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Archive for the ‘Blindness’ Category

Shining a light on face blindness – The Hippocratic Post (blog)

Tuesday, March 21st, 2017

Face blindness, or Prosopagnosis, is a common condition that affects aroundtwo in every 100 people in the UK, but relatively little is known about why it occurs and the psychological effect it has on peoples lives.

Researchers at Teesside University are hoping to raise awareness about this developmental disorder, which is an inability to recognise people from their facial features alone. In extreme cases, people cannot recognise family members and friends.

In extreme cases, people cannot recognise family members or friends.

Laura Sexton, a PhD student in Teesside Universitys School of Social Sciences, Business & Law, is carrying out research into face blindness with her supervisor, Dr Natalie Butcher, Senior Lecturer in Psychology. She says: Prosopagnosia affects people in different ways and for some they dont even realise it is a legitimate condition due to a general lack of awareness.

For others it can be very hard to cope with and leads to anxiety, stress, embarrassment and feelings of guilt.

Screening is important in that it allows us to develop a better understanding of the condition. First we need to determine if it is Prosopagnosia and not another underlying issue. Then we need to examine the severity of each case and find out peoples coping mechanisms and how it affects them psychologically.

The team have set up a screening centre, believed to be the first of its kind in the region, so that people who suspect they have the condition, can be tested for Prosopagnosia.

The team have set up a screening centre, believed to be the first of its kind in the region.

They are encouraging people who feel they may suffer from face blindness to come forward for screening tests in order to find out more about the condition.

People with face blindness often use non-facial cues to recognise others, such as their hairstyle, clothes, voice, or distinctive features. Many describe a fear and avoidance of social situations, such as family gatherings or meetings at work.

Thea Jourdan is the founder and editorial director of Hippocratic Post as well as being Editor of Apothecary, the journal of the Worshipful Society of the Apothecaries of London, and a contributor to the Good Health section of the Daily Mail. She sits on the executive committee of the Medical Journalists Association.

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Shining a light on face blindness - The Hippocratic Post (blog)

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Brit scientists testing ‘groundbreaking’ therapy that could cure … – The Sun

Monday, March 20th, 2017

The treatment is aimed at one of the most common causes of blindness in boys and young men

SCIENTISTS seeking a cure for blindness are testing a groundbreaking gene therapy on British patients.

The clinical trial aims to find a treatment for one of the most common causes of blindness in boys and young men.

Alamy

X-linked retinitis pigmentosa, allows the retinal cells to gradually stop working and eventually die, which prevents the eyes from processing light. There is currently no treatment available for sufferers. The trial, which could feature up to 30 patients, follows success by an Oxford

University team in treating those with another form of hereditary blindness, known as choroideremia.

Last Thursday a 29-year-old man with XLRP became the first patient to undergo the gene therapy procedure at Oxford Eye Hospital.

A virus carries corrective DNA into cells at the back of the eye.

For the treatment to work scientists have to reprogramme a gene called RPGR to make it more stable. The instability of that gene in the retina has previously been a major obstacle to finding a way of tackling the condition.

Prof Robert MacLaren, of Oxford University, said: We have spent many years working out how to develop this gene therapy.

Changing the genetic code is always undertaken with great caution, but the new sequence we are using has proven to be highly effective in our laboratory studies.

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Brit scientists testing 'groundbreaking' therapy that could cure ... - The Sun

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The Amazing Technology Behind Colour Blindness Glasses – Women Love Tech (press release) (blog)

Monday, March 20th, 2017

An estimated 300 million people worldwide are colour blind men are more likely to be colour blind (eight per cent) while only 0.5 per cent of women are affected.

Its more accurate to say that most colour blind people are only partially colour blind, as they can still see colours, but they only see a narrow range of colours.

For decades, there have been glasses that claim to help the colour blind. They typically use a pink or reddish-tinted lens but its no different from looking through a pane of glass thats coloured red or pink.

But now there are colour blind glasses that feature sophisticated technology that has had astounding results.

EnChroma CEO Andy Schmeder told Women Love Tech, in the past, colour blind glasses have not been very effective.

They can help the colour blind do better on colour vision screening tests like the Ishihara test. However, such glasses simply create more contrast in colours because they emphasize one colour at the expense of another. The colour blind arent truly seeing more hues of colour and the glasses distort the colours they already see just fine. Essentially, they are similar to looking through a coloured pane of glass, Schmeder said.

EnChroma has revolutionised the technology behind colour blind glasses by creating a special patent-pending optical technology known as multi-notch filtering.

Red-green colour blindness is caused by an overlap of the green and red cones in the retina of the eye. EnChroma created the multi-notch filtering that removes small slices of light where the red and green cones in the retina overlap the most for the colour blind, Schmeder said. This re-establishes a more accurate ratio of light entering the three photopigments in the eye so the colour blind enjoy a more normal spectral response. The result is colour blind people experience enhanced colour, an improved ability to differentiate hues of colours, and better depth and detail perception.

The EnChroma glasses were researched through three US National Institute of Health (NIH) research grants and 10 years of R&D and clinical studies using scientific colour vision tests such as the D-15.

The glasses enhance the vibrancy and saturation of certain colours and improve colour discrimination, depth and detail perception without distorting the colours the colour blind already see well.

We hear from parents who tell us their child is now more confident in school because they can better see the colours in a social studies map or tell the difference when their teacher writes in red, green or purple marker on the board, Schmeder said.

Its amazing to see artists who use colour every day gain a better understanding or appreciation of the colours they routinely use. Some people see the red hair or green eye colour of a loved one or are simply transfixed that the grass in the yard of the home theyve been living in all their life has multiple hues of green in it instead of just one monochromatic dull green colour.

You can take the online colour blindness testto learn what type of red-green colour blindness you have and to learn the odds of EnChroma glasses helping you.

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The Amazing Technology Behind Colour Blindness Glasses - Women Love Tech (press release) (blog)

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Doctors warn of ‘sneaky’ condition causing blindness – Starts at 60

Monday, March 20th, 2017

Dont miss what is right in front of you.

It is the message being shared as part of the Glaucoma Aware campaign, following World Glaucoma Week last week.

The Glaucoma Aware campaign aims to unearth 150,000 Australians who face preventable blindness and dont know it.

Glaucoma Australia reports more than 300,000 Australians have the condition but only half of those have been diagnosed.

According to the campaigns recent survey results conducted by Edelman Intelligence, around 60% of Australians either havent been tested or dont know if theyve been tested for glaucoma.

This is of great concern to Optometry Australia, which is on a mission to curb preventable eye disease through regular eye examinations.

80% of blindness in Australia is preventable, and with vision loss costing the economy $16.6 billionper year there are many reasons we should be looking after our most precious sense.

Optometry Australias resident optometrist, Luke Arundel said the motivation for getting an eye test often only comes when changes to vision are noted.

In some cases, thats shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. Luke Arundel

Read more: The vegetables that will keep your vision sharp.

Glaucoma is one of the sneaky conditions that can progress undetected without a check-up until significant amounts of vision are irreversibly lost.

Its an invisible, painless disease which affects our side vision, and because it often occurs in one eye first many people do not notice it in the early stages, as their good eye compensates for the vision loss in the other eye. The sad truth is that a lot of Australians are out there undiagnosed right now.

Because its nerve damage, theres no getting it back. But if we pick it up early, we can stop you losing more vision or stop you from going blind, so of course the earlier detection is made the better. More people can be assisted with reading, computer use and day to day tasks than previously, Mr Arundel said.

Read more: Macular degeneration and diet.

