StemCell Therapy

It was a normal day for John Sabec on June 16, 2011, when he fell asleep at his home in Pueblo, Colorado.

But his life was anything but normal when he awoke the next morning.

And it hasnt been ever since.

That night almost six years ago he lost his vision from diabetic retinopathy. He woke up with no vision in his left eye and large gray spots blocking his vision in his right eye.

The retina in my left eye exploded, he said. A surgeon was able to reattach the retina in his right eye, but he has very limited vision, which he compares to looking through a toilet paper roll.

Sabec sank into a depression and withdrew from life for several years. But hes managed to turn his life around.

Hes now attending Helena College working on an associate degree and is a work study employee for the colleges Disability Resource Office.

What happened to him gives him a unique view into the challenges students with disabilities face.

I work with anybody with a recognized disability, he said, whether it be physical, learning or emotional. More than 100 students are registered with the Helena College office and have a documented disability.

I can empathize with a lot of people, Sabec said. I know what its like to have something taken away from you. Ive been in the same boat.

Sabec's service dog Benjamin lays at his feet recently.

As far as assistance for his own disability, the college puts his books on PDFs that he can enlarge on his home computer till the lettering is big enough for him to read. Or the computer can turn it into an audio recording he can listen to.

Accompanying him in his work and studies is his service dog, a black lab named Benjamin.

John schedules appointments, proctors tests and creates and maintains student files, said Kristine Fife, the Helena College disability resource coordinator.

The office provides a wide range of accommodations for students with disabilities ranging from physical to cognitive to psychiatric.

Anyone with documented needs can receive resources, Fife said.

John has overcome a lot with different health issues, she said. Hes shown an incredible amount of perseverance despite barriers, she said.

His own disability heightens his ability to be empathetic and assist students with disabilities.

At the time he lost his vision, I went into depression and thought my life was over, he said. I isolated myself. I wasted 2 1/2 to 3 years of my life.

I worked in law enforcement most of my adult life and was driving a paratransit bus.

He jokes that he went from driving the short bus to riding it.

June 16, 2011, was the last day he ever drove -- although it took him years, he admits, to give up the idea of being a licensed driver. Driving was a big deal to me.

Sabec wound up moving to Hardin in 2012 to be near his children, and through their help he learned of the National Federation of the Blind.

Once he began working with that organization, he discovered life doesnt end if you lose your eyesight.

In 2014 he found his way to Helena and now feels right at home.

I just like the Helena area, he said. It has big city amenities with a small town feel.

He started at Helena College in fall of 2015 and plans on graduating in fall 2017, and he wants to go on to earn a four-year degree at a Montana campus to become a disabilities advocate.

Hes been earning a 3.7 grade point average and is on the deans list.

This office has been amazing, he said. Kris has been amazing. Shes one of my reasons for success.

Everyone here is professional and caring, he said. Ive had a teacher who has gone above and beyond a teacher and is a real good friend.

Its awesome -- like a family. Everyone wants to see everyone succeed here. I just think if youre looking to further your education or become a success in life, Helena College is a great place to start.

Its given me confidence to be productive in life and to socialize again.

What hes learned from life, Sabec said, is he needs to keep striving to move forward. Whats difficult today is a speed bump. Theres smooth sailing for a while and then another speed bump.

Continue reading here:
Sudden blindness opened Helena man's eyes to a new life - Helena Independent Record

A woman who feigned blindness to receive veterans benefits has been sentenced to serve nine months in prison and repay hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Veronica Dale Hahn, 60, was sentenced Friday in the Panama City federal court. She pleaded guilty during her jury trial on charges of defrauding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairsfor years in order to receive about $400,000 in benefits. Hahn now will have to repay that amount after serving nine months in federal prison.

The U.S. Attorneys Office reported Hahn lied from November 2001 to February 2016 about being rendered blind in both eyes, which she claimed to be directly connected to her service in the military.

However, within a year of receiving her disability benefits for loss of vision, she obtained drivers licenses in New Mexico, Alabama and Florida with no vision restrictions, after passing vision exams in each state with at least 20/40 vision. During this time, Hahn also was observed driving her personal automobile on numerous occasions. Further, she worked full time as a case manager and transition counselor at several state correctional facilities, all of which required normal eyesight to perform her duties.

In the course of Hahns jury trial in January, several government witnesses took the stand before she abruptly decided to enter a guilty plea to the charges on the second day of trial.

Instead of providing benefits and assistance to worthy veterans who are justifiably in need, significant resources from the Department of Veterans Affairs were diverted to uncover an extensive and persistent fraud by Ms. Hahn, who repeatedly gave dishonest information and collected hundreds of thousands of dollars to which she was not entitled, said U.S. Attorney Christopher P. Canova. This case sends the message that you cannot make false disability claims and just walk away from such a crime.

2017 The News Herald (Panama City, Fla.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Read the original here:
Woman Sentenced To Prison For Feigning Blindness To Defraud The VA - Task & Purpose

The Indian Express

Project to prevent blindness in premature infants launched The Indian Express Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is one of the leading causes of blindness in premature infants in India. The Public Health Foundation of India, in association with the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, UK, is spearheading the project to address ...

