly blind person who is afraid of the dark. Many are afraid to walk. They will shuffle their feet because they think if they lift their feet, theyll step in a hole or off a curb and fall. At times, when blindness is new, some people are afraid of pouring a glass of milk. It takes a lot of assurance and reinforcing from the men tour to get them to do it over and over.

Q: Whats been rewarding about it?

A: When the student walks to the bus stop alone for the first time. When a student pours the first glass of milk alone and he feels like he won a gold medal.

Q: What has it taught you about yourself?

A: That Im confident and comfortable with blindness. Ive revived hidden skills, such as professional and creative writing, public speaking, leadership skills, and mentoring and helping developing confidence and blindness skills in adolescents.

Q: What is the best advice youve ever received?

A: Always trust in God and everything will work out.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: That Im Latina, I sing, I surf, and my age.

Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: Staying at the Carlsbad Inn, sitting in chairs on the sand early on the beach and having coffee. Then, taking a long walk with our guide dogs to Oceanside Pier, having lunch at Rubys, then walking back and resting on the sand building sandcastles, digging holes and surfing with our dogs for the rest of the day.

Email: lisa.deaderick@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @lisadeaderick

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Showing others that blindness is not a tragedy - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Its a well-known fact that smoking even mild or light cigarettes puts you at greater risk of lung cancer, and that smokers are at higher risk of developing mental illnesses. Despite knowing the ill effects, a survey found that 9 in 10 Indians smokers try to quit but fail. The doctors at AIIMS now provide an additional reason to quit smoking. They said that tobacco not only causes cancer, its prolonged consumption also may also lead to blindness, and often such cases are irreversible. They also said studies have shown that those who smoke tobacco, significantly increase their risk of developing cataract compared to non-smokers. Smoking or chewing tobacco over five to 10 years affects the optic nerve which may lead to visual loss, the doctors said.

Often such cases of blindness are irreversible. People know that smoking and chewing of tobacco causes heart disease and cancer, but vision loss and other eye problems due to tobacco are not widely known, said Dr Atul Kumar, Chief of Dr R P Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences in AIIMS. He said of the total number of blindness cases reported at the centre annually, around 5% of those are due to tobacco consumption.

Diabetic retinopathy can get worse in smokers due to decrease of oxyhaemoglobin. The only remedy is stopping tobacco consumption, Dr Kumar said. He also said long-term indiscriminate use of steroidal eyedrops, commonly applied in case of eye allergies, can result in glaucoma and lead to irreversible blindness. Dr Kumar said the AIIMS, in collaboration with the Union Health Ministry, is conducting a National Blindness survey to collect data about visual impairment and blindness in the country.

According Professor Praveen Vashist, the in-charge of community ophthalmology, out of 30 districts selected for the survey, data collection has been completed in 19 districts across 17 states. The survey is expected to be completed by June next year, he said, adding, As of now, cataract has been found to be main cause of blindness. According to the World Health Organisations (WHO) 2010 data, India accounts for 20 per cent of the global blindness burden.

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Not just cancer and heart problems, tobacco may cause blindness ... - Hindustan Times

1

Cataracts considered to be the most common cause of blindness in India

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They can only be treated by surgery

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National Blindness Survey completed in 23 districts: AIIMS doctor

In a bid to eliminate blindness from India, the Union health ministry conducted a National Blindness Survey (2015-2018) in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

But what came out in the survey is striking and alarming as nearly "62 to 65 per cent of those surveyed randomly were found to be having cataract".

According to a senior AIIMS doctor, initial findings of the survey has revealed about 62 per cent to 65 percent cases of cataract is the leading cause of blindness in the population and percent of glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy would also be revealed.

Cataracts are considered to be the most common cause of blindness in India, and can only be treated by surgery.

RAAB METHOD

This is the first ever survey done on a sample of 90,000 using the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB)-6 methodology.

RAAB is a scientific and rapid population-based survey of visual impairment and eye care services among people aged 50 years and above, to estimate the prevalence and causes of avoidable blindness and visual impairment in the population.

Speaking to MAIL TODAY, Dr Atul Kumar, chief and professor of opthalmology at AIIMS's RP eye centre said: "The National Blindness Survey (2015-2018) is being conducted by our dedicated team and it has been completed in 23 districts till date. This survey is scheduled to be completed in all 30 districts by June 2018."

"This survey will provide the most reliable representative current estimates of blindness and visuals impairment among aged 50 years and above population in India. The survey will also generate for the first time, the burden of DR and sight threatening DR in the population," said Dr Kumar.

Prof JS Titiyal, an ophthalmologist and a leading cataract surgeon at AIIMS, said as many as 65 lakh cataract surgeries were performed in India every year, but the number of cases was still so high.

"Nearly 65 per cent of NPCB budget is used only for cataract programmes. When we did a surgery in 1986- 89, the disease was about 80 per cent and in 2001 survey it reduced to 62 per cent."

Prof Dr Praveen Vashist, head of community ophthalmology at RP eye centre told MAIL TODAY, "As of now, in India, the evidence for the burden of visual impairment is nearly about 5.4 crore and blindness is about 50 lakhs, which is 20 per cent of the global economic burden."

