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There are about 97 million myopic people in the U.S., according to the American Optometric Association. Im one of them. I was fitted for my first pair of corrective lenses in the second grade. Because my vision continued to deteriorate (and because I was always finding new ways to break my glasses), I saw the optometrist often.

I changed to contact lenses in my later teens, but when I started work at the Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant in Lorain, Ohio, I was forced to wear safety glasses. With their coke bottle lenses, they were almost too heavy to wear.

The myopia continued to worsen and, when the optometrist added astigmatism correction to my prescription, contact lenses were no longer an option. My vision is bad enough now that without corrective lenses I cant drive, cant read the clock, and cant be certain that I know the person sitting across the table from me.

If I had lived before corrective lenses were available, I would have been in trouble. I would have gone through life Mr. Magoo-like, mistaking people, running into obstacles, and unable to join in favorite activities. It is interesting to think what it would be like to live that way for 60 years, and then to receive corrective lenses. What could be better than the gift of sight?

Christians believe that all people need a kind of vision correction. Myopia of what St. Paul calls the eyes of the heart is pandemic. Now, as he puts it, we see through a glass darkly. Humans have trouble recognizing what is important, they hurt themselves on obstacles they could have avoided, and routinely get lost in the tangles of everyday life.

The gospel writers want people to know that God restores sight, and they convey this important idea through the stories they tell about Jesus, who has come into this world, so that the blind will see... Each gospel tells stories of how Jesus gifted people with sight, rounding out the Old Testaments promise that Gods servant would bring recovery of sight for the blind.

The Gospel of Luke provides a particularly brilliant presentation of Jesus as the sight-giver. The Evangelist juxtaposes two stories, set side-by-side, representing very different kinds of blindness. To make sure we dont miss his point, he employs Greek verbs meaning to see so often a reader would have to be blind to miss them.

The first story features a blind man who sits begging on the side of the road as a noisy procession nears. The man, hearing that Jesus is in the procession, begins shouting, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Bystanders order him to be quiet, but he shouts all the louder.

Hearing him, Jesus stops and asks, What do you want me to do for you? and the blind man answers, Lord, I want to see. Jesus restores his sight, and he immediately becomes a follower of Jesus.

This story is immediately followed by another story about blindness. This time, though, the mans blindness is not physical but spiritual. His commitment to making money has blinded him, and he has injured himself in frequent run-ins with the people around him.

In both stories, the (physically and spiritually) blind men faced obstacles when they came to Jesus for vision correction. The poor beggar was treated as a persona non-grata by the crowd, and ordered to be quiet why would Jesus be interested in him? The rich man suffered similar treatment. People despised him, and refused to make room for him.

Surprisingly, the people who made it difficult for these sight-challenged men to get to Jesus were religious. Those who might be expected to facilitate a meeting with Jesus obstructed it. How often that proves to be the case. The judgmental church-goer, the holier-than-thou Bible-thumper, and the lapsed believer are blurry obstacles on the path to Jesus, and to restored vision.

John Newton famously wrote of that vision: I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see. Im not sure I could go that far. What I can say is, I once was blind but I see better now, and have every reason to expect complete vision restoration in the future.

Shayne Looper is the pastor of Lockwood Community Church in Branch County (Mich.). Read more at shaynelooper.com.

Continued here:
Shayne Looper: The spiritual myopia pandemic - Sleepy Eye Herald Dispatch

Glaucoma, also known as the silent thief of sight, is a leading cause of preventable blindness. The most common forms of glaucoma primarily affect the middle-aged and the elderly, byt glaucoma does not discriminate and can affect people of all ages.

Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes vision loss by damaging a part of the eye called the optic nerve. This nerve is responsible for sending images from your eyes to your brain. However, when glaucoma damages your optic nerve, those images are distorted and vision becomes impaired and restricted. If not treated, glaucoma can cause permanent blindness.

According to Glaucoma Research Foundation, it is estimated that 3 million Americans have glaucoma but only half of those know they even have it. There are typically no symptoms to alert you to this disease, and sadly once vision is lost, it is irreversible.

The most common form of glaucoma is primary open-angle glaucoma, which is one of the main causes of blindness in the United States. In the early stages of primary open-angle glaucoma, there are no symptoms. Its important for people to know that glaucoma can be detected early even before noticeable vision loss occurs.

Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to prevent glaucoma. However, you can slow down the progression of this disease by getting an annual dilated eye exam and receiving treatment if required. In addition to your dilated exam, your ophthalmologist might also perform a series of other painless tests such as eye pressure measurement and a peripheral vision test. These tests, in addition to an examination by your physician, assess any changes in your vision and evaluate the overall health of your eyes. This will help your physician determine if you have an issue like glaucoma and allows them to develop the best course of treatment based on their findings.