Age and family history are the biggest risk factors. According to National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines, glaucoma prevalence is four to ten times higher in people aged 60 years or older, compared to individuals in their 40s.

Relatives of glaucoma patients have a ten-fold increased risk of developing the disease2.

National guidelines encourage every Australian over the age of 50 to get a comprehensive eye examination to test for the early signs of glaucoma.

This video, launched for Glaucoma Week, shows the tragic loss of vision and precious moments which could have been saved by earlier detection.

To find an optometrist in your area visitgoodvisionforlife.com.au.

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Doctors warn of 'sneaky' condition causing blindness - Starts at 60

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Battle for sight: St. Clair’s Davidson bounces back from bout with blindness – Port Huron Times Herald

Sunday, March 19th, 2017

St. Clair's Ben Davidson goes for a layup surrounded by Lake Shore defenders during a basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017 at St. Clair High School.(Photo: JEFFREY M. SMITH, TIMES HERALD)Buy Photo

Ben Davidson has never been afraid of a challenge.

When he arrived at St. Clair High School, he didn't shy away from taking on a leadership role on the boys varsity basketball team. Now a junior, he has worked himself into being one of the best athletes in the Blue Water Area.

But recently Davidson faced a challenge that might just be the most difficult one he has faced in his life. And after having gone through a trying three week period, in which he was basically blind for four days, Davidson and his parents Diane and Jon have a totally different perspective on life.

"It was one of the most frightening things of my life," Ben's mother Diane Trout-Davidson said. "To see your kid scared and you are trying not to be scared."

St. Clair's Ben Davidson takes a shot during a basketball game Friday, Dec. 9, 2016 at St. Clair High School.(Photo: JEFFREY M. SMITH, TIMES HERALD)

The entire ordeal started late in the Saints boys season. Ben had been fighting what appeared to be the fluwhen he woke up feeling far different than ever before.

"I got really sick with the flu and it was bothering me," he recalled. "I had congestion problems. I just thought I was really sick and that day I woke up and I couldn't see. Light really bothered me and it was really hard to open my eyes and see. But it was a game day so I tried to go to school. I went and the first hour I couldn't do anything. I went to the office and they took me to an emergency eye wash station and tried to wash out my eyes.

"I couldn't play in the game that day and I went to Mercy Hospital in Detroit to see a special ophthalmologist. They told me I had ulcers in my eye andscratches on my corneas. I had two in my left eye and one in my right eye. They actually said they had never seen that before."

The diagnosis was just the beginning of what would be a grueling process the next several days. Davidson's parents helped treat Ben on an hourly basis and fought through fatigue to care for their son, applying eye drops every hour.

"It got really scary," Diane said. "He was in so much pain and light hurt his eyes. Your mind goes to dark places. What if he doesn't get his sight all of the way back? We were lucky. We took care of it and went to the doctor five days in a row. The first few days he wasn't getting better. But finally last Thursday he was 100 percent healed. I think this has impacted him from the little he has shared with me.

"It really scared him. So many kids think they are indestructible and he realized how lucky he is. I try to find some good in it. We spent a lot of time together as a family. We had to wake him up every hour to put antibiotics eye drops in his eyes. He said to me last week 'I really appreciate what you did for me. I know it was really hard for you.' When you said that, it was all worthwhile."

Jon, Ben and Diane Davidson at Parent night this season.(Photo: Submitted photo)

As Davidson improved, he was able to return to the court. But he wasn't the same. He played in the Saints final few games and recorded his lowest-scoring outputs of the season.

"During the two district games I was probably at 50 or 60 percent," Ben said. "It was hard. It was frustrating. I wasn't able to play up to my potential. I just tried to bring anything I could bring. It was blurry and a lot of times when I was passing the ball, I was just looking for the blue jersey. Irealized that life had more than just basketball at that moment.

"I couldn't see for four days. I couldn't open my eyes other than to put drops in them. It made me think life is more than basketball.I realized you have to be thankful to have eyesight. Those four days were the most miserable of my life. My eyes were killing me. If I opened my eyes they were blood red. It was scary. I was scared I would never see again. After four days I could see with sunglasses on."

After the season concluded and Ben reflected back on the situation, his parents said they started to see subtle changes in him.

"My wife and I noticed how thankful he was," Jon Davidson said. "He would tell us thank you 20 times, and you don't normally get that out of a teenage boy. Every hour for two days we put drops in his eyes and then every two hours and every three hours and so forth. I appreciate that he was willing to have the drive to compete even though he wasn't 100 percent. He's been like that since he was a little kid.

"I hope he takes away from this not to take anything for granted. You never know what is going to happen."

St. Clair's Ben Davidson runs the ball during a football game Friday, September 30, 2016 at East China Stadium.(Photo: JEFFREY M. SMITH, TIMES HERALD)

With the off-season officially underway, Ben is back in the gym working out for his final year of high school athletics. He said he is more motivated than ever before failing to finish the season as strong as he had hoped.

"I was giving it my all but it wasnt there," Ben said. "I wasnt proud of my play at the end of the year. It was irritating to me. A lot of people at the New Haven game thought I was overrated and talked about too much. I want to show them I can play great basketball. I think hard times make me better.

"Anything that puts me through adversity. I still think about it every day that I couldnt give 100 percent of what I had in the district, especially in the New Haven game. I was embarrassed with myself. I have to keep working. Even though the season is over I'm in the gym every day. I'm not going to be able to play together. But I want to be the best I can be."

Contact Joseph Hayes at (810) 989-6268 or at jahayes@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Joseph_Hayes11.

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Battle for sight: St. Clair's Davidson bounces back from bout with blindness - Port Huron Times Herald

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Quack Chats will look at tapping nature to overcome blindness – AroundtheO

Saturday, March 18th, 2017

Nature and bio-inspiration are the buzzwords that could summarize the Quack Chats pub talk being delivered Wednesday, March 22, by UO physics professor Richard Taylor.

Taylor's talk at 6 p.m. in the back room of Falling Sky Pizzeria in the Erb Memorial Union will convey some of the science behind human vision. Taylor will use lots of imagery to show how his research group is mining fractals to restore sight to the blind.

Fractals? Ever look at trees, clouds or rivers? Have you gazed skyward at faraway galaxies? Ever see a Rorschach inkblot? Ever marveled at a close-up image of a snowflake? Ever see a painting by Jackson Pollock? Then youve seen fractals: Objects with irregular curves or shapes the building blocks of nature.

My big driver in life is bio-inspiration, said Taylor, the head of the UO Materials Science Institute and co-holder of a U.S. patent for the design of any bio-inspired, fractal-based device that might find its way into a human body. You learn from nature, because nature has had so long to perfect these things. You can learn a lot by going into the human body and looking at its electrical wiring these things called the nerves. They have fractal patterns.

Taylor will provide a teaser about his talk on Facebook Live at 2 p.m., Tuesday, March 21. Join the conversation on the UO Facebook page.

Admission is free to Taylors talk, but visitors are encouraged to order from the Falling Sky menu, settle in to hear Taylor and pepper him with questions. His presentation will detail past attempts by science to overcome blindness and show how his team is pursuing a miniature, fractal-based retinal implant that would naturally join the electrical network of neurons that make human vision possible.

Did you know that neurons are fractals, too?

If our implants are to integrate with the bodys electrical wiring, we will have to develop electronics that have exactly the same type of electrical architecture, Taylor said. That is a challenge from a fundamental science point of view. The amazing impact is that we can give a million people their sight back by doing that.

Two of the eye diseases that have Taylors attention are macular degeneration, a leading cause of loss of vision for people after age 60, and retinitis pigmentosa, a rare, inherited condition that affects both eyes.