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National Blindness Survey: 62 to 65 per cent of those surveyed ... - India Today

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A Holland man who claimed an eye injury had kept him from working or driving has been ordered to pay back nearly $15,000 in benefits he collected from the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation after he was caught on video parking cars and directing traffic at the downtown Toledo parking lot he owns.

Tim Tokles, 60, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft Thursday inFranklin County Court of Common Pleas. In addition to remitting the $14,689 he had collected, he must also serve five years of probation.

The case stretches back to 2012.

Mr. Tokles claimed he was permanently disabled from working due to an eye injury he suffered on the job, but our surveillance shows him working and performing multiple tasks that were inconsistent with his injury claim, Jim Wernecke, director of the special investigation department at theOhio Bureau of Workers Compensation, said in a statement.

In a separate fraud case, a 44-year-old Toledo man was ordered to repay the Bureau of Workers Compensation$18,501 after investigators found him doing maintenancework at various apartment complexes in the Toledo area while collecting BWC benefits.

Alfred Bowlson pleaded guilty to a fifth-degree felony count of workers compensation fraud on Wednesday in Franklin County. He was also sentenced to five years of probation.

Contact Tyrel Linkhorn at tlinkhorn@theblade.com,419-724-6134or on Twitter @BladeAutoWriter.

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Man receiving workers' comp for blindness caught driving, parking ... - Toledo Blade

An Indianapolis-based startup believes its device could be groundbreaking in the world of ophthalmologyand life-changing for patients with glaucoma. The disease is the second-leading cause of blindness, but Purdue-affiliated startup Bionode says its noninvasive technologyenveloped in off-the-shelf contact lenses and glassesreverses the physical cause of glaucoma. Driven by the vision of researchers at Purdue, the technology could be on the market in a matter of months.

Glaucoma is caused by fluid buildup in the front part of the eye; the extra fluid increases the pressure in the eye, damaging the optic nerve and ultimately causing blindness. Bionodes technology involves adding a gold trace to an off-the-shelf contact lens, which then works hand-in-hand with specially-equipped glasses.

The glasses generate a magnetic field, the contact picks it up, turns it into a current and drives the current into the structures of the eye, says Bionode Chief Technology Officer Dr. Pedro Irazoqui, who is also an electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering professor at Purdue.

By electrically stimulating the muscles around the canal where fluid leaves the eye, pressure on the optic nerve is relieved, preventing vision loss. Irazoqui likens the fluid-filled interior chamber of the eye to a clogged sink, and says Bionode does some expert plumbing.

Think of it as a sink filled with water, and the drain is closed. You open it up so the water can now flow around that clog, says Irazoqui. If you look at the pressure in the eye, its actually going down a lot faster than we would expect just from that opening of the drain.

Even more important than relieving the clog, says Irazoqui, is that Bionodes technology also turns down the faucet while opening the draina double whammy that relieves pressure in the eye.

Its interesting to think that using these electrical currents, we can actually get much more specific control down to whether we [manipulate] the drain, the faucet or both, says Irazoqui, and to what extent we [manipulate] themand we can really dial it in.

Because most glaucoma patients are over 40, when the eyes naturally produce less tearsand contacts exacerbate dry eyesBionode has improved the technology in recent months to produce the same effect with glasses only.

The new design works as well as the old design, but it has no contact lens, says Irazoqui. We can still use the contact lens to give the patient an even bigger kick, but I think most patients wont need the contact lens. And now, we have a deeper understanding of how it all works.

Bionode believes the result is a therapy thats far superior to existing glaucoma treatments; medicated eye drops eventually stop working and have low patient compliance, laser eye surgery can only be performed a limited number of times, and a blood procedure that allows liquid to leak out of an open wound in the eye carries a high risk of infection.

Bionode says the device relieves eye pressure in a matter of minutes, but an upcoming clinical trial will answer a looming question: how long will the effect last? In the coming weeks, Bionode will begin a human clinical trial involving 30 patients in Canada to evaluate how long the therapy is effective and generate data that could eliminate the need for additional trials in the U.S.

[The FDA] is going to ask some very specific questions, so we will structure this study [in Canada] in such a way that it answers the questions the FDA is going to ask, says Irazoqui. Were partnering with the right people who have the experience in putting together these clinical trials in ophthalmology for devices that have been approved by the FDA.

Irazoqui says commercializing the device by late summer 2018 is optimistic, but not crazy. Bionodes funding includes $100,000 from the Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund and $1 million from an anonymous investor.

The goal is to build medical devices that are clinically relevantthats what gets me out of bed in the morning. I want a device that we invented at Purdue to make it all the way to the clinic and change peoples lives, says Irazoqui. [Glaucoma] is the second leading cause of blindness, so the impact is huge. Thats a lot to be excited about.

Continue reading here:
Purdue Visionaries Build Device to Prevent Blindness - Inside INdiana Business

Tree death, like tree sex, can reveal deeper truths. You may have seen bare trunks with branches that fork over and over in perfect symmetry (that opposite branching again). These are ash trees, victims of the deadly emerald ash borer, which is thought to have arrived in shipping pallets from Asia. Beyond the aesthetic and ecological loss, and just plain tragedy, the ash carnage costs society a huge amount of money, as parks departments and homeowners must either treat ash trees or have them cut down.