Original post:
Project to prevent blindness in premature infants launched - The Indian Express

Florida woman admits faking blindness to get veterans benefits WNCN PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) A 60-year-old Florida woman was sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $400,000 dollars in restitution after she pleaded guilty to faking blindness in order to receive veterans benefits. Federal ... and more »

Read more from the original source:
Florida woman admits faking blindness to get veterans benefits - WNCN

Written by Abantika Ghosh | New Delhi | Updated: April 29, 2017 8:36 am Treatment is given in the medical college or the teaching hospital. (Representational image)

The governments move to bar Public Health Foundation of India from accepting foreign funding has put a question mark on two blindness prevention programmes that PHFI was implementing in partnership with the Ministry of Health and state health departments.

The four-year programmes for diabetic retinopathy (blindness caused by diabetes) and retinopathy of prematurity (blindness in premature babies because of overexposure to oxygen inside incubators) were supported by the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust of UK through a 7 million grant, of which 4.3 million has been paid. But the rest cannot be processed because of the restrictions on PHFI.

Speaking to The Indian Express, chief executive of the trust, Dr Astrid Bonfield, said: It was very impressive to see that the programme has been integrated into the national governmets health system because unless that was done, there was no point really. It (the support) will continue for the next two years. I would not like to talk about Indian government business but at the moment, clearly, there are no payments being made (to PHFI).

Dr Bonfield is on her first review tour of India since the grant was approved.

Ironically, one of the reasons why PHFI was selected, she says, was because of its excellent links with the government; the grant was approved during the previous UPA regime.

With an estimated 69.2 million diabetes patients in India, ballpark estimates suggest that if the proportion of diabetics whose sight is threatened remains constant, an additional 10 million would be added by 2035.

As more premature babies survive in middle income countries like India, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) remains a condition about which awareness levels are low. A 2015 study published in the journal Indian Paediatrics found incidence in premature babies to be as high as 44 per cent.

Sources say work on the two programmes are in suspended animation not just because fresh funds cannot come in but also due to the curbs placed on PHFI by the Ministry of Home Affairs from accepting foreign contribution with retrospective effect for alleged violation of norms. There is no clarity on whether funds that have already come in can be spent, they said.

The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust was set up in 2011 at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting as a five-year charitable programme. The target in India was to integrate eyecare for people living with diabetes and newborns. India was the only country where ROP was taken up while the project to prevent blindness due to diabetes (DR) was taken up in 13 countries.

The DR project is currently under implementation across ten states spearheaded by a task force set up by the health ministry in 2014 and headed by deputy commissioner in the ministry, Dr Damodar Bachani. Its first meeting was held in July that year. It has representation from both government and non-government sectors. The district level models are pilots that are expected to be scaled up across states.

Following the national ROP summit in October 2013, a national task force headed by a joint secretary was constituted by the health ministry. Using the government of India database, 10 states, where sick newborn care units (SNCUs) had been functioning for at least two years, were identified for the programme.

The ROP prevention model includes a cluster of one medical college or teaching hospital and three-five district hospitals. Screening for retinopathy happens in SNCUs of these hospitals on a fixed day in a week. Treatment is given in the medical college or the teaching hospital.

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App now

See the original post here:
Govt ban puts question mark over blindness prevention programme - The Indian Express

Common Dreams

'State of the Swamp' Spotlights Trump Team's Ethical Blindness Common Dreams 'This president's first hundred days have seen no progress in 'draining the swamp;' instead, they have been the most corrupt in our national history.' (Image: Common Cause). President Trump marks his 100th day in office on Saturday, a milestone he ...

Read the original here:
'State of the Swamp' Spotlights Trump Team's Ethical Blindness - Common Dreams

Artificial intelligence shows potential to fight blindness Science Daily Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a condition that damages the blood vessels at the back of the eye, potentially causing blindness. "What we showed is that an artificial intelligence-based grading algorithm can be used to identify, with high reliability ... and more »

Original post:
Artificial intelligence shows potential to fight blindness - Science Daily

Many people know about the damage that ultraviolet (UV) rays can have on the skin, from sunburns to skin cancers. But many may not know about the damage it may cause to the eyes. That is why the Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness has declared May as UV (ultraviolet) Awareness Month. The goal is to help educate the public on the dangers of UV and steps to take to protect vision today and in the future.

UV damage to the eyes can be immediate, including a condition called ultraviolet keratitis. According to the Cleveland Clinic, this occurs from exposure to ultraviolet rays that can temporarily damage the cornea (the clear portion of the eye in front of the pupil) and the conjunctiva, a layer of cells covering the inside of the eyelid and the whites of the eye. Symptoms, such as eye pain, tears, blurred vision, light sensitivity and seeing halos, may last from 6 to 24 hours, but they usually disappear within 48 hours.

However, some UV damage may be cumulative, leading to cataract or macular degeneration later in life. People who work or play in the sun for long periods of time are at the greatest risk. Parents should make sure that children are wearing the proper sun protection at all times when outdoors.

When purchasing sunglasses, Prevent Blindness also recommends buying sunglasses that:

Sunglasses should be worn in conjunction with a brimmed hat. Wrap-around sunglasses are best as they protect not only the eyes but the delicate skin around the eyes as well.

The best way to protect your eyes, and your familys eyes from UV, is to talk with an eyecare professional. By discussing your unique needs, he or she can provide guidance on the best ways to protect your eyes today and help ensure healthy vision for years to come, said Sherry Williams, President &CEO of Prevent Blindness, Ohio Affiliate.