Being able to see is connected with a reduction of stress, Taylor said. There are lots of reasons why going blind is a very bad idea.

Quack Chats pub talks are held the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. The summer schedule for June-September will be once monthly. The Quack Chats initiative also includes the monthly Run with a Researcher and other community events involving speakers from the UO faculty.

The tentative lineup for Run with a Researcher on Saturday, April 1, includes Taylor, along with faculty members Bill Cresko, biology; Keith Frazee, College of Education; Cristin Hulslander, biology; CJ Pascoe, sociology; McKay Sohlberg, special education and Dan Wojcik, English.

Members of the public should meet up at 9 a.m. at the O desk in the lower level of the Erb Memorial Union. Participants have the option of a 4.5-mile run or a 3.1-mile walk led by a researcher.

See upcoming Quack Chats and related stories.

By Jim Barlow, University Communications

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Quack Chats will look at tapping nature to overcome blindness - AroundtheO

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Roll out nationwide eye-screening drive to nip blindness in the bud – TODAYonline

Saturday, March 18th, 2017

At the recent debate on the Health Ministrys budget, the Government spoke about helping diabetic patients get more convenient access to eye-screening services at general practitioner clinics under the Primary Care Network.

As a primary eye-care professional, I am glad for this effort to help detect medical problems at an earlier stage.

I urge the Government to do more to raise the awareness of the importance of eye-screening and to also consider implementing a nationwide eye-screening programme involving both public and private eye-care professionals.

Those aged 40 and older are not only at a higher risk of common health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol levels and cervical cancer, they are also at risk of potentially sight-threatening conditions such as cataract, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy.

Eye-screening plays an important role in the early diagnosis and management of these blinding conditions, many of which do not produce symptoms until late in the course of the ailment.

Vision loss can adversely impact the overall health and well-being of older adults in many ways. These include increased risk of falls, fractures and depression, as well as difficulty in identifying medications, which can lead to medication errors that affect their health.

These, in turn, result in a higher mortality rate among seniors who are visually impaired.

Glaucoma is a disease that slowly affects the nerves of the eye and results in irreversible vision loss and blindness. It is also known as the silent thief of sight as it does not present any early symptoms. It can be detected only by specialised tests such as an eye-pressure check (tonometry) and visual field examination (perimetry).

Diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes, can result in bleeding and swelling of the retina. Early diabetic retinopathy can be controlled through simple lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet. Uncontrolled diabetes can eventually lead to irreversible vision loss.

These conditions can be detected through regular eye screening with eye-care professionals such as optometrists or ophthalmologists. Early detection and timely treatment lead to better treatment outcomes.

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Roll out nationwide eye-screening drive to nip blindness in the bud - TODAYonline

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Inside Orbis, the flying hospital that battles blindness – CNET – CNET

Friday, March 17th, 2017

This plane brings a whole new perspective to what a hospital can look like.

I'm aboard the Flying Eye Hospital, a one-of-a-kind traveling medical and teaching facility funded by Orbis, a nonprofit organization dedicated to treating vision impairments around the world.

The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital is a heavily customized, three-engine McDonnell Douglass DC-10 aircraft, kitted out with cutting-edge eye surgery equipment. It trots around the globe, serving as teaching hospital as the doctors aboard treat cataracts and glaucoma, the top two causes of blindness and visual impairment.

Given that 90 percent of people suffering visual impairment live in developing nations, the Flying Eye Hospital has a busy schedule flying among 81 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. But the plane was briefly in residence at the Stansted Airport near London this week, giving me a rare opportunity to tour the Orbis.

Here's what I saw.

Captain Gary Dyson, a FedEx pilot who has volunteered for Orbis for 16 years, welcomed me on board as I slipped into protective blue overshoes. The first compartment of the plane looked much like the economy section of any normal plane, with 46 seats. This is used to transport the Orbis crew, but doubles as a classroom for local doctors and nurses.

Captain Gary Dyson always flies with his guitar, which he uses to entertain patients on screening day.

At the front is a 50-inch widescreen television on which students can watch operations taking place in the plane's operating theater. To do so they must don 3D glasses. Seeing an operation in 3D is essential to understanding the surgery, Jonathan Lord, global medical director for Orbis, said in an interview on Tuesday.

A 3D camera donated by TrueVision attaches to the microscope so students can observe the surgery in minute detail. They can also ask the surgeon questions through two-way microphones.

Behind the classroom/passenger compartment is where the real fun begins. Everything past this point counts as cargo, meaning that the Orbis doesn't need to seek permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to customize the rest of the plane.

But it's far from simply storage space. The "cargo" area comprises a series of rooms for AV, patient care, an operating theater, a sterilization area, space for both pre- and postoperative care, and room for its laser.

The plane employs a modular system, with each room and the section of corridor that runs beside it slotting in as separate components. Walking the length of the plane, it's easy to see the breaks in the floor and the walls that divide up the modules. These can be taken in and out, and can be updated and customized, essentially future-proofing the aircraft for years to come.

"We could reconfigure areas so if something dramatic changes in technology, we can incorporate it relatively easily," Lord said.

You don't have to be aboard the plane to watch the procedures. Orbis streams operations to registered medics all over the world through webinars. As long as they have a smartphone and a 3G cellular connection, doctors can watch and even interact live with the surgeon.

The operating theater sits over the wing, which is the most stable part of the plane and which has reinforced floors to keep it steady. This isn't to say surgery is ever performed in the air, but the operating theater must be rock-solid for the surgeons to perform their delicate operations.

I also got a chance to view the plane's hold, which sits directly underneath the hospital sections. This is where all of the biomedical equipment is stored when the plane is in transit, and it also contains the hospital's air conditioning and filtration systems, its modified power generators and its water purification system. When the plane lands, these are pulled out onto the ground and hooked up to the plane to let it run by itself.

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This flying hospital travels the world curing blindness

Orbis is powered by jet fuel, keeping the entire hospital fully self sufficient. The air filtration system keeps the hospital sterile and appropriately zoned. As such, it's the first non-ground-based hospital to meet US hospital standards and receive full certification, Lord said.

Lord is as passionate about the reach of Orbis and its online training platform as he is about the training equipment on board. This includes virtual reality headsets worn by students so that teachers can see what they see on a second screen as they conduct examinations and can judge whether the procedures are being done correctly.

"Our plane celebrates a marriage between aviation and medicine," said Lord. What aviation has taught medicine is the power of simulation. He pointed to the hours of flight training pilots must complete in simulators before they're allowed to fly a plane. In a simulation, he said, "it doesn't matter if they crash -- no one will be harmed."

Also on board is a state-of-the-art ophthalmic simulator that allows doctors to conduct surgery using real instruments. I watched as a volunteer made an incision into a dummy eyeball, which on the screen by the side looked like a real-life cataract.

"That's what it looks like in real life you look down a microscope, even to the little reflection of the light sources from the microscope," said Lord as he narrated the surgery to me. Training people to have these skills is a crucial part of Orbis' mission to head off blindness with treatment. The organization says of the 39 million blind people worldwide, 32 million cases are avoidable.

"You teach people skills using simulation, and when they're shown to be competent, they then move on to live surgery," said Lord. "It's no longer good enough from a quality and safety side to let people loose on patients when they've never tried and never had demonstrated any skills."

CNET Magazine: Check out a sampling of the stories you'll find in CNET's newsstand edition.

Tech Enabled: CNET chronicles tech's role in providing new kinds of accessibility.