The borer is a consequence of global trade, and its only the latest iteration of this sad story; chestnuts, hemlocks and elms have already taken major hits from foreign pests.

Luckily, not everything in tree world is so dismal. The trees around us can uncover forgotten history. Sometimes a huge oak rises in a yard or in the midst of a much younger woods. These witness trees once marked the edges of farm fields. An oddly straight line of junipers or locusts likely signals an old fence row. Neighborhoods built in the 1960s might be lined with once-loved, now-hated Bradford pears; older ones may feature towering willow oaks with roots bulging out of undersized tree boxes. Parts of Paris, New York and, appropriately, London, are practically monocultures of London plane trees, once favored because they could survive these cities fetid air.

Trees can also tell us how well were managing our environment today. Many eastern forests, including Rock Creek Park, the wild green vein running down Washingtons center, have an understory dominated by American beech. Beeches are slow to get going, but theyre almost unmatched at growing in shade and being unappetizing to deer, which are wildly overpopulated in much of the country. Unless we find a way to manage our woods, using predators and periodic fires, were probably on our way to species-poor forests dominated by beeches. As much as I love the trees smooth, elephant-skin bark and brittle leaves shivering on their branches through the winter, I dont think an all-beech future is one I want to see.

Some may want more practical reasons for learning trees. If so, I offer that knowing your trees opens up an abundant and entirely free food source. Those in the know can gorge on juicy native mulberries and serviceberries in the spring, and persimmons and pawpaws in late summer. Thats to say nothing of tree nuts, which carpet the forest floor in fall. Pecans, walnuts, hickory nuts, beech nuts; with proper preparation, theyre all edible. For Native Americans living in California before European contact, acorns were a staple more important than corn. Yet today theyre a specialty item, largely limited to the occasional D.I.Y. foraging workshop.

Were so used to eating domesticated plants that the idea of eating wild tree parts seems strange, primitive and possibly dangerous. As a result, were letting billions of dollars worth of free, high-quality food go to waste. This, reader, is madness! Ill admit, however, that Im among the mad. Roadside tree fruit is just an occasional supplement to my diet, and I havent yet found the patience to leach the bitter tannins out of acorns. For me, learning about trees is more about seeing, and knowing. Its about not being a stranger in my own country.

And its about not letting the built environment make me too tame. When you engage with a tree, you momentarily leave the human-created world. Look at an American elm in winter, its limbs waving like Medusas snaky hair. The elm may grow along streets and sidewalks, but there is nothing tame about that tree. In cities, where animals feast on human gardens or garbage and most landscape plants are domesticated cultivars, native trees are the last truly wild beings.

Yes, people may look curiously if you stop to study a tree. But so what? Let yourself go a little wild.

Read the rest here:
Cure Yourself of Tree Blindness - New York Times

What Barrita Sue "Susie" Holverson lacks in sight, she makes up for in admiration from those who know her.

Holverson has been blind almost her whole life. That's also about the amount of time she's been attending Anoka United Methodist Church, where she serves as pianist. Parishioners there praise Holverson for her musical talent, sharp memory and wit, pleasant personality and positive attitude in the face of her inability to see.

In her Kokomo home, with her cane leaning against a wall and her piano standing in the living room, Holverson recalled having to be given oxygen after being born premature. Getting too much oxygen is likely what led to her blindness, she said.

"But that was what kept me alive," she added.

She went on to remember how it wasn't uncommon for people to sue hospitals for such sight-robbing treatments, but said her own experience doesn't leave her bitter.

"I thought, well, you know what? There could've been worse things," she said. "I have a relatively good mind."

"I'm no genius," she added with a laugh. "Compared to what could've been, I'm fine."

Holverson said she could see early on in life, but not really well. Before reaching age 3, her vision was reduced to just being able to sense light and dark before that ability went away too, she continued.

"I've just grown up with it, so to me it was no big deal," she said.

Holverson said she attended the Indiana School for the Blind in Indianapolis, where she learned how to read Braille and Braille music and took piano and voice lessons.

She said she went on to work in medical transcription for St. Vincent Hospital in Kokomo for about 20 years.

"I cook, I clean, I do just about the same things that everybody else does," she said. "The only thing I guess I don't do, and everybody should thank God that I don't, I don't drive," she added with a laugh.

Her music lessons started before she went off to school, she said, and she currently plays the piano for services at Anoka United Methodist Church.

"It's my way of serving," she said.

Holverson said her mother, who was an avid pianist too, got her interested in music. She recalled how they used to play together at Anoka United Methodist Church, which she grew up down the street from. Her grandmother helped start the church in 1913, Holverson said.

"It's just always been a part of my life, the church," she said. "There are friends and family there and I don't know how else to put it. It's a special place to be."

With the help of the speech software on her computer, Holverson said she does a lot of emailing for the church's prayer chain. She said she also likes to listen to audio books and relies on Siri, the voiced personal assistant developed by Apple Inc., to use her iPhone.

"Sometimes I'd like to smack her," she admitted with a laugh.

Ruth Mayhill, organist for Anoka United Methodist Church, has known Holverson since she was born. She, like several others at the church, is in awe of Holverson's ability to recall hymns by their numbers across multiple hymnals.

Mayhill said she's also fond of Holverson's ability to play the piano.