For more information on the dangers of UV exposure and how to choose the best UV protection, please visit the Prevent Blindness dedicated Web page at http://www.preventblindness.org/protect-your-eyes-sun or Prevent Blindness, Ohio Affiliate at call (800) 301-2020.

.

Follow this link:
Protecting eyes from ultraviolet rays can prevent blindness - Portsmouth Daily Times

Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. The disease causes the inner surface of eyelids to become rough, potentially ending up in visual impairment. On average, trachoma affects 1.9 million people around the world. It mainly harms people living in poor areas.

On Monday, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that after more than ten years of effort, Mexico managed to eliminate trachoma.

This was achieved through the Trachoma Prevention and Control program promoted by the Ministryof Health inChiapas, Mexico, since 2004, as well as the "Trachoma Brigades" to promote hygiene and provide information and antibiotics to those affected in vulnerable areas of the state.

Thanks to these efforts, it was possible to reduce the number of cases from 1,794 in 2004 to0 in 2016.

(Source: GIPHY)

With this monumental achievement, Mexico becomes the first country in the Americas and the third in the world (after Oman and Morocco) to receive WHO validation for eliminating trachoma.

Read More ->The World's First Malaria Vaccine Is Here, And Africa Gets It First

Read the original post:
Mexico Eliminates The Infectious Disease That Is The Leading ... - Konbini

Thursday April 27 2017

Glaucoma develops slowly over many years

"It might be possible to treat the main cause of permanent blindness before people notice any loss of vision," BBC News report.

A proof of concept study of early testing for glaucoma the most common cause of sight loss had promising results.

In glaucoma, the light-sensitive cells of the retinal nerve die, usually because of increased pressure in the eye. The damage to the nerve, which is irreversible, causes progressive loss of vision. Because people with glaucoma often don't have symptoms in the early stages of the disease, a lot of damage may be done before it is picked up. Diagnosing glaucoma early would allow earlier treatment to relieve pressure in the eye, and may prevent sight loss.

The new technique involves injecting people with a fluorescent dye (thankfully into the bloodstream, not the eye), and taking images of the eye. Dying retinal nerve cells show up as white spots on the image.

Researchers compared images from eight people with early glaucoma and eight healthy people, and showed that white spots were more than twice as common in people with glaucoma. They also seemed more common in people whose glaucoma got worse quickly over time.

However, the technique needs to be tested in large-scale studies to confirm the result as well as find out more about any safety issues.

The study reinforces the importance of having regular eye tests as these can oftenpick up glaucomabefore it becomes a significant problem. You should have an eye test at least every two years.

The study was carried out by researchers from Western Eye Hospital, Imperial College and University College London and was funded by the Wellcome Trust. The study was published in thepeer-reviewed journal Brain on anopen-access basis so it is free to read online.

BBC News, ITV News and The Daily Telegraph all covered the story. Their reports were mostly accurate and balanced, although none made clear the amount of research that still needs to be done before the new test can be put into use.

This was an open label,phase one clinical trial designed to establish proof of concept. Trials of medicines and tests go through three phases to ensure they are safe and effective.

The study was the first done in humans, so researchers wanted to know if it worked, if it caused any adverse effects, and what effect different doses of the dye had. They will now need to dophase 2and phase 3 trialson much bigger groups of patients to confirm their initial results.

Researchers recruited eight healthy adults without eye disease and eight adults being treated for early glaucoma at the hospital, with no other eye disease. People had an injection of the fluorescent dye (one of four different doses) then had their eye scanned by an infrared laser ophthalmoscope. The researchers assessed the images and compared those from healthy people and people with glaucoma.

Everyone was given a full eye examination when they were recruited, on the day of the test, and 30 days later. They were monitored for adverse events from the injection for six hours, with a phone call 24 hours later.

Researchers also looked to see what happened to the people with glaucoma during their future clinical follow-up visits, for up to 16 months. They then looked to see if the test results predicted how their glaucoma progressed.

Participants with glaucoma had on average more than twice as many white spots showing dying nerve cells as people with healthy eyes (2.37-fold increase, 95%confidence interval 1.4 to 4.03).

People with glaucoma whose disease got worse over the following months also had more white spots than those whose disease stayed the same. Among people without eye disease, older people had more white spots.

Glaucoma is more common among people aged over 75.

No-one had major side effects linked to the injection (one person found it painful and one person had a bruise afterwards).

The researchers stress their results need to be confirmed by bigger trials, saying: "Like any new technology," it will "need robust testing if it is to be successfully validated."

However, they say, it might be possible to use the test "as a method of detection and monitoring of patients" with glaucoma. They say they have shown that the technique may be useful for identifying nerve degeneration.

They further theorise that it might one day be used for other diseases, including the eye disease macular degeneration, optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve) and "Alzheimers-related disease."

Glaucoma is responsible for about 10 in 100 people registered blind in the UK. About 2 in 100 people over 40 in the UK have glaucoma, and around 10 in 100 of those aged over 75. Because there is no cure, but early treatment can often help slow or prevent damage, early diagnosis is important.

Regular eye tests may pick up glaucoma, but often there's no sign of the disease until people have already begun to lose vision. That's why this test is interesting. If it can be shown to work well and safely, it could be a quick and efficient way to diagnose glaucoma before people have started to lose their sight. However, there's more work to do before we get to that stage.

The initial trial results in 16 people need to be repeated among bigger groups, to be sure the results hold true. The researchers need to establish the best dose of the fluorescent dye. Importantly, they need to establish what number of white dots is normal, and what number suggests early glaucoma. This research only shows that people with glaucoma had more white dots, not what would be a good cut-off point for early diagnosis.