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Blindness strikes three women after iffy stem-cell treatments – New Atlas

Friday, March 17th, 2017

Stem cells have been shown to do everything from regrowing skull bones to healing damaged lung tissue to repairing burned skin to fighting brain tumors and much more. They've even been used to restore vision in rabbits. But when three adult women tried an unproven stem-cell treatment at a clinic in Florida to combat vision loss from macular degeneration, they all went blind. A paper detailing the procedure and its tragic results was published today in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The paper was written by Jeffrey Goldberg, a professor of ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine and Thomas Albini, an associate professor of clinical ophthalmology at the University of Miami where two of the three women were treated after complications from the surgery emerged. Goldberg says that the paper is a "call to awareness for patients, physicians and regulatory agencies of the risks of this kind of minimally regulated, patient-funded research."

The women who underwent the procedures aged 72-88 found the opportunity on the website ClinicalTrials.gov, a site where listings are not screened for scientific rigor according to Goldberg. Signing up through such a site gave the women the logical impression that they were going to be participating in a trial, however, Albini says it was anything but.

One warning sign should have been that the women each were made to pay $5000 for the procedures, when in legitimate clinical trials there are rarely fees. Another issue was that there was no mention of a clinical trial in the paperwork the women were asked to complete. The webpage for the study now reflects that it has been withdrawn and, according to the New York Times, the clinic is no longer performing the procedure.

"There's a lot of hope for stem cells, and these types of clinics appeal to patients desperate for care who hope that stem cells are going to be the answer, but in this case these women participated in a clinical enterprise that was off-the-charts dangerous," Albini said.

During the procedures, the women had fat removed from their abdomens. They also had blood taken. The fat was then processed with enzymes meant to isolate stem cells and the resulting material was mixed with plasma from the blood. That mixture was then injected into both eyes of all three patients which is another issue, according to Albini, who says that a cautious researcher would have just used one eye each to see how the procedure went before proceeding.

Because the treatment used biological material that came from the participants themselves, they did not require FDA approval.

Jeffrey Goldberg,MD, PhD, professor and chair of ophthalmology at the Stanford University School of Medicineand co-author of the paper(Credit: Norbert von der Groeben)

Now, one of the women has gone completely blind while two others are considered effectively blind, says a report from NPR. Two of the women have sued the clinic and settled, according to the Times.

Prior to the procedure, all of them were suffering from macular degeneration, a condition that leads to blurry vision and eventual vision loss. While their vision would have no doubt continued to degrade without the procedure, two were still able to see well enough to drive before the procedure. Albini says the complications could have come from injecting a contaminant into the eye, or from the fact that the stem cells may have turned into myofibroblasts after the injections, which are cells associated with scarring.

Proving that stem cell treatments can also be perfectly sound, The New England Journal of Medicine also published a paper today that details a Japanese study that used a type of stem cells known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) to treat a subject suffering from macular degeneration. A year later, the patient suffered none of the additional vision loss that would be common with the condition. iPS stem cells have a body of research behind their potential healing abilities, while the fat-based cells used in the procedures do not.

Adding to the flurry of activity regarding stem cells in today's New England Journal of Medicine, was an editorial by leading stem-cell research and dean of Harvard Medical School, George Q. Daley, as well as a piece by a team of researchers entitled "Clarifying Stem-Cell Therapy's Benefits and Risks." Both call for stricter regulation of the stem-cell industry and holding those who operate in that arena accountable to the same rigorous research standards applicable to all scientific advances.

Until then, Albini advises that individuals thinking about stem-cell treatments check out a website called A Closer Look at Stem Cells, while also investigating whether the person proposing to do the treatment is associated with an academic medical center.

"We expect health care providers to take every precaution to ensure patient safety, but this definitely shows that the lack of oversight can lead to bad players and bad outcomes. It's alarming," Albini said.

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Blindness strikes three women after iffy stem-cell treatments - New Atlas

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This flying hospital travels the world curing blindness – CNET

Friday, March 17th, 2017

The latest Orbis flying hospital was unveiled in June 2016. The third plane kitted out by Orbis, a nonprofit organization, in its 35-year history, it brings treatment and training to visually impaired people and those who operate on them around the world.

Published March 16, 2017.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

The McDonnell Douglass DC-10 aircraft used by Orbis is an old plane, but has been refitted with all the latest Boeing equipment, ensuring it's well up-to-date.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

Captain Gary Dyson has volunteered for Orbis for over 16 years. He takes breaks a couple of times a year from his day job as a FedEx pilot to fly the plane. He likes to stick around for screening day at every destination and always brings his guitar with him to play for patients as they wait to be seen.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

The passenger compartment doubles as a classroom for doctors and nurses.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

In the audiovisual room, technicians remotely control all of the cameras around the plane using touchscreen tech and ensure they're streaming correctly to onlookers.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

The laser room is used for simpler treatments.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

It's essential for training that the doctors are able to see what their trainees see, so cameras are used everywhere.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

Here, a doctor is using a simulator designed to teach how to perform eye exams.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

The operating theater always has twice the number of doctors and nurses as a normal theater due to trainees observing surgery.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

The plane is on camera from every angle. This makes it easier to stream what happens in the hospital to the outside world.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

Two people can look down these microscopes at any one time.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

Crucial to understanding eye surgery is seeing what happens in 3D, so trainees are equipped with polaroid glasses while they watch the action unfold on 3D screens.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

Every child who has eye surgery on Orbis wakes up with a teddy bear. The teddies are donated by Omega and always wear an eye patch on the same eye as the child.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

These generators travel in the hold of the plane, but are unloaded when it lands to create more room for biomedical staff to work.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

All biomedical equipment is also strapped into the hold when the plane is in transit so that it doesn't get damaged.

Photo by: Katie Collins/CNET

iPhone 8: Everything we know so far

This is all the iPhone 8 reports and rumors in one place. From a 5.8-inch OLED display, reports of wireless charging and even a 3D scanner for facial recognition, it's all here.

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This flying hospital travels the world curing blindness - CNET

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Medical Negligence Leads To Blindness In Infants – America’s … – The Ring of Fire Network

Friday, March 17th, 2017

In the United States, roughly 10% of all infants are born prematurely. And while premature infants face a number of health problems in their first few weeks, one of the most devastating and preventable illness is a condition called Retinopathy of Prematurity. This is a condition that can cause permanent blindness in infants, and it is also one that an attentive medical staff can prevent.

Mike Papantonio is joined by attorney Virginia Buchanan to explain why this is happening and what you need to know to keep your newborn safe.

For more information on Retinopathy of Prematurity Medical Errors, visit Infant Blindness Malpractice

Transcript of the above video:

Papantonio: The Centers for Disease Control tell us that one out of every ten babies born in the United States is born prematurely. And while premature births steadily decreased between 2007 and 2014, 2015 saw a slight increase in the number of babies born early. Thats the most recent year of full data.

Doctors currently dont have an answer as to why the number of pre-term births are rising, but they are well aware of the difficulties and health problems that pre-term infants go through.

In order to help pre-term infants survive, they are often placed on breathing machines, supplied with feeding tubes, given medications, and kept in incubation until they are able to survive without the help of doctors and nurses. But even with all of these precautions, problems still persist, and some of those problems can actually be made worse by these measures.

One of those problems is Retinopathy of Prematurity, a condition that has become common in pre-term infants with low birth weights. This condition is an eye disease that typically is corrected and results in no long term health effects for the child. But each year, more than 1,200 severe cases of Retinopathy occur. These severe cases can result in the complete detachment of the retina or blindness, and as many as 500 newborn infants go blind as a result.