"She can sit down and play a song and it just blows us away," she said. "She is amazing."

Holverson's friendly personality is another one of her qualities, Mayhill said.

"She is fun to be around," Mayhill said. "They torment and tease her and she takes it and dishes it right back."

Mayhill said she also admires Holverson's ability to live alone and take care of herself despite not being able to see.

"It's amazing," Mayhill said. "I know they are taught that in the blind school, all the blind people are taught how to take care of themselves, but to witness it, she has been eye-opening for all of us around here."

Joyce Propes, who sings in the church's choir, said one of her favorite stories about Holverson is when she was picked up one summer to perform at the church's vacation Bible school. A song was played in the car and Holverson was asked about playing it at vacation Bible school, Propes continued.

"And Susie would listen to it on the way from Kokomo and be able to play it for the kids when she got here," Propes said. "Just that fast she can pick up and play."

Holverson reacts to the praise with humility.

"I just do what I can and to me I don't do anymore than anybody else, the only difference is that I can't look at what I'm doing," she said.

She said her faith, family and friends are the source of her positive attitude.

"I guess I don't see myself the way other people see me," she said. "I'm just plain me and that's all I really am."

Reach Mitchell Kirk at mitchell.kirk@pharostribune.com or 574-732-5130

Link:
Out of sight: Area woman doesn't let blindness darken her spirit - pharostribune.com

Scientists are still a long way from creating a visual prosthesis that works as well as a real human eye. But, engineers are making steady progress in what was once the realm of science fiction.

One of their promising new devices, a bionic vision system based on photovoltaic implants, is awaiting approval for human clinical trials in Europe. A second system, based on in vitro studies of the retina, could be ready for animal testing within four or five years. Both inventions have the same goal: to give back some measure of sight to people with progressive diseases of the retinaespecially retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration.

The new device doesnt require the implantation of a bulky electronics case and antenna, or a cable coming out of the eye.

According to the National Institutes of Health, retinitis pigmentosa is the leading cause of inherited blindness, affecting 1 in about 4,000 people in the United States. The disease usually begins with a loss of night vision in childhood, and progresses to involve peripheral and then central vision, gradually robbing young people of the ability to read, drive, recognize faces, and do routine daily tasks.

Macular degeneration, in contrast, is one of the leading causes of vision loss in Americans 60 and older. By 2020, the NIH estimates that as many as 3 million people in the United States may be living with various stages of the disease, which gradually destroys the densely packed light-sensitive cells, called photoreceptors, in the retinas center, or macula.

Many of these folks are going to be losing their central vision, says Chip Goehring, president of the American Macular Degeneration Foundation, so it is absolutely vital that we have options for the restoration of sight, including biological and mechanical approachesstem cell therapies for photoreceptor replacement, gene therapies to restore dysfunctional retinal tissues, and prosthetic retinas that can serve an even wider population of people with vision loss.

Normal retinal tissue consists of photoreceptors: light-sensitive cells resembling rods and cones at the base of the eye, topped by interconnected layers of neurons. The signal travels from the rods and cones, through bipolar cells to ganglion cells, then via the optic nerve to several brain areas, including the visual cortex. Scientists still arent exactly sure why the rods and cones break down in patients with retinal diseases, nor have they figured out ways to prevent, slow, or reverse the process.

There is one silver lining: Retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration tend to spare some of the bipolar and ganglion cells. This means that the neurons in these patients retinas can be stimulated artificially, with micro-electrodes, bypassing the damaged rods and cones altogether.

Daniel Palanker, a professor of ophthalmology at Stanford University, has developed and patented numerous devices over the years to diagnose and treat eye diseases. Among them are a neurostimulator for enhancement of tear secretion in patients with dry eye syndrome, a femtosecond laser for cataract surgery, and a patterned laser scanning photocoagulator that surgeons use to treat multiple retinal disorders, including diabetic retinopathy, without excessive damage to the delicate tissues around the treatment spots.

Palankers new prosthetic device, called PRIMA, features a tiny video camera mounted atop futuristic-looking augmented reality goggles, connected to a video processor about the size of a cell phone. It doesnt require the implantation of a bulky electronics case and antenna, or a cable coming out of the eye, like a German system that has been used successfully by a handful of patients in Europe.

Instead it relies on multiple arrays of photodiodes, each about a millimeter in diameter and containing hundreds of pixels, which work like the solar panels on a rooftop. Surgeons can lay down these tiny chips, like tiles, replacing the missing light-sensitive rods and cones in the central retina.

When PRIMAs camera captures an image of, say, a flower, the video processor transmits that picture to a microdisplay mounted inside the goggles. Powerful pulses of near-infrared light illuminate this display and are projected from the goggles into the eye, like the invisible rays of a TV remote control.

The implanted photodiodes pick up these signals and convert them into tiny pulses of electrical current, which stimulate the bipolar cells directly above them. The signals propagate to the ganglion cells and then to the brain, which perceives them as patterns of light: a flower!

To test the system, researchers implanted PRIMA chips in laboratory rodents and exposed them to flashes of light, or to flickering patterns on a computer screen. By recording the resulting electrical activity in the animals visual cortices, the scientists measured their visual acuity.