Everyone should have a routine eye test at least every two years. This may include a test for high pressure in the eye, as well as a sight test.

If a close relative has glaucoma, mention it to the optician to be sure they carry out appropriate checks. Some types of glaucoma can run in families, so if you do have a family history, more frequent tests may be recommended.

Read more from the original source:
New glaucoma test could save millions from blindness - NHS Choices

THEY JUST didnt listen. So said one gymnast allegedly molested by Larry Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics doctor at the center of a sexual abuse scandal. Dr. Nassar also worked at Michigan State University where multiple female athletes complained to officials about his so-called treatment, only to have the school shamelessly and shamefully ignore them.

USA Gymnastics has borne the brunt of the blame for Dr. Nassars alleged exploits. But, as reporting by The Posts Will Hobson and the Lansing State Journal reveals, Michigan State shares responsibility for letting an alleged abuser reportedly carry on a decades-long criminal career. When athletes there told coaches and administrators that Dr. Nassar had massaged their buttocks and inserted his fingers, without gloves, into their vaginas, the officials told them they were misinterpreting the work of a medical superstar. A university Title IX investigation in 2014 cleared Dr. Nassar of wrongdoing.

Dr. Nassar worked with aspiring Olympians across the country, and a nationwide network of coaches and officials apparently let their athletes down again and again. But that bigger story should not obscure the appalling series of events that played out on Michigan States campus, for which the school has no excuse. Authorities say Dr. Nassar was brazen in his abuse, to the point where, as FBI agents discovered during their investigation, he allegedly recorded video of himself groping underage girls in a pool.

Michigan State is undergoing internal reviews to figure out what went so terribly wrong on its watch. Thats important, but equally important are structural reforms at Michigan State and colleges across the country to hold abusers accountable and prevent abuse from occurring in the first place. Michigan States shortcomings underscore the importance of the Education Departments recent efforts to more carefully enforce Title IX, which governs how schools address sexual violence. Troublingly, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos would not commit to continuing those efforts in her confirmation hearing.

I have been told it is virtually impossible to stop a determined sexual predator and pedophile, that they will go to incomprehensible lengths to keep what they do in the shadows, Michigan State President Lou Anna Simon said at a meeting of trustees this month. But Dr. Nassar was not in the shadows. He and his behavior were on full display, for years, waiting for administrators to take action. They chose not to listen, and they chose not to see.

Go here to see the original:
A college's willful blindness to a sexual assault scandal - The ... - Washington Post

A new eye test could prevent glaucoma, the biggest cause of irreversible blindness, by spotting symptoms before loss of sight begins.

Researchers at University College London (UCL) have developed an eye exam that could detect individual nerve cell death at the back of the eye a decade before symptoms present themselves.

Glaucoma affects 16 million people worldwide, many of whom have lost a third of their vision before they start treatment. The disease causes changes to the pressure inside the eye which kills the retinas nerve cells.

Subscribe to Newsweek from $3.25 per week

Early detection would allow doctors to start treatment before the patient begins to go blind. The new test uses a fluorescent dye that sticks to cells that are about to die. White fluorescent dots on the retina would reveal whether the patient has early-onset glaucoma.

Eye with acute angle-closure glaucoma, a sudden elevation in intra-ocular pressure that occurs when the iris blocks the eye's drainage channel. Jonathan-Trobe-Wikicommons

The test could also diagnose early-onset degenerative neurological conditions, such as Parkinsons, Alzheimers and multiple sclerosis.

The exam is still in its first trial phase and has so far only been tested on 16 people, but the initial results are promising, according to the study published in the medical journal Brain.

For the first time, we have been able to show individual cell death and detect the earliest signs of glaucoma. While we cannot cure the disease, our test means treatment can start before symptoms begin, lead researcher Professor Francesca Cordeiro of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology said in a release published alongside the study.

Bethan Hughes, a spokesperson for the medical charity Wellcome Trust which funded the research, said: This innovation has the potential to transform lives for those who suffer loss of sight through glaucoma, and offers hope of a breakthrough in early diagnosis of other neurodegenerative diseases.

Read more:
New Eye Test Could Spot Glaucoma and Prevent Blindness in Millions - Newsweek

Peek Retina smartphone adapter launches

27 Apr 2017 by John White, Laurence Derbyshire

It has been a long and very challenging road to get to this point. Although there is much to celebrate, this is only the beginning of the journey. So explained Dr Andrew Bastawrous, co-founder and CEO of Peek, at the launch of Peek Retina at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (20 April).

The device is the latest solution created by Peek, a social impact enterprise that works to give healthcare providers the tools and knowledge needed to deliver high quality, sustainable care.

The smartphone camera adapter is used for retinal imaging, which has been designed to help increase access to care by enabling more eye examinations to be carried out.

Described by the company as intuitive and easy to use, the tool enables the examination of the optic nerve and macula.

In a statement, Peek said: In a perfect world, retinal imaging would be standard practice at the point of initial examination, but it is not normal practice because retinal images are hard to capture using traditional equipment. We believe Peek Retina can make a significant impact on avoidable blindness by removing barriers to access and enabling new examinations to be performed, but we are calling on users and supporters to give as much feedback as possible so it can be made even better.

Peek Retina clips over the camera on any smartphone, enabling users to capture an image of the back of the retina and share it easily without the need for a desktop retinal camera.