Retinopathy of Prematurity is responsible for 15% of all childhood blindness cases in developed countries, and it is responsible for as much as 60% of cases of blindness in children in middle income countries. Whats worse is that this disease can be prevented and treated if caught early enough, but that requires attentive care from doctors, nurses, and pediatricians. And a caregiver that doesnt pay attention to the warning signs can cause a child to go their entire life without the ability to see.

What happens with this disease is that the blood vessels in the eyes dont develop properly, a condition that can be easily detected with standard medical equipment. Once the pre-term child has been born, these under-developed blood vessels can begin leaking blood into the eye, resulting in scarring that leads to partial or complete detachment of the retina.

Again, caregivers are well aware of the signs and symptoms of this disease, and simple tests can be performed to determine if a pre-term child is at risk. But a negligent caregiver that ignores the warning signs or simply fails to perform the necessary tests or refer the family to a specialist can doom a child to a life of hardship, surgeries, and possible blindness.

Papantonio: Joining me now to explain the risk of this disease and how negligent caregivers play a role in childhood blindness is attorney Virginia Buchanan whos represented the families of infants whove suffered from retinopathy of prematurity. Virginia, first explain exactly what this disease does and how it can cause blindness in preterm infants. How does it work?

Virginia: Yes, Michael, as you were saying, this is a worldwide problem and its one that affects about 15,000 infants in this country each year. There are a large number of premature infants and out of those, the 15,000 who have it, most recover fully, as you say, but about 1,200 of them have very severe retinopathy of prematurity. What that means is that thin liner behind the eye that serves to reflect light and that plays a key role in vision, becomes scarred and causing the retina to detach. The retina has the thickness of, like a saran wrap, a clear plastic wrap, and it has the strength of wet tissue. Therefore, it is very vulnerable any its very susceptible to injury. When these blood vessels scar by rupturing and pulling, the retina detaches resulting in visual loss.

What we encourage the American Academy of Pediatrics, all of the professional ophthalmology organizations encourage serial examinations of preterm babies. Particularly those infants who are under 31 weeks and under three pounds, theyre encouraged to have serial exams because all you can tell initially is that the baby has abnormal blood vessels. Typically, you dont see detachment immediately.

Papantonio: Virginia, let me ask you this, how does negligence or substandard care factor into the prevalence of this problem? When we analyze everything, this condition, what are the caregivers doing or what are the not doing that cause this to be a bigger problem than it should be? How does it progress in some infants?

Virginia: Yeah, thats an excellent question. Because, when you look at those 1,200 that we are saying who have very severe untreated retinopathy of prematurity, and you compare them to the other premature, very low birth weight babies, some being blind, some not, what we see is those who are able to recover from the condition have these serial assessments by ophthalmologist who are trained to look for these abnormal blood vessels and to administer treatment. There are a series of things that can be done and those babies who go on to have, maybe some visual impairment, they might need glasses, but they have good vision, theyre able to be fully functional, they have those serial assessments. They go, and really beginning just a few weeks after birth, they start having these assessments.

The frequency of them depends upon the amount of abnormalities seen at each successive exam, but for example, a stage 1 and early retinopathy of prematurity still has to be followed because it can progress. Even as a child goes on and matures over time, and the eye grows, and the body grows, the retina can detach even beyond that immediate timeframe where the infant is truly still premature.

Papantonio: I know you get calls on this. Youre a specialist in medical malpractice, and youre seeing more of these calls, and Im wondering what do medical professionals, if you had the chance to give a speech to medical professionals who are very well trained in this kind of care, what is it that you would tell them that they can maybe improve to detect this disease that maybe United States hospitals need to be doing? What tools are needed to detect this problem? How do we improve the system?

Virginia: We do it by what weve recognized for 75 years since the first study was done, these babies can be put under just an ophthalmoscope. The blood vessels can be appreciated as being abnormal and they have to have serial examinations. Its very simple. This is not undergo a great surgery, bringing in all the worlds specialists, this is something that any pediatric ophthalmologist can do, and every pediatrician, every primary care doctor who sees a baby with a history of being premature or low birth weight should be immediately sent for screening. Thats what the American Academy of Pediatrics has long recommended. Weve had treatment for at least 30 years and those treatments continue to be honed and improved. Its something that should be done.

This is one of those very sad, preventable outcomes, which as you said, is devastating. For an infant to exist with very low visual acuity or no visual acuity at all is a tragedy. It ends up really costing society, more than just for that child, it affects everyone when we have these children needlessly blinded because of not getting the examinations and the treatment that they should be getting. Its well within our reach.

Papantonio: Virginia, theres checklists. In other words, every doctor or caregiver is confronted with: These are the things we do when we have a preemie. This is the thing we need to do when this occurs. This is one of those things on that checklist that are there, but it has to be followed. Where would you put it in that checklist, just in your experience having to handle so many cases, where would you put it in that checklist? In the top five? In the top three? Where would it go?

Virginia: Oh, it would be right after those first well-care items where we check the babys height, and length, and head circumference, where were looking for very severe anomalies that need to be treated. This is one of those. It falls right under it. It really has to be a priority to every physician who takes care of a pediatric patient to get that prior history, whether the baby moves away, or grows, or the doctor changes, whatever happens, that they have a complete and accurate history of the prematurity or the low birth weight, so they know, their sense should be heightened to that risk existing in that child, and that they send the baby out for assessments. My own child has a coloboma and has to see a pediatric ophthalmologist. They also should.

Papantonio: One thing I read though is that mothers arent, theres all types of things that mothers learn when theyre getting ready to give birth to a child. This isnt something thats really built well into that, that mothers should know more about to where they can take self-help measures to say, Doc, I know youre doing your job, but gee wiz, did you check this out? Isnt that the kind of thing, dont you find sometimes that the patients are too slow to ask the doctor and say to the doctor, What about this? In this situation, dont you think the mother has to know and this has to be talked about prior to the time of the birth? Whats your take on that?

Virginia: Absolutely. I agree. You can be the very best advocate for your child and yourself. We all encourage, certainly in the work that I do, that we as consumers have to be proactive. We should ask those questions. Things get missed, we get shuffled about, we deal with other people taking a history, and the doctor doesnt appreciate the problem, and we certainly should ask, and we should keep asking because this is not a one time assessment. Once youre born prematurely, you have to have serial evaluations done.

Papantonio: Yeah, let me close with this. I know youve given speeches on this. Patients have to ask questions of their doctor. Sometimes theyre afraid to do that. Theres this notion in our culture that the doctor knows everything. Well, a patient has to take some self-help measures, this is one of them. Virginia, thank you for joining me. I appreciate it.

Virginia: Thank you.

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Gap in Indigenous blindness rates halved in nine years, expert says – The Guardian

Friday, March 17th, 2017

A child is screened for trachoma. The gap in rates of blindness between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians has halved since 2008. Photograph: University of Melbourne/AAP

The gap in rates of blindness between non-Indigenous and Indigenous people has halved since 2008, a world-leading ophthalmologist, Prof Hugh Taylor, told a Closing the Gap conference in Melbourne on Thursday.

In 2006 rates of blindness were six times higher for Indigenous people. By 2016 this had dropped across Australia to being three times higher. Taylor said it was an example of how cheap and basic public health measures, such as providing clean water and hygiene, can have a dramatic effect on health.

Thats still a terribly high gap but we have made a lot of progress, said Taylor, from the University of Melbournes Indigenous eye health group.

We think that there has been a significant increase in commonwealth recognition of this problem but we think there is $10m more a year more needed to completely close the vision gap by our target of 2020.