It turned out that the prosthetic acuity exactly matched the 70-micron resolution of the implant, which is half the acuity of the rats natural vision, Palanker says. Since the stimulation thresholds were much lower than the safety limits, we decided to develop even smaller pixels to enable better vision. More recent behavioral tests, conducted by the French collaborators in primates, have confirmed our results with rodents.

Of course, until the implants are done in human patients, we wont know for sure.

But when human clinical trials do start later this year in Europe, they hope to achieve resolution corresponding to 20/250 vision with 70-micron pixels. That still is worse than the standard for legal blindness, 20/200, but it may be enough for a user to read very large print, or to see the face of a newborn grandchild.

In the next generation of the device, Palanker says, We should be able to put more than 12,000 pixels within 15 degrees of the visual field, taking the system to 20/150 or even better.

And while PRIMA cant reproduce color vision yetonly various shades of grayWe are working on single-cell selectivity in retinal stimulation, which might enable color perception, he says. With more experience, surgeons also might be able to expand the visual field to about 20 degrees.

Scientists ultimate dream is to build a visual prosthesis so small and powerful that it can stimulate specific neurons inside the retina, rather than sundry patches of them. Thats the goal of E.J. Chichilnisky, a Stanford professor of neurosurgery and of ophthalmology.

Think of the retina as an orchestra, Chichilnisky says. When you try to make music, you need the violins to play one score, the oboes to play a different score, and so on. Likewise, the retinas 1 million or so ganglion cells are composed of about 20 distinct types. Each plays a slightly different role in transmitting the perception of shape, color, depth, motion, and other visual features to the brain.

Since the mid-1990s, Chichilnisky has worked with a variety of physicists and engineers to develop small but powerful electrode arrays capable of measuring neural activity at the cellular level.

To better understand the patterns of electrical activity in the retina, Chichilnisky and colleagues use eye tissue taken from primates that have been euthanized for other medical studies. By placing small pieces of retinal tissue atop the microchip arrays, then exposing those samples to various patterns of light, theyve been able to record and study the distinctive electrical responses of five different types of retinal ganglion cells, which together account for 75 percent of the visual signal sent to the brain.

Theyve also developed techniques to replicate those electrical patterns, artificially stimulating the ganglion cells with high precision, comparable to the natural signals elicited by the rods and cones.

By learning how to replicate these complex signals, researchers are one step closer to their ultimate goal: a high-acuity visual prosthesis that behaves like an orchestra conductor, signaling the retinas myriad neurons to fire in precisely the right ways, at precisely the right times. Im not saying weve got it nailed, he says, but we certainly now have proof of concept for how to make a better device in the future.

The next challenge will be to fit the computing power onto an implantable electrode array that can do its job safely inside the eye, without overheating surrounding tissues, and autonomously, without any graduate students or postdocs running it, he says, laughing. If all goes well, a prototype of the implant could be ready for testing in lab animals in four to five years.

Chichilnisky and Palanker have the sense that they are pushing scientific boundariesand that their work someday may help more than blind people. Electro-neural interfaces already are being used to assist in the control of several vital organs, including the heart, bladder, and limbs. Before long, they even may be hooked up to different parts of the brain, helping people with memory loss, for example or, incredible as it sounds, even enabling telepathic communication.

We live in an era when we are starting to overcome the limitations imposed on us by our biological nature, Palanker says. This is how evolution goes.

Source:Theresa Johnston for Stanford University

Continued here:
Scientists aim to ease blindness with video goggles - Futurity: Research News

New wearable technology is changing the view for color blind patients.

Amity Addrisi and NBC News , KING 6:24 PM. PDT August 25, 2017

Tyler Gore has red/green color blindness, but with new glasses, hes able to see those colors properly for the first time in his life.

Wearable technology is changing everything for color-blind patients.

"I have red/green color blindness, and reds and greens look more brown and tan to me. It makes it hard to see," says Tyler Gore,.

He found out he was color blind from a test at the optometrist office in first grade. Now 16 years old, it affects the way he drives.

"Mostly when they're mixed together, like stop lights. I can't see stop light colors," said Gore.

Roughly 13 million people in the United States have this genetic condition.

"Because it doesn't prevent vision it just alters the way we perceive color in vision it's very difficult for anyone to understand the effect, said Dr. Raquel Strange, Gores optometrist.

But technology is changing that. Gore heard about Enchroma glasses that allows him to see color, such as red and green, for the first time.

"Everything was so beautiful. All of the colors popped out. All of the colors were exaggerated, and I could see color. It was awesome," said Gore.

"We've had people break down and cry. We've seen lots of parents cry and girlfriends and wives cry because they had no idea the difference that it makes. It allows them to perceive those differences. That's what they're missing. It's this kind of one-ness to so many of those colors, said Strange.

So, for his birthday, Gore is getting his own pair. It's the only thing he asked for, so he can experience a brighter version of the world he knows.

There are several different versions of glasses to help correct color blindness. The Enchroma brand costs from $250 to $300 and can be made with corrective prescription lenses for indoors or out.

2017 NBCNEWS.COM

Read the original:
Corrective lenses minimize color blindness - KING5.com

A FORMER Northern Rivers resident has been charged with defrauding the Commonwealth by pretending she was blind to obtain a disability pension.