The eye needs to be dilated to enable examination, with Peek highlighting that different countries have different rules governing the use of dilation drops. Once the eye is dilated, images of the retina can be captured without requiring a high skill level, although specialist skills and knowledge are needed to interpret the images, the company notes.

Other projects from Peek include Peek Acuity, an app that test vision, which has been used in over 100 countries since it was released last year. Non-health experts can use the app, and it can also be used in smaller spaces than traditional alphabet-based eye chart testing, which, Peek explains, means that more people can be reached and tested.

An element within Peek Acuity, PeekSim, has been created to show what a person with a vision problem really sees compared with normal vision just after they have had their vision tested.

By teaming-up with schools and communities in Kenya, Botswana and India, more than 100,000 children have had their eyes tested with Peek using the Peek School Screening programme and followed up for treatment or glasses where needed, and Peek is carrying out research to improve and expand these programmes.

Peek began as a result of Dr Bastawrouss experiences of transporting eye equipment to rural communities in Kenya to gather eye health data for his PhD at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

At the launch event the ophthalmologist and assistant professor in International Eye Health at the London school, Dr Bastawrous, said: We are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported us and helped us take ideas from research to reality and we will continue to learn and develop the tools and knowledge which healthcare providers and systems need to help those with avoidable sight loss.

While large numbers of people remain unable to see or access eye care, our job remains unfinished.

Peek Retina is available via the website and costs 216 (including VAT) plus delivery charge. The Peek Acuity and Peek Acuity Pro apps can be downloaded for free via the Google Play store.

To support Peek, visit the JustGiving pageor contact enquiries@peekvision.org

Read more here:
New tool to combat avoidable blindness - AOP

3BL Media (press release)

How Orbis is Bringing the World Together to Fight Blindness | 3BL ... 3BL Media (press release) Imagine the world around you in darkness. For millions of people this darkness is a reality. Blindness takes away so much more than vision. It can impede your ... and more »

See the rest here:
How Orbis is Bringing the World Together to Fight Blindness | 3BL ... - 3BL Media (press release)

PRESS RELEASE Trachoma has been eliminated as a public health problem in Mexico, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today.

Mexico becomes the first country in the Americas and the third in the world after Oman and Morocco to receive validation from WHO for having eliminated this disease.

Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. It is transmitted by contact with bacteria in the eye and nasal discharges of infected persons, especially young children. It affects poor, isolated populations in 41 countries around the world. In the Americas, trachoma is still endemic in Brazil, Guatemala, and Colombia.

Mexico has managed to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem, said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan in a letter to the Mexican Government congratulating the country on the achievement. WHOs conclusion is based on the data presented in the country record and on the recommendation of the review group of independent experts which visited the country last November, she added.

This is a historic moment for public health in Mexico and the Americas, said Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), WHO regional office for the Americas. Eliminating a disease is not achieved every day, she said, acknowledging the decades-long efforts of Mexican authorities, health workers and communities to improve their health and quality of life, and end this disease of poverty.

In Mexico, the disease has been endemic in 246 communities in five municipalities in the state of Chiapas, affecting a total of 146,207 people. Actions to combat trachoma were strengthened in 2004 with the creation of the Trachoma Prevention and Control Program of the Ministry of Health of Chiapas and the strengthening of the WHO SAFE strategy.

This strategy consists of a comprehensive package of interventions including surgery for advanced disease, antibiotics to clear C. trachomatis infection, facial cleanliness and environmental improvement to reduce transmission.

The Trachoma Brigades, a group of doctors, nurses and specially trained technical personnel to combat trachoma, worked locally to reduce the number of cases from 1,794 in 2004 to zero cases in 2016, according to data from the Chiapas Trachoma Prevention and Control Program.

Using this approach, the country met the international criteria for elimination of trachoma as a public health problem, which are: Prevalence of less than 5 percent in children aged 1 to 9, and less than one case oftrachomatous trichiasis (inverted eyelashes) per 1,000 inhabitants.

In 2012, there were only 36 cases of infection among children from 1 to 9 years of age (less than 5%) and less than 1 case of trachomatous trichiasis per 1,000 inhabitants. These numbers met the international criteria for elimination of trachoma as a public health problem.

The Secretary of Health of Mexico, Jose Narro, said he was excited at the achievement of elimination. The accomplishment, he said, was due to A long history of hard work and efforts by many persons, over the course of generations.

To maintain elimination and prevent a resurgence of the disease, PAHO / WHO recommends continuous monitoring of trachoma and delivery of care to affected patients.

To date, five other countries (China, Gambia, Ghana, Iran and Myanmar) have reported on the achievement of elimination targets. Most countries with trachoma are using the SAFE strategy to eliminate the disease by 2020. In 2015, more than 185,000 people with trichiasis received corrective surgery worldwide, and 56 million were treated with antibiotics for trachoma.

This elimination in Mexico adds to another important achievement reached by the country in 2015, when it received the verification of the elimination of onchocerciasis from WHO. Onchocerciasis is a parasitic disease that can also cause blindness and disability and, like trachoma, mainly affects people living in poverty.

This article was posted in its entirety as received by stlucianewsonline.com. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of stlucianewsonline.com, its sponsors or advertisers.