If you are diagnosed with glaucoma early enough, glaucoma can often be controlled with eye drops. If you are prescribed medication for your glaucoma, it is important that you take this medication regularly and exactly as prescribed in order to control your eye pressure. If you have allergies to eye drops or the drops fail to lower your eye pressure substantially, a laser procedure or even eye surgery may be recommended.

The laser procedure, known as selective laser trabeculoplasty or SLT, helps to open the drain inside of the eye and can lower the pressure in more than 80 percent of patients.

If required, your doctor may recommend glaucoma surgery to lower your eye pressure. This involves making an incision in the eye to create a new drain for the eye and therefore reduce eye pressure. The type and severity of your glaucoma, as well as the overall health of your eye, will help your ophthalmologist determine the type of surgery that is best for you.

Glaucoma is most common among older people and in African Americans. If you are over 60 years old, you are six times more likely to get glaucoma. Another factor that contributes to the prevalence of glaucoma is having an immediate family with glaucoma (mother, father, sister, brother). This puts you at a much higher risk. Finally, glaucoma may occur immediately after an eye injury or even years later.

Glaucoma is a very serious eye disease that can lead to vision loss and blindness if not carefully monitored. While glaucoma is not curable and vision that has been lost cannot be regained, it is treatable. With the appropriate medication and/or surgery, it is very possible to slow down the disease process and prevent further vision loss. As with any disease, annual comprehensive exams are key to protecting and maintaining healthy vision.

David Hayes, DO, is a glaucoma specialist with Clay Eye Physicians & Surgeons. He is also a member of the Duval County Medical Society.

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Doctors are In: Glaucoma is treatable if detected early - Florida Times-Union

Earlier this month, Google virtual reality head Clay Bavor discussed the companys efforts on a mind-boggling 20 megapixel screen that was currently under development. The screens would be a staggering 17x resolution improvement on displays in current generation VR systems like the Rift and Vive. They would also be totally unusable, because at the frame rates needed for VR, such displays would burn through 50-100 GBs of data per second.

The key for working this out would be utilizing a technology called foveated rendering to track where a users eyes are looking and ensure that only the area at the center of their vision is being rendered at full resolution.

While this will undoubtedly be a technology that enables the future of high-end VR, its still one that relies on expensive displays that arent even widely available yet.

A Finnish startup is positing that theyve come up with a way to bring human-eye level resolution to VR headsets through a technique that will direct a pair of insanely high-resolution displays to the center of your vision. With current technology, the company claims this will enable perceived resolutions north of 70 megapixels.

Varjo,which meansshadow in Finnish,is looking to bring this technology to higher-end business customers by next year at a price of less than $10,000 according to the company.

Why show off this tech now? Largely because the company is currently raising cash stateside and was just awarded a few patents related to these technologies last week.

I had the chance to demo a prototype of the companys technology last week using a modified Oculus Rift headset with Varjos display systems embedded.

I suppose the best testament to the companys technology was that I spent most of the demo questioning whether my eye sight had actually been improved. After being dropped into an apartment scene, I was almost disturbed by my ability to read the spines of books on bookshelves several feet away.

Comparisons in pixel density between Varjos 20/20 display and the Oculus Rift

The technology all relies on a pair of insanely high-resolution Sony MicroOLED displays which pack full HD into screens .7 inches in size diagonally. Through lens magnification these 3,000 pixels per inch displays fill up about a 20-degree field of view which is reflected off of mirrors in the headset while the wider scene is displayed on a more normal resolution display in the background.

Though this bionic display rig I tested simply utilized fixed focus displays at the center of my vision, the company is building systems that actively adjust the mirror to your gaze, ensuring that you are always seeing the most high-res image possible. Getting the latency of these mirror shifts will be a non-trivial challenge for the startup, especially given the limitations of eye tracking at the moment.

Varjo wants to take on companies like Magic Leap, Microsoft and Meta to create mixed reality headsets that build upon its display technology, though this technology isnt really suited for transparent display systems like waveguides so it would still rely on pass-through camera displays to pull of the mixed reality.

The company claims that they have no interest in licensing the patents they have been awarded and is instead looking to create an end-to-end solution, focusing primarily on business customers early-on. The first step will be a development kit of their 20/20 headset which the startup hopes to make available to hundreds of partners starting later this year.

Originally posted here:
This startup wants to build VR headsets with 'human eye-resolution' - TechCrunch

Julia Brennan grew up in a family of nearsighted people so nearsighted that they joked they were blind as bats. She, however, had perfect eyesight.