And it was an inside job - as Rebecca Teece, now 35, was working for Centrelink at the time.

Teece, also known as Rebecca O'Grady, is facing four counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception over her alleged use of fake medical reports and fake names to claim eligibility for pension payments between 2012 and 2015.

Teece worked at Centrelink offices in Coffs Harbour and then Pottsville when the alleged fraud took place.

In August 2012, Teece allegedly lodged a fake report from an opthamologist called Dr D. Gregor to justify a claim for a blindness disability pension. She was working in North Boambee Valley at the time.

As a result of the alleged deception, Teece received payments between December 17, 2012, and May 1, 2015.

Two years later, while working in Pottsville, Teece is alleged to have used a fake name, Rachel Lewis, to lodge another fraudulent claim for a disability pension.

Court papers allege Teece made the claim between October 30, 2014, and May 1, 2015, and as a result received payments between November 28, 2014, and May 1, 2015.

During this period Teece allegedly struck a third time, this time between March 5 and 9, 2015.

On this occasion she made and then approved her own claim for a carer's payment under the fictitious name of Margereet Lewis.

She is alleged to have done this twice.

Teece was served with a court attendance notice on January 30 this year and the matter was mentioned in Lismore Local Court on Tuesday this week.

It was adjourned to September 19 to return to Lismore Local Court.

Magistrate David Heilpern said no further adjournments would be allowed.

See original here:
Centrelink worker faked blindness for disability pension - Northern Star

For the first time in U.S. history, a solar eclipse will travel exclusively across America, enabling millions of people to view the moon block out the sun on Aug. 21. (Watch TIME's livestream of the total eclipse beginning at 12 p.m. ET on Monday.) But those who watch this rare celestial event in person need to take precautions, because staring right at the sun can quickly harm your eyes.

"Looking directly at the sun is unsafe except during the brief total phase of a solar eclipse (totality), when the moon entirely blocks the suns bright face, which will happen only within the narrow path of totality," NASA explains on its website. "The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as eclipse glasses.'

The path of totality, which is about 70 miles wide, is viewable from parts of 14 states, as shown on this solar eclipse map, and only lasts a maximum of two minutes and 40 seconds, according to NASA. Before and after the total solar eclipse, those in its path will see a partial eclipse, in which the moon only partly blocks the sun. The rest of the country will also see a partial eclipse so essentially, everyone needs to prepare themselves to view the eclipse safely.

NEXT: Watch the Whole Total Solar Eclipse in 4 Minutes

Here's what you need to know about why a solar eclipse hurts your eyes and how to protect your eyes effectively:

According to experts, viewing the sun with your naked eye during the eclipse can burn your retina, damaging the images your brain can view. This phenomenon, known as "eclipse blindness," can cause temporary or permanent vision impairment, and in worst-case scenarios can lead to legal blindness, which entails significant loss of vision.

"If people look without the proper protection [at the sun], they run the risk of injuring their eyes. And if they get an injury, depending on how often and how long they look at the sun without the protection, they do have a substantial risk of developing a permanent loss of vision," said Dr. B. Ralph Chou, p resident of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and a former optometry professor. It is not possible to go completely blind from looking at the eclipse, Chou said, because the injury is limited to the central part of your visual field.

There are no immediate symptoms or pain associated with the damage the retina doesn't have any pain receptors so its hard to know at the time if you've actually been afflicted with eclipse blindness. If you look at the sun unfiltered, you may immediately notice a dazzle effect, or a glare the way you would from any bright object, but that doesn't necessarily mean your retina is damaged. According to Chou, symptoms generally begin occurring 12 hours after viewing the eclipse, when people wake up in the morning and notice their vision has been altered.

"They cant see faces in the mirror, they cant read the newspaper or the smartphone display, theyre having trouble looking at road signs, and basically theyve got this center spot in their vision that is intensely blurred," Chou said.

There are no remedies to effectively mitigate the injury, said Chou, aside from waiting and seeing if the patient regains vision. This does happen, but not until at least three months after the injury.

Yes. People have hurt their eyes by watching the sun during a solar eclipse unfiltered. However, it is a relatively rare occurrence. Although Chou said there is no definitive data on the number of people afflicted with eclipse blindness, he noted that after a solar eclipse crossed Britain in 1999, ophthalmologists reported 70 instances of eye injuries, and the majority of those people had viewed the eclipse unfiltered. In Canada, 20 cases were reported following the total solar eclipse of 1979. O f the cases reported over the years, Chou said half the people afflicted completely recovered their vision over the course of the following year.

"It's a fact that for individual practitioners, they are not seeing that many [cases] overall," Chou said. "It's only if you start looking at large populations in the hundreds of millions that you start adding up into significant numbers."

To ensure your experience is injury-free, listen to NASA's advisory and buy eclipse glasses, which block approximately 99.99% of light rays. But also make sure follow NASA's instructions in using these glasses. When the glasses are on, NASA says, it is imperative that you don't look at the sun through an unfiltered camera lens, telescope, or binoculars.

Additionally, make sure that the brand of glasses you buy has been verified to meet the international safety standard, something Chou emphasized as critical to injury prevention. The American Astronomical Society has released a list of manufacturers selling these glasses that meet this standard. NASA also suggests you inspect your filter before putting it on, and discard it if it has any scratches or damages.