More here:
INTERNATIONAL: Mexico eliminates leading cause of blindness - St. Lucia News Online (press release)

Last week, as per a notification issued by the Union Health Ministry, India embraced the World Health Organisations (WHO) definition of blindness, and changed its four-decade old criteria of what blindness should be. In the process, India would drastically bring down the number of people who will be considered blind in the country.

Image used for representational purpose only.

The new definition suggests that a person who is unable to count fingers from a stipulated distance of three metres would be regarded as blind. The earlier definition of blindness, adopted in 1976, had a prerequisite of six metres. With the implementation of the new definition, the number of blind people would reduce from 1.20 crore to 80 lakh, according to the National Blindness survey 2007.

The rationale for the erstwhile definition of blindness was to include economic blindness cases that impede a persons ability to earn wages, while the WHO criteria includes people who have social blindness, which hampers the day to day interactions in a persons life.

The definition was revised so that comparable data could be generated so as to analyse it against global estimates and achieve the attain the WHO objective of reducing the prevalence of India to 0.3% of the total population by 2020.

Keeping this move in mind, the name of the government scheme that targets the blind population has been changed from the National Programme for Control of Blindness to the The National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment, and its focus would be on both blind as well as visually impaired people.

Deputy Director General of National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB), Dr Promila Gupta, stated, Because of the earlier definition, we were projecting a higher figure of blind people from India at any international forum, presenting ourselves in poor light.

It is important to assess this decision of the Union Health Ministry in order to understand how this will impact the blind population legally. India ratified the United Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2007. However, the domestic legislation that protects the rights of disabled persons, The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, was only passed in December.

This new legislation would replace The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, which would be repealed. The Persons with Disabilities Act was inadequate in recognising the rights enunciated within the CRPD, and did not codify or mention basic CRPD principles of legal capacity and reasonable accommodation.

While the new Act includes a number of new conditions in the disabilities list, it retains blindness as a disability, along with 21 other conditions, and a power to the central government for adding more types of conditions, if required. Low vision is also another condition in this list. The Act casts a responsibility upon appropriate governments to take effective measures to ensure that the persons with disabilities enjoy their fundamental rights equally with others.

The new Act most importantly codifies the principle of reasonable accommodation within the clause that defines discrimination. Section 2 (h) defines discrimination thus discrimination in relation to disability, means any distinction, exclusion, restriction on the basis of disability which is the purpose or effect of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field and includes all forms of discrimination and denial of reasonable accommodation. It also defines reasonable accommodation as does the CRPD means necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments, without imposing a disproportionate or undue burden in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise of rights equally with others.

Keeping the new understanding of blindness in India, it is vital to question whether this decision would affect the legal capacity and fundamental freedoms of the 40 lakh population that was regarded as legally blind before this Health Ministry directive, but now have ceased to be so because of a new definition of the disability. How would this affect their employment and capacity to earn a livelihood? And most significantly, how would this affect the way reasonable accommodation is invoked for the blind?

In Pranay Kumar Poddar v. State of Tripura and Others (2017), the Supreme Court asked some very pertinent questions regarding blindness and employment in the medical practice. The bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra and Justice AM Khanwilkar directed the Medical Council of India to constitute a committee of experts to look into the areas of practice that MBBS aspirants with colour blindness could engage in.

The bench also stated that it was an obligation of the Medical Council of India to look into and take progressive measure so that an individual suffering from CVD may not feel like an alien to the concept of equality, which is the fon juris of our Constitution. The amicus curiae, Mr Vishwanathan, argued that since colour blindness was not regarded as a disability under the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 or the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, there needs to be an examination of the nature and severity of colour blindness and the corresponding subjects they can practice.

The Supreme Court stated: Total exclusion for admission to medical courses without any stipulation in which they really can practice and render assistance would tantamount to regressive thinking. The march of science, apart from our constitutional warrant and values, commands inclusion and not exclusion. That is the way a believer in human rights should think.

In the case of Ashutosh Kumar v. Film and Television Institute of India (2017), the Bombay High Court upheld the rules laid down the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) that stated that candidates suffering from colour blindness would not be suitable for the course. The Division Bench of Justice Shantanu Kemkar and Justice Prakash Naik rejected the petition of Ashutosh Kumar who was denied admission for a post-graduate course on editing at the Institute.

The court stated that the rules of FTII must be upheld and that the Ashutosh was suffering from colour blindness, and that there was no malafide or arbitrariness in the rules or the recommendations of the expert committee of the Institute. A Delhi High Court case of 2013 adjudicated that colour blindness was not a ground for denying promotion, and directed government authorities to treat CRPF personnel with colour blindness on par with others for promotion.

In Bhagwan Dass and Anr v. Punjab State Electricity Board (2008), the appellant had become completely blind during his service, and the respondent had categorically refused to accommodate him in an alternate position, and instead terminated his service according to the Persons with Disabilities Act.

The Supreme Court, in the case, took a protective view of persons with disabilities and reiterated the judgment in Kunal Singh v. Union of India: In construing a provision of a social beneficial enactment that too dealing with disabled persons intended to give them equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participation, the view that advances the object of the Act and serves its purpose must be preferred to the one which obstructs the object and paralyses the purpose of the Act.

The judgments discussed indicate that there is not a contextual understanding or nuancing of how blindness is perceived in a legal sphere: This means that there is no pattern of adjudicating upon blindness and its relationship with legal rights and the principle reasonable accommodation at the workplace.