Australia is the only developed country where trachoma is still prevalent and this burden of disease is suffered exclusively in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The disease was eliminated from mainstream Australia through improved sanitation about 150 years ago. Ten low- or middle-income countries have managed to completely eradicate trachoma before Australia.

The painful disease is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis and, left untreated, it causes blindness. An infectious disease, it spreads easily, especially between children. Other key causes of blindness and eye disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people are cataracts, diabetes and eye conditions that have not been corrected with glasses.

Simply spreading the message of face and hand washing, and ensuring that Indigenous people had access to clean bathrooms, had gone a long way towards preventing the disease, Taylor said.

He is now pushing the commonwealth government to provide funding so his team can collect more data and identify where rates of eye disease are high and interventions such as antibiotics, improved living conditions and sanitation are needed. This data would be essential to closing the gap in eye health by 2020, he said.

On Thursday, the Closing the Gap steering committee released a report that found that the federal government had failed to listen or act adequately or appropriately to improve health and social outcomes for Aboriginal people. The report found across nearly every government-funded program, interventions were imposed and often rushed.

Darryl Wright, the chief executive of Tharawal (Campbelltown) Aboriginal Medical Service, said interventions to close the gap in health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had to be led by Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations.

His is one of seven such organisations in New South Wales to have partnered with the Sax Institute in Sydneys Search program, a long-term study of the health and wellbeing of urban Aboriginal Children.

One of Searchs flagship programs is the Hearing, Ear Health and Language Services (Heals) project, which treats Indigenous children who experience middle-ear disease. They suffer from ear diseases earlier, more often and with more complications than non-Indigenous children.

Left untreated it can lead to hearing loss, speech and language delays, and can significantly impact on schooling, ultimately causing difficulties in accessing higher education and employment. Most Aboriginal children in the youth justice system have untreated ear disease.

Wright said since partnering with Heals, more than 100 children in the region had received free surgery. Hundreds more had received treatment for associated conditions such as speech impediments.

We go into schools and give kids hearing tests, and if problems are found we encourage them to come to the medical service for treatment, he said.

The results are amazing. You can see the result from the kids eyes and their faces. They can hear properly, they can pronounce words properly, and the doctors and speech therapists just love their work because they can see the difference they are making.

We have heard so many stories of teachers and parents thinking these kids are lazy at school but in fact they had untreated hearing problems that were affecting their behaviour and education.

Since 2013 more than 7,000 speech and language sessions and ear, nose and throat surgeries have been delivered in NSW as part of Heals.

This type of program should be available to everyone with an Aboriginal background in Australia

Dr Hasantha Gunasekera, the Heals program manager and a doctor at The Childrens Hospital at Westmead, said despite the programs proven success, funding from the NSW government needed to be secured every year.

He said the interventions were relatively cheap but saved significant costs in the long run. Its great that NSW has provided funding so far, but one-off funding is not the best way to do this, Gunasekera said.

What we need is recurrent funding so we can plan services across the year and expand so that screening and treatment is not just available to those areas where we have research partnerships.

I would argue that this type of program should be available to everyone with an Aboriginal background in Australia.

The key to the programs success had been the leadership shown by Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations, he said.

They organise appointments, arrange access to schools and appointments with therapists, they talk to families, he said. Its another example of where this can work can be a good news story for Aboriginal people if everyone works together.

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Reaching Goals With Blindness – Alexandrianews.org

Friday, March 17th, 2017

The Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired celebrates the graduation of Angelica Rios from the American Massage & Bodywork Institute on Friday, March 17.Angelica has had an incredible journey from her birth in Peru to graduation day. At the age of 27, Rios was a victim of a terrorist attack that claimed the life of her son and caused major physical injury to herself, including the loss of vision.

Through the years that followed, Angelica continued to live and raise a family. It wasnt until 2016 that she chose to chase her dream of independence and a career of her own. She reached out to the American Massage & Bodywork Institute and spoke with Scott Deidun, Co-owner, President, and CEO about the type of support she could receive. Upon meeting Angelica, she told me about her history, and it made me want to help her more and more. Having a disabled niece, I knew that all you want is for people to treat you normally and to give you a chance. Angelica told me that she wanted to be more independent, and to be able to provide for herself, but that the only job she has had in the states was folding silverware in cloth napkins at a restaurant for minimum wage, stated Deidun. In front of me was a person on a mission for a better life because she knew she was capable of more. English wasnt Angelicas first language, and she cant see anything, but her heart is as big as a basketball, and she had such a strong desire to help others, and be a role model for the visually impaired community.

After their meeting, Deidun contacted the Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired to find out what support could be provided to Rios within their program. Through their collaboration, Rios is graduating from the 7-month program to become a licensed massage therapist in the Northern Virginia area. The ceremony will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on March 17at the American Massage & Bodywork Institute, 1593 Spring Hill Rd, Suite 210 (East Concourse), Vienna, VA 22182.

The Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired is committed to provide quality services to assist Virginians who are blind, deafblind or vision impaired in achieving their maximum level of employment, education, and personal independence. The department provides an array of specialized services to blind and visually impaired Virginians of all ages to assist them in attaining the skills, confidence and positive outlook that are critical to independence.

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Common Joins See America In The Fight Against Preventable Blindness – Look To The Stars

Thursday, March 16th, 2017

See America, Allergans initiative to fight against preventable blindness in the United States, today unveiled a powerful video featuring award-winning actor and hip-hop artist Common, that urges Americans to stand in the way of darkness.

The video harnesses Commons striking spoken word ability, calling on Americans to fight against vision loss and prioritize their vision. Common highlights the 61 million Americans at-risk of severe vision loss, and challenges us all to imagine a life without sight.

Im proud to join Allergan in the fight against preventable blindness, said Common. Sight is something that far too many of us take for granted. I hope our message resonates with people across the country, no matter what age or background.

Commons involvement echoes the mission of Allergans See America initiative by raising awareness to make sure that each and every one of us makes the time to prioritize our vision. Taking steps as simple as regular comprehensive eye exams can help detect eye diseases like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy or age-related macular degeneration early, before irreversible damage is done.

On Commons partnership with See America, We are excited to have joined forces with Common to raise awareness of the important issue of preventable blindness in America. This video marks the first of many ways in which we aim to educate and engage the public. Common shares our bold approach to life, and we believe that this video will take us one step closer to nationwide appreciation for the gift of sight, said Herm Cukier, Allergan Senior Vice President of Eye Care.

To watch the video, and to learn more about See America, visit http://www.SeeAmerica.vision.

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WEDNESDAY WOMAN: Faith despite blindness – Nation News

Thursday, March 16th, 2017

Diana Applewhite believes her faith in God will see her sight restored someday. (Picture by Ricardo Leacock)

During March, the Month Of The Disabled, the Wednesday Woman column will focus on people with disabilities.

DIANA APPLEWHITE went blind overnight.

SHE WENT TO SLEEP being able to see, but the next morning her sight was completely gone, changing her life completely.

It happened July 1, 2009, she said. I will never forget that date. I went to bed early because I was having a bad headache and the Sunday morning I woke up my usual time to prepare for church, but I thought outside was very dark. I turned on the light and it was still dark so I thought the electricity was off.

Even after she went for her cell and could not seethe mobile phone light, she was puzzled but did not think of the worst.

I was not thinking about loss of eyesight, nothing like that, she said. I do not know how to describe the feeling I felt in words; it was like someone knocked all the breath out of my lungs. I just fell to the floor rolling bout hollering and crying.