"If you don't try to sneak a peek without the filter," says Chou, "Then you should not run any risk of being hurt."

Continue reading here:
What Happens to Your Eyes If You Look Directly at the Sun During a Solar Eclipse? - TIME

A textiles company have been fined 300,000 after their wilful blindness led to a 21-year-old having to have his left hand partially amputated.

Heathcoat Fabrics, based in Tiverton, admitted contravening health and safety regulations by failing to prevent access to the dangerous parts of the L-Stenter mangle at their plant in Westexe.

Exeter Magistrates Court on Tuesday heard that an investigation was launched by the Health and Safety Executive after an incident that occurred in the factory on August 23 which led to Anthony Seward, an employee with the company, suffering a serious crush injury to his left hand.

Prosecuting, Mr Mannell said that a light curtain, which automatically stops the rollers on the L-Stenter mangle machine when the beam of light is broken, had been installed in 2009 for the machine, but it has broken down in January 2014. Replacement parts had been ordered, but rather than being installed, a risk assessment had been undertaken that decided that the use of an emergency stop-cord would be sufficient as a safety measure.

On August 23, 2016, Mr Seward was preparing and cleaning the L-Stenter mangle for the night shift when his left hand became entangled in the machine when he didnt realise that the rollers were on.

Mr Mannell said: The stenter had been used for two years and seven months without a light curtain as they felt that the stop-cord would be sufficient to prevent the risk of injury, but they failed to appreciate what could happen due to a lack of concentration or other factors when someone entered the danger zone. They were wrong that a stop-wire would be enough to reduce the risk of injury.

Mr Seward suffered severe crush injuries to four fingers on his left hand and he was flown by Air Ambulance to Bristol.

Explaining his injuries to the court, he said that he currently has no use of his left hand, he has to go back and forth to Bristol twice-a-week, he is not expected to gain the full use of his hand, and he may require an amputation.

He said that he was a retained firefighter but as a result of the injuries, this was no longer a career option.

Mr Mannell said: This case is about the fact that they failed to reinstate the light curtain to stop access to the danger zone. They knew this was a risk as they had installed it as a control measure prior to the incident happening.

The fact that they had assessed the risk and had put in the control of the light curtain previously shows how avoidable and preventable this accident was. What they did instead was inadequate and resulted in this very serious injuries.

Their wilful blindness to the risk that was in place meant that the controls did not reach industrial standard.

Mitigating on behalf of Heathcoat Fabrics, Mr Christopher Ducann said: This was a complete tragedy as to what had happened and it is truly regrettable. This was an avoidable accident and to that extent, we fully apologise for it.

He said that although it was not entirely clear as to the circumstances that led to the injury occurring, it was irrelevant as the law was about the risk of injury occurring.

He added: This is a company with no previous convictions and it is a matter of considerable shame and embarrassment that they are in this court today. Within a matter of days, they stop steps to prevent this happening again and they have fully co-operated with the investigation.

Sentencing the company, District Judge Stephen Nicholls said that it was clear that Mr Seward had suffered a considerable injury.

He fined Heathcoat Fabrics Ltd 300,000, and also ordered them to pay costs of 2,862.30 and a victim surcharge of 170.

Heathcoat Fabrics Ltd pleaded guilty to the charge of contravening a health and safety regulation in that between 18 January 2014 adn 24 August 2016 being an employer within the meaning of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 ("theAct"), contravened regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 in that you failed to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of the L-stenter mangle and in particular, its mangle rollers, whereby you are guilty of an offence contrary to Section 33(1)(c) of the Act.

Speaking after the sentence, Cameron Harvie, managing director of Heathcoat Fabrics said in a statement: Heathcoat Fabrics deeply regrets the incident which resulted in todays hearing. As the Court has today acknowledged, the Company takes health and safety serious and has an established track record in safety performance.

In the aftermath of the incident, we have taken the opportunity to further review and improve our existing safety systems. We have co-operated fully with the HSE in its investigation into the incident.

The court also heard that Mr Seward was pursuing a civil action about the company.

Founded in 1808, Heathcoat Fabrics is the leading supplier of engineered textile solutions. From off the shelf fabrics to bespoke solutions our innovative, customer-focused approach ensures that we can design, develop, test and deliver a wide variety of fabrics across the continents to many of the world's leading companies

Original post:
Company fined after 'wilful blindness' led to employee's hand being ... - Devon Live

Blindness affects 36 million people globally, with the greatest burden in developing countries, a global investigation has found.

Forecasts predict that there will be almost 115 million cases of blindness and 588 million people with moderate to severe vision impairment in 2050 (up from figures of 36 million and 217 million today, respectively).

Worldwide, there are an estimated 36 million people who are blind, and this is set to grow to almost 115 million people by 2050.

The greatest burden will be found in developing countries in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health journal.

With the number of people with vision impairment accelerating, we must take action to increase our current treatment efforts at global, regional and country levels, says lead author Professor Rupert Bourne, Anglia Ruskin University, UK.

Investing in these treatments has previously reaped considerable benefits, including improved quality of life, and economic benefits as people remain in work.

Although rates of blindness and vision impairment have gone down in recent years, as the world population ages, the number of cases has increased. The new estimates highlight the need to scale up efforts to alleviate vision impairment to help improve quality of life, and educational and economic opportunities globally.