With the change in definition of blindness, this nuance is likely to get more difficult and as a result of this, several lakh people may be affected adversely. Changing the definition of blindness, without putting in place proper systems, has created a dangerous situation where blanket discrimination against the visually impaired may take place by both government as well as private actors.

Originally posted here:
India swaps 40-yr-old definition of blindness for WHO criteria: Move may allow blanket discrimination against ... - Firstpost

In a significant public health victory, Mexico has succeeded in eliminating a disease which is the leading cause of blindness worldwide.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) announced Monday that Mexico is the first country in the Americas to eliminate trachoma as a public health issue. The disease, caused by a bacteria, affects the eye and repeated infections can lead to scarring and even loss of vision.

It primarily affects young children, and can be spread by personal contact or by flies that that have been in contact with the discharge from the eyes or nose of an infected person.

"This is a historic moment for public health in Mexico and the Americas," said Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), WHO regional office for the Americas. "Eliminating a disease is not achieved every day."

Trachoma primarily affects poor and isolated populations in 41 countries; in the Americas, the disease is still prevalent in Brazil, Guatemala, and Colombia.

Mexico has become the third country, after Oman and Morocco, to receive WHO validation for eliminating the disease.

Related: Measles Has Been Eliminated in the Americas, WHO Says

In Mexico, trachoma affected over 146,000 people. The country ramped up its actions in 2004 with the creation of the Trachoma Prevention and Control Program of the Ministry of Health of Chiapas and the strengthening of the WHO SAFE strategy. The "Trachoma Brigades" focused on cleanliness, antibiotics, environmental improvement and surgery for the advanced stage of the disease.

Related: 'Adis Zika!' Elmo Teaches Kids in Caribbean, Latin America about Zika

The program's slogan was "With water, soap and cleanliness you can prevent trachoma." Teachers at schools would also meet with parents regularly to promote better hygiene.

The international criteria for the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem includes prevalence of less than 5 percent in children aged 1 to 9, and less than one case of trachomatous trichiasis (inverted eyelashes) per 1,000 inhabitants.

Follow NBC News Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Read more:
Mexico Eliminates Infectious Disease Which Is Leading Cause of ... - NBCNews.com

News & Observer

Uber CEO: Travis Kalanick built Uber into a multibillion-dollar giant ... News & Observer In a quest to build Uber into the world's dominant ride-hailing entity, Travis Kalanick has openly disregarded many rules and norms, backing down only when ... Travis Kalanick Plays the Mythic Role of the Rebel CEO Too WellThe Ringer (blog) Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick plays with fireThe New Daily Uber's CEO Plays With FireNew York Times TechCrunch -The Verge all 193 news articles »

See the article here:
Uber CEO: Travis Kalanick built Uber into a multibillion-dollar giant ... - News & Observer

Confocal micrograph of mouse retina depicting optic fiber layer. Image courtesy of National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research, UC San Diego.

Using the gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute at UC San Diego Health, with colleagues in China, have reprogrammed mutated rod photoreceptors to become functioning cone photoreceptors, reversing cellular degeneration and restoring visual function in two mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa.

The findings are published in the April 21 advance online issue of Cell Research.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of inherited vision disorders caused by numerous mutations in more than 60 genes. The mutations affect the eyes photoreceptors, specialized cells in the retina that sense and convert light images into electrical signals sent to the brain. There are two types: rod cells that function for night vision and peripheral vision, and cone cells that provide central vision (visual acuity) and discern color. The human retina typically contains 120 million rod cells and 6 million cone cells.

In RP, which affects approximately 100,000 Americans and 1 in 4,000 persons worldwide, rod-specific genetic mutations cause rod photoreceptor cells to dysfunction and degenerate over time. Initial symptoms are loss of peripheral and night vision, followed by diminished visual acuity and color perception as cone cells also begin to fail and die. There is no treatment for RP. The eventual result may be legal blindness.

In their published research, a team led by senior author Kang Zhang, MD, PhD, chief of ophthalmic genetics, founding director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine and co-director of biomaterials and tissue engineering at the Institute of Engineering in Medicine, both at UC San Diego School of Medicine, used CRISPR/Cas9 to deactivate a master switch gene called Nrl and a downstream transcription factor called Nr2e3.

CRISPR, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, allows researchers to target specific stretches of genetic code and edit DNA at precise locations, modifying select gene functions. Deactivating either Nrl or Nr2e3 reprogrammed rod cells to become cone cells.

Cone cells are less vulnerable to the genetic mutations that cause RP, said Zhang. Our strategy was to use gene therapy to make the underlying mutations irrelevant, resulting in the preservation of tissue and vision.

The scientists tested their approach in two different mouse models of RP. In both cases, they found an abundance of reprogrammed cone cells and preserved cellular architecture in the retinas. Electroretinography testing of rod and cone receptors in live mice show improved function.

Zhang said a recent independent study led by Zhijian Wu, PhD, at National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, also reached similar conclusions.

The researchers used adeno-associated virus (AAV) to perform the gene therapy, which they said should help advance their work to human clinical trials quicker. AAV is a common cold virus and has been used in many successful gene therapy treatments with a relatively good safely profile, said Zhang. Human clinical trials could be planned soon after completion of preclinical study. There is no treatment for RP so the need is great and pressing. In addition, our approach of reprogramming mutation-sensitive cells to mutation-resistant cells may have broader application to other human diseases, including cancer.