Yet, Applewhite, who is diabetic, said she always knew of the risk of blindness as a result of diabetic retinopathy, which is caused by high blood sugar levels damaging the back of the eye (retina).

Because she had the condition, she always went for her opticians appointment which showed that everything was normal on each occasion.

Eight years on, Applewhite has found it hard to accept the loss of her sight and believes that God can restore it if He so chooses.

Full acceptance, no; I believe my eyesight will be restored in Jesus name, she said.

Going back to that Sunday when I was rushed to the hospital and they did the tests, they were saying you will never see again. That is one conversation I will never forget as long I live; (the doctor) just ran off this long list of things I would never be able to do again; like if he was the hammer and I was the nail and he was driving the message home. I felt so bad then, that all I could do was cry, but now I know I serve a living God and in all things I give thanks.

Applewhite said the part that kerfuffled herwas that there were no symptoms or anything to indicate an eyesight problem. She ate what she considered a healthy diet and always went for medical check-ups.

Adjusting was the hardest part, she said.The first two years I cried every single day andgetting to wrap my mind around the idea of doing things differently. I have a daughter and a son.My daughter was eight years at the time and shewas a real trooper; she stepped up and helped me make the adjustment.

Applewhite and her daughter, as young asshe was, created a series of hand signals to aidmobility. For instance, they would walk holdinghands and if her daughter kept her hand flat, itwas flat road, when her hand dipped it meant tostep down and if it went up it meant to step upand so on. So when they were out in public, Applewhite did not have to use a cane.

Mother and daughter would also put little bumps on the washing machine, microwave and push-button telephone so that Applewhite would still be able to use household appliances. Everything in the house has remained in the same position to allow her to get around with no issues.

She had access to disability trainingwith the National Disabilities Unit a few months after her vision loss, but by then, shewas already gettingby, thanks to herdaughter.

Cannot and never are some of the words that Applewhite chooses to keep out of her vocabulary. Because of her disability, people tend to say she cannot do certain things, but she is determined always to show them how wrong they are.

She still goes totown, to the hospitaland doctor on her ownand is living life as normally as she can.

She said her dayshave not changed much; the only thing she cannot do is read, but she still cooks, washes, cleans, takes the bus and doesher own shopping.

Applewhite hasbecome very active in the Barbados National Organisation of the Disabled (BARNOD)and now serves as chairperson of education and public relations officer. They say I talk a lot, Applewhite said witha laugh.

She serves onseveral other committees that keep her busy and active. In fact she isbusier than when shehad a job.

Applewhite said she likes to push awareness of disabilities and when any new information is announced, she puts it in the public domain.

When we keep the public informed then people do not have to be saying, oh I dont know how to deal with them. They realise that we are all the same we just do things differently, she said.

One of the major changes she has seensince she lost her sight is that she has not worked since. Having worked at a major bank in sales, Applewhite said shewould like to set up her own business.

I am not ruling out having an employer completely, but I do not think I can take the humps and grumps of working for someone., she said. I am at the age where I want a more relaxed environment.

To anyone at the beginning stage of the journey towards vision loss, Applewhites advice is not to give up on life even though blindness might seem like a death sentence at first.

They can still live a full life, she said. You can do all the things you want to do; there are organisations that can help you adjust. Also, God is able and through faith, your sight can be restored.

lisaking@nationnews.com

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Man faces battery charge; attack may cause partial blindness – Herald & Review

Tuesday, March 14th, 2017

DECATUR A 24-year-old Decatur man is being held in jail on $50,000 bond after he was arrested for allegedly kicking a woman in the face repeatedly, sending her to the hospital for treatment of multiple facial fractures and possible blindness in one eye.

Casio Devine, allegedly was at a residence in the 800 block of East Rogers Avenue between 3 and 4 a.m. Sunday, when he became upset about social media posts his female acquaintance had made.

Casio punched her several times in the face with a closed fist, the victim told police.

After she fell to the floor, Casio then kicked her approximately eight times in the head, said a probable cause affidavit by Decatur patrol officer Joseph Kish.

A young child told police she saw the suspect punch and kick the victim several times. An adult relative of the victim said Casio told her he wished he would have killed the victim.

An emergency room physician at Decatur Memorial Hospital told police the victim may lose the use of her right eye. He said he was going to transfer her to another hospital for specialized treatment.

Kish observed that the victim's right eye was bruised and swollen shut. The swelling was about the size of a golf ball. Blood was coming out from her swollen eye. The victim also suffered bruises and abrasions on her back.

Devine was arrested about 11 a.m. Sunday and booked into the jail on a preliminary charge of aggravated domestic battery. He is due in court for his arraignment by Monday.

Devine has three prior criminal convictions, including a 2010 conviction for manufacture/delivery of cocaine, for which he was sentenced to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

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Fish eyes may hold key to cure blindness in humans, finds study – Hindustan Times

Tuesday, March 14th, 2017

The finding raises the possibility that human retinas can be induced to regenerate, naturally repairing damage caused by degenerative retinal diseases and injury, researchers say.

Scientists have identified a chemical signal in the zebrafish brain that helps it regenerate retina, a finding that may help cure blindness in humans.

The discovery raises the possibility that human retinas can be induced to regenerate, naturally repairing damage caused by degenerative retinal diseases and injury, including age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, researchers said.

The prevailing belief has been that the regeneration process in fish retinas is triggered by secreted growth factors, but our results indicate that the neurotransmitter GABA might initiate the process instead, said James Patton, professor at Vanderbilt University in the US.

All the regeneration models assume that a retina must be seriously damaged before regeneration takes place, but our studies indicate that GABA can induce this process even in undamaged retinas, said Patton.

The discovery raises the possibility that human retinas can be induced to regenerate. (Shutterstock)

It turns out that the structure of the retinas of fish and mammals are basically the same.

Although the retina is very thin less than 0.5 millimetres thick it contains three layers of nerve cells: photoreceptors that detect the light, horizontal cells that integrate the signals from the photoreceptors and ganglion cells that receive the visual information and route it to the brain.

In addition, the retina contains a special type of adult stem cell, called Muller glia, that span all three layers and provide mechanical support and electrical insulation. In fish retinas, they also play a key role in regeneration.

When regeneration is triggered, the Muller glia dedifferentiate, begin proliferating, and then differentiate into replacements for the damaged nerve cells. Muller glia are also present in mammalian retinas, but do not regenerate.

Graduate student Mahesh Rao got the idea that GABA normally a fast-acting neurotransmitter best known for its role of calming nervous activity by inhibiting nerve transmission in the brain might be the trigger for retinal regeneration. He was inspired by the results of a study in the mouse hippocampus which found that GABA was controlling stem cell activity.

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Working with Patton and assistant professor Dominic Didiano, Rao designed a series of experiments with zebrafish which determined that high concentrations of GABA in the retina keep the Miller glia quiescent and that they begin dedifferentiating and proliferating when GABA concentrations drop.

They tested their hypothesis in two ways: By blinding zebrafish and injecting them with drugs that stimulate GABA production and by injecting normal zebrafish with an enzyme that lowers the GABA levels in their eyes.

The research was published in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

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New treatments fight blindness – WTAJ

Monday, March 13th, 2017

Twenty-nine million Americans have diabetes, which can lead to a host of serious health problems; among them something called diabetic retinopathy. Its the most common cause of vision loss in diabetic patients. New treatments are helping patients stay in focus.

Linda Swiercinskys driving days were nearly in her rearview mirror.

My left eye, I was almost blind and I had trouble getting my drivers license back in Illinois so I knew I had to do something, Linda said.

She has diabetic retinopathy. High blood sugar causes the capillaries in the eye to close. The blood vessels can swell and leak fluid.