"Julia can see around corners," her mother would say.

Today, Brennan is a textile conservationist in Washington, D.C, and her work involves everything from fixing tiny holes in antique christening dresses to delicately stitching tears in the Brooks Brothers coat President Lincoln had with him the night he was shot.

While her sharp eyesight is essential to her work, it was not something she thought about consciously when choosing her field. "I simply used it in one of the best professions possible," she says.

Now, a small study published this week out of the University of California, Berkeley backs up what Brennan has experienced throughout her career: Dressmakers may have superior stereoscopic vision. That's the ability to accurately perceive depth and distance between objects to see in 3-D.

Adrien Chopin, a postdoctoral researcher in visual neuroscience, made the discovery as he was testing the stereoscopic vision of about three dozen people, 13 of them dressmakers. We all use stereoscopic vision when we throw a ball to someone, grab a pencil or park a car, but Chopin noticed that some individuals have much better stereoscopic vision than others.

The testing was part of ongoing research aimed at finding ways to improve stereoscopic vision through computer games, some using virtual reality.

Chopin found that among the people in his study, dressmakers who spend a lot of time sewing by hand outperformed the study participants from other professions. The results intrigued him, given that prior studies of surgeons and dentists, who also do fine manual work, did not turn up similar results.

In fact, Chopin says, dressmakers are the only group of professionals he and his colleagues have found so far who seem to have enhanced stereoscopic vision.

Is it the endless hours of delicate, manual work that hones dressmakers' stereoscopic skills, or does the field naturally attract individuals with superior eyesight?

Chopin says further study is needed to be certain. But the findings have led him to believe there might be something unusual in the way dressmakers interact with the world.

"It's very fine manual tasks at close range, with direct feedback," he says. "If you misplace the needle just a little, you get pain. That's direct feedback on your vision."

He hopes his research might eventually help people who are stereo-impaired.

Dr. Rebecca Taylor, a Nashville ophthalmologist and the clinical spokeswoman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, says about 10 percent of the population lacks depth perception, and one cause is poor vision in one eye. She cautions that this is not always correctable and says some problems such as amblyopia, or lazy eye, should be corrected in childhood.

Still, she thinks further study is worthwhile, given how much we use stereo vision in our daily lives. "The more information that we have about depth perception, the better we can be set up to help people who struggle with it," Taylor says.

Of course, good stereoscopic vision will only take you so far. More than 30 years into her career in textile restoration, Brennan says she now needs strong reading glasses and a good source of light to do her best work.

"I often defer to my 20- or 30-year-old colleagues to double-check a stitch or detail now," she says.

Go here to read the rest:
Research Finds Dressmakers Have Good Eyes, And Not Just For Style - KRCC

An aging population and the growing prevalence of vision-threatening diseases like diabetes are fueling a rise in the number of Americans who are either blind or visually impaired. (Lars Christnsen/Dreamstime/TNS)

Ask Americans to name the ailment they fear most, and blindness ranks at the top, along with Alzheimers and cancer, according to a recent survey by the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

And yet each year, 50,000 Americans go blind, nearly half from eye diseases that are treatable or preventable.

Whats worse, the number of Americans who are either blind or visually impaired is expected to double by 2050, most of it driven by an aging population and the growing number of people with chronic conditions that can cause vision loss, such as diabetes, says James Jorkasky, executive director of the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research.

The challenge for vision experts is to make Americans aware of the things they can do to protect their eyesight, including getting a regular eye exam. Only half of the estimated 61 million Americans at high risk of losing their eyesight had an eye exam in the past 12 months partly due to a lack of insurance coverage for preventive eye care and glasses, noted a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report last fall, but also because many eye diseases dont show symptoms in the early stages, so people dont realize they have a problem.

Doctors, too, may need to step up their game. A new study in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology found that in one of four cases, trained eye professionals missed the early, more treatable signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) an irreversible loss of vision that affects 14 million Americans.

But there is some good news for those already diagnosed with eye disease, including new treatments and cutting edge research that could bring hope to millions in the near future. There are also simple changes everyone can do to greatly reduce their risk of eye disease.

Heres what you need to know:

Glaucoma is caused by a buildup of damaging pressure within the eye and requires a daily dose of medicated eye drops to hold the disease at bay. Unfortunately, getting patients to follow that regimen daily for years is difficult, says Dr. Andrew Iwach, board chairman for the Glaucoma Research Foundation. Instead, clinical trials have started testing a thin polymer ring to be worn in the eye that would slowly release medication throughout the day.