This article has been republished frommaterialsprovided by University of California - San Diego. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

Reference

Zhu, J., Ming, C., Fu, X., Duan, Y., Hoang, D. A., Rutgard, J., . . . Zhang, K. (2017). Gene and mutation independent therapy via CRISPR-Cas9 mediated cellular reprogramming in rod photoreceptors. Cell Research. doi:10.1038/cr.2017.57

See the original post:
Reversing Gene Damage to Treat Blindness | Technology Networks - Technology Networks

You are here: Home Opinion Britains wilful blindness

In January 1983, the government of President Robert Mugabe launched a massive security clampdown in Matabeleland and parts of Midlands, led by Fifth Brigade a division of the Zimbabwean National Army.

guest opinion BY Hazel Cameron

This coincided with the imposition of a strict curfew in the region. Thousands of atrocities, including murders, mass physical torture and the burnings of property occurred in the ensuing six weeks.

Members of the unit told locals that they had been ordered to wipe out the people in the area and to kill anything that was human.

Mugabe named this North Korean trained unit Gukurahundi Fifth Brigade, a Shona term that loosely translates to the early rain that washes away the chaff before the spring rains.

The term Gukurahundi not only refers to Fifth Brigade, but also to the period of political and ethnic violence perpetrated by this unit in Zimbabwe between 1983 and 1985.

Gukurahundi resulted in huge losses for the Ndebele people of Matabeleland and parts of the Midlands.

The late Joshua Nkomo (leader of Zapu), in a letter to Mugabe dated June 7 1983, estimated that in the first six-week period of Gukurahundi, which commenced on January 20 1983, Fifth Brigade killed between 3 000 and 5 000 unarmed civilians in Matabeleland North.

The West German ambassador to Zimbabwe, Richard Ellerkmann, reported on March 11 1983 that the churches estimate of total deaths, based on data collected from African sources, is about 3 000.

Shari Eppel, Zimbabwean human rights advocate and forensic anthropologist, estimates the total number of unarmed civilians who died at the hands of Fifth Brigade throughout the entire Gukurahundi period to be no fewer than 10 000 and no more than 20 000.

Thousands more were beaten, tortured and raped.

The arbitrary arrests, detentions without charge, torture, summary executions and rape, suffered by the Ndebele, created an atmosphere of fear and mistrust, which persists to this day between the people of Matabeleland and the government of Zimbabwe.

This article illuminates the wilful blindness of Margaret Thatchers Conservative British government between January and April 1983, when the Zimbabwean state-sponsored violence of Gukurahundi peaked.

The analysis of this study was undertaken through the prism of hitherto unavailable official British and US government communications pertaining to the Matabeleland massacres, obtained by Freedom of Information requests to various British government ministries and offices, and to the US Department of State.

This unique dataset provides minutes of meetings and other relevant communications between the British High Commission, Harare, the Prime Ministers Office, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defence, London, as well as the US Department of State and the US embassy in Harare.

The mining of such rich data permits a unique insight into the role of the British government in Gukurahundi and establishes: what information was available to the British government about the persistent and relentless atrocities taking place against the Ndebele people of Matabeleland North during the early part of 1983; what the British diplomatic approach was in response to this knowledge; and what the British governments rationale was for such policies.

Importantly, this data is triangulated by analysis of the US declassified documents. It must be acknowledged that the documentary material considered in this study is not complete.

However, the 2 600 pages of documentation analysed, indicates that Robin Byatt, the British High Commissioner in Harare during the peak period of Gukurahundi violence, in addition to his diplomatic team and Major General Colin Shortis, the commander of the British Military Advisory Training Team, were consistent in their efforts to minimise the magnitude of Fifth Brigade atrocities.

It is indisputable that this is the general theme of the available cables that were forwarded from the British High Commission, Harare, to London during the period under study for this article.

Furthermore, this article will reveal that while both the UK and US were influenced by realpolitik, the US government demonstrated concern for the victims of Gukurahundi and placed a focus on the development of strategies and policies designed to challenge the state sponsored violence being perpetrated by Fifth Brigade so as to end the suffering of the black Ndebele people.

This was contrary to the approach of the UK government who wilfully turned a blind eye to the victims of these gross abuses.

Instead, the Zimbabweans who were of concern to the British government, and influenced their diplomatic approach, were the many white Zimbabweans living in the affected regions, and who were unaffected by the extreme violence of the Fifth Brigade.

The rationale for such naked realpolitik is multi-layered and expressed clearly in numerous communications between Harare and London.

This can be neatly summarised here by quoting a cable from the British High Commissioner, Harare, to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Geoffrey Howe, on June 24 1983.

He notes that: Zimbabwe is important to us primarily because of major British and western economic and strategic interests in southern Africa, and Zimbabwes pivotal position there.

Other important interests are investment (800 million) and trade (120 million exports in 1982), Lancaster House prestige, and the need to avoid a mass white exodus.

Zimbabwe offers scope to influence the outcome of the agonising South Africa problem; and is a bulwark against Soviet inroads.

Zimbabwes scale facilitates effective external influence on the outcome of the Zimbabwe experiment, despite occasional Zimbabwean perversity.

One can but assume that occasional Zimbabwean perversity refers to Gukurahundi and the summary killings and commonplace torture and rape of tens of thousands of Ndebele people.

This is an extract of a report that was recently published in the International History Review journal providing new information on the Gukurahundi atrocities.

Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter to receive updates.

Read more:
Britain's wilful blindness - The Zimbabwe Standard