Dana Deupree, M.D., FACS, a vitreoretinal surgeon at The Macula Center in Tampa, detailed. It often can be very subtle, and thats a little bit of the problem. It can be a very silent disease.

Dr. Deupree uses an injectable drug, called Anti-Vegf, that directly blocks certain harmful proteins to get rid of leakage and bleeding.

We numb the eye up completely and the whole process takes a couple minutes, Dr. Deupree said.

Hes also using this new injectable implant that slowly releases steroids into the eye over the course of three years. Linda had this procedure.

Dr. Deupree explained, Its a very tiny implanted device. Much smaller than a grain of rice. Stays in your eye and delivers the drug and it helps stabilize these eyes. It gets the swelling down, inflammation down.

If the damage is too advanced than surgery may be needed.

Dr. Deupree said, Saving peoples vision is very cost effective. People who go blind, its a horrible thing.

Now, Linda's back in the drivers seat to stay.

Complications with some treatments could be increased eye pressure. Dr. Deupree said diabetics should get an eye exam at least once a year. He said prevention is the safest way to keep eye sight stable

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What iconic Texas things look with color blindness – Chron.com

Monday, March 13th, 2017

By Fernando Ramirez, Chron.com / Houston Chronicle

Photo: UIG Via Getty Image

Click through to see some of Texas' most famous things and what they would look like color blind.

Click through to see some of Texas' most famous things and what they would look like color blind.

Texas Longhorns flag at Cotton Bowl

Type of color blindness:Red-Blind/Protanopia

Texas Longhorns flag at Cotton Bowl

Type of color blindness:Red-Blind/Protanopia

Texas Longhorns flag at Cotton Bowl

Type of color blindness:Green-Blind/Deuteranopia

Texas Longhorns flag at Cotton Bowl

Type of color blindness:Green-Blind/Deuteranopia

Texas Longhorns flag at Cotton Bowl

Type of color blindness:Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

Texas Longhorns flag at Cotton Bowl

Type of color blindness:Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

J.J. Watt salutes after knocking down a pass

Color blindness type:Red-Blind/Protanopia

J.J. Watt salutes after knocking down a pass

Color blindness type:Red-Blind/Protanopia

J.J. Watt salutes after knocking down a pass

Color blindness type: Green-Blind/Deuteranopia

J.J. Watt salutes after knocking down a pass

Color blindness type: Green-Blind/Deuteranopia

J.J. Watt salutes after knocking down a pass

Color blindness type:Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

J.J. Watt salutes after knocking down a pass

Color blindness type:Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

Whataburger sign

Type of color blindness: Red-Blind/Protanopia

Whataburger sign

Type of color blindness: Red-Blind/Protanopia

Whataburger sign

Type of color blindness:Green-Blind/Deuteranopia

Whataburger sign

Type of color blindness:Green-Blind/Deuteranopia

Whataburger sign

Type of color blindness:Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

Whataburger sign

Type of color blindness:Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

Lady bug on a blue bonnet

Type of color blindness:Red-Blind/Protanopia

Lady bug on a blue bonnet

Type of color blindness:Red-Blind/Protanopia

Lady bug on a blue bonnet

Type of color blindness:Green-Blind/Deuteranopia

Lady bug on a blue bonnet

Type of color blindness:Green-Blind/Deuteranopia

Lady bug on a blue bonnet

Type of color blindness:Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

Lady bug on a blue bonnet

Type of color blindness:Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

Chips and queso

Type of color blindness: Red-Blind/Protanopia

Chips and queso

Type of color blindness: Red-Blind/Protanopia

Chips and queso

Type of color blindness:Green-Blind/Deuteranopia

Chips and queso

Type of color blindness:Green-Blind/Deuteranopia

Chips and queso

Type of color blindness:Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

Chips and queso

Type of color blindness:Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

Welcome to Texas sign

Type of color blindness: Red-Blind/Protanopia

Welcome to Texas sign

Type of color blindness: Red-Blind/Protanopia

Welcome to Texas sign

Type of color blindness:Green-Blind/Deuteranopia

Welcome to Texas sign

Type of color blindness:Green-Blind/Deuteranopia

Welcome to Texas sign

Type of color blindness:Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

Welcome to Texas sign

Type of color blindness:Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

Blue Bell ice cream

Type of color blindness: Red-Blind/Protanopia

Blue Bell ice cream

Type of color blindness: Red-Blind/Protanopia

Welcome to Texas sign

Type of color blindness: Green-Blind/Deuternaopia

Welcome to Texas sign

Type of color blindness: Green-Blind/Deuternaopia

Welcome to Texas sign

Type of color blindness: Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

Welcome to Texas sign

Type of color blindness: Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

Universityof Houston football game

Type of color blindness:Red-Blind/Protanopia

Universityof Houston football game

Type of color blindness:Red-Blind/Protanopia

Universityof Houston football game

Type of color blindness: Green-Blind/Deuteranopia

Universityof Houston football game

Type of color blindness: Green-Blind/Deuteranopia

Universityof Houston football game

Type of color blindness: Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

Universityof Houston football game

Type of color blindness: Blue-Blind/Tritanopia

See the article here:
What iconic Texas things look with color blindness - Chron.com

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Blindness not slowing Ulm down – Lima Ohio

Monday, March 13th, 2017

LIMA He has been a familiar voice for radio listeners in Delphos and on radio stations for Lima-based Childers Media Group, and on Monday, Bob Ulm brought his unique perspective to the Lima Rotary Club, a perspective grown not only out of more than four decades in local radio, but also developed while being blind nearly his entire life.

With his 4-year-old black Labrador Retriever guide dog Pippa by his side, Ulm, 61, related to those in attendance at the Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center what life has been like for him since losing his eyes at a year old from retinal blastoma. For him, life has not been any less fulfilling despite not having his vision.

I think I have found ways to experience all the joys that people in life could have, he said. Rather than seeing things, I just hear them, or feel them, if you will.

Ulm credited his parents and his experiences as a student at Delphos St. Johns with helping him ensure that being blind did not become an excuse for not reaching his potential.

I was extremely blessed, and many people are not, with parents who demanded a great deal of me, he said. As I said in my presentation, they loved me when I needed it, spanked me when I needed it, treated me like any other kid and taught me the importance of not feeling sorry for myself because its entirely nonproductive.

During his presentation, Ulm related how technology has helped him become an effective news director for Childers Media Group, able to use computers to work with email and assemble news reports all without looking at a screen or using a mouse. Ulm also said technology will have to be embraced by those with disabilities such as blindness if they want to contribute to society.

Of the estimated 4 million people in the U.S. who are either totally blind, like me, or partially blind, the latest estimates show that between 60 and 70 percent of those folks are not able to find work, he said. Many of them who want to find work are unable to find employment in the job market today, and that simply means that those people are not able to become contributing members of society, to support their families and themselves, as Ive been fortunate to do, and thats really unfortunate.

Childers Media Group news director Bob Ulm, with his 4-year-old guide dog, Pippa, gave a presentation to the Lima Rotary Club on Monday addressing his years in radio and how his blindness has not decreased his quality of life.

http://limaohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_LimaRotary.jpgChilders Media Group news director Bob Ulm, with his 4-year-old guide dog, Pippa, gave a presentation to the Lima Rotary Club on Monday addressing his years in radio and how his blindness has not decreased his quality of life. Craig Kelly | The Lima News

Blindness doesnt stop Ulm

Reach Craig Kelly at 567-242-0390 or on Twitter @Lima_CKelly.

Link:
Blindness not slowing Ulm down - Lima Ohio

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