Even mild visual impairment can significantly impact a persons life, for example reducing their independence in many countries as it often means people are barred from driving, as well as reducing educational and economic opportunities, Professor Bourne says.

The greatest number of people who are blind reside in south, east and southeast Asia, while rates of blindness among older adults are highest in eastern and western sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia.

The study analysed the prevalence of blindness and vision impairment in 188 countries between 1990 and 2015, as well as providing projections for 2020 and 2050.

The study, funded by the Brien Holden Vision Institute, involved researchers from Anglia Ruskin University, the University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, University of Auckland and Flinders University.

It is the first to include figures on presbyopia a condition that affects ones ability to read and is associated with ageing, and can be treated with eye glasses and finds that almost 1095 million people aged over 35 are affected by the condition, including almost 667 million people over 50.

The researchers estimate that global blindness crude prevalence declined from 0.75% in 1990 to 0.48% in 2015, while the rate of moderate to severe vision impairment reduced from 3.83% to 2.90%. This is likely to be a result of socio-economic development, targeted public health programs, and greater access to eye health services.

However, with most vision impairment being a result of ageing, as the population continues to grow and age, the number of people affected has increased globally. Rising from 30.6 million blind people in 1990 to 36 million in 2015, and from 160 million to 217 million people with moderate to severe vision impairment.

In addition, the study projections suggest that prevalence rates could see an upturn by 2020 (to 0.50% for blindness and 3.06% for vision impairment). They also predict further increases in the number of cases by 2050 if treatment is not improved with almost 115 million cases of blindness, and 588 million people with moderate to severe vision impairment.

The areas most affected include developing regions for example, 11.7 million people who are blind lived in south Asia in 2015, 6.2 million lived in east Asia, and 3.5 million lived in Southeast Asia. The same three regions were also home to the most people with moderate or severe vision impairment (61.2 million in south Asia, 52.9 million east Asia, and 20.8 million Southeast Asia).

Rates of blindness and vision impairment varied by region. In 2015, in western and eastern sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia the prevalence of blindness was more than 4%, while it was 0.5% or less in all high income regions (high income Asia Pacific, western Europe, Australasia, northern America, central Europe and eastern Europe).

While moderate to severe vision impairment rates were highest in south Asia, north Africa, the Middle East, and western and central sub-Saharan Africa, rates were lowest in the high-income regions.

To counter the growing numbers of cases of blindness and vision impairment, the researchers note the importance of investing in treatments. They also note that, between 1990 and 2010, when investments were made in treatments for vision impairment, prevalence of blindness reduced.

Interventions for vision impairment provide some of the largest returns on investment, and are some of the most easily implemented interventions in developing regions because they are cheap, require little infrastructure and countries recover their costs as people enter back into the workforce, Professor Bourne says.

Read more:
Blindness set to triple globally by 2050 - InDaily - InDaily

Perhaps some of the region's climate-change deniers even readand believedan article appearing in The Forum ('Fargo-Moorhead will be in path of total solar eclipse in 2099'). To be specific, this eclipse will begin at 10:37 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, 2099.

That calculation is the result of engineering and astronomy, or in a word: science.

So, why might some climate-change deniers, such as Inhofe, blindly confess that God controls our climate, but then have no problem believing that mani.e., the scientific methodis capable of predicting celestial events decades away down to the very minute?

Follow the money. Citing Oil Change International, the website DeSmogBlog asserts that Inhofe has received more than $2 million in political contributions from the coal and oil industry. One of his top benefactors is Koch Industries ($77,550 since 1999). ExxonMobil has contributed more than $35,000 since 1999.

But Oklahoma is a long way from North Dakota. Surely, that type of financial support doesn't cloud our politicians' vision, right?

Well ... according to OpenSecrets.org, Sen. John Hoeven received $492,228 from the energy/natural resources sector (oil and gas, electric utilities and mining industries) during the 2015-2016 cyclean amount placing him among the top-20 recipients in Congress. At the same time, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp received $155,155 and Rep. Kevin Cramer received $337,200.

Oh, by the way, OpenSecrets.org says Inhofe received only $64,000 from the energy/natural resources sector during the same period.

Hulse lives in Fargo.

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Letter: Political blindness and the total eclipse - INFORUM

The website PreventBlindness.org, an organization committed to education around blindness and "bringing Americans to eye care," has published a handy guide to safely viewing a solar eclipse and what it can potentially do to your eyes if they aren't shielded by the proper protection. As PreventBlindness.org explains, looking at a solar eclipse too long can cause "solar retinopathy," or retinal burns that destroy the cells that help you see. Unfortunately, the damage occurs with no pain, due to the fact that there are no nerve endings in that part of your eyes, and it can take "a few hours to a few days after viewing the solar eclipse to realize the damage that has occurred."

All of which sounds absolutely terrifying, an information cocktail that seems like a surefire rocket fuel to the planet Hypochondria. Still, you can never be too careful, especially if you're already experiencing discomfort in the eyes. These are the specific symptoms PreventBlindness.org stipulates that you should look out for:

See the article here:
Here Are the Eye Damage Symptoms to Worry About After Watching the Eclipse - Thrillist