Using stem cells to regenerate healthy cells in disease-damaged eyes is the holy grail for researchers. This is especially true for incurable conditions that damage the retina, the layer of light-sensitive cells at the back of the eye.

Earlier this year, a Japanese man became the first person to receive retinal stem cells created from donated skin cells to stop his macular degeneration from getting worse.

The Argus II, a bionic retina approved by the Food and Drug Administration, is now being used by more than 100 people with retinitis pigmentosa and other related conditions. It also recently was implanted in the first person with macular degeneration.

This bionic eye uses a tiny camera attached to glasses that sends visual data to a microchip implanted in the eye, which then sends light signals to the brain.

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How to protect yourself against vision loss, a growing problem - Waterbury Republican American

After 20 years of darkness, there is light for a man in Medford, Massachusetts.

A bionic eye implant has helped Anthony Andreotolla gain back some vision. Its not eyesight in the way most people see, but the technology is making a difference in his daily life.

Anthony Andreotolla, who suffers from a degenerative eye disease, can see for the first time in 20 years thanks to a new bionic eye.

CBS Boston/WBZ-TV

Its not actual vision. Its what they call artificial vision, Andreotolla told CBS Boston.

He suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that affects the retina. Andreotolla began to lose his vision in his teens and by his thirties, he couldnt see anything.

Once everything is black, for many, many years, that was it, he said.

For 20 years he lived in that darkness until he became one of the first people to receive a bionic eye.

Every day, Andreotolla puts on special glasses and commutes on public transportation to his job in Boston about six miles south of his home.

A tiny camera in the glasses sends images to a wearable computer and then those images are processed and sent wirelessly to an implant in his eye. The implant surgery took place in Baltimore at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

I dont see things the way other people do. I see everything in different flashes, lights, shapes, Andreotolla explained.

Play Video

CBSN

A blind man with a degenerative retinal disease was able to see his wife of 46 years thanks to an experimental bionic eye.

Its more of a cloudy, black and white vision, he explains.

I can tell the difference between a car or a bus or a truck. I cant tell you what make the car is, he said.

That vision helps him navigate life more safely.

After his commute, he arrives at his job as a substance abuse counselor at St. Anthony Shrine.

I have my hope back. Once I lost my sight I was resigned to be blind for the rest of my life. Im not resigned to that anymore. I believe if I can live long enough, Ill be able to see a lot of beautiful things, Andreotolla said.

The developer of the bionic eye isSecond Sightand theyre already working on the next generation of bionic eye with faster processing and sharper images.

2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

2017 CBS Interactive Inc.

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After 20 years of darkness, bionic eye helps man see - WDEF News 12

By Melanie Feuk, mfeuk@hcnonline.com

Crosby Lions' new vision screening device promotes children's eye health

Albert Baker with the Crosby Lions Club pointed the PlusoptiX mobile vision screening camera at the child sitting across from him during the Crosby-Huffman Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Peso's Mexican Restaurant in Crosby on Thursday, June 15.

Only seconds later, the device beeped and before some people may have even realized, the demonstration was already over.

"That fast, I screened his eyes," Baker said.

The $7,000 PlusoptiX mobile vision screening camera was donated to the Crosby Lions Club two weeks ago by a fellow Crosby Lion in order to further the club's ability to perform vision screenings on children at local daycares and pre-kindergartens as a part of the Lions KidSight USA program.

"The program started about 20 years ago when we were testing children's eyes for Amblyobia, which is lazy eye," Baker said. "If you catch a child with lazy eye early, at around 1 year old, we can correct it before he or she gets into school."

Baker himself has scanned tens-of-thousands of children in the last 20 years and has firsthand experience of how important early detection of eye disease is for children.

"There was a 3-year-old girl, and I found through the old camera system that the child had a tumor in her right eye," Baker said.

Within a week, the little girl received an eye operation that saved her eyesight.

Over the course of the program, technological improvements have allowed the Lions Club to detect even more diseases in young children, thereby greatly improving the child's ability to learn and in some cases, the child's chances retaining their eyesight.

Last year, the Crosby Lions Club used a borrowed PlusoptiX camera. Now that they have their own, it will allow them to perform more vision screenings locally in Crosby, Huffman and surrounding communities.

Since the new screening device was donated, the Crosby Lions Club has done approximately 1,000 screenings.

This year is the 100th birthday of Lions International, and June 30 will mark the 92nd anniversary of Helen Keller's speech calling Lions International to be Knights of the Blind.

For more information about the Crosby Lions Club, visit the Crosby Lions Club Facebook page.

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Crosby Lions' new vision screening device promotes children's eye health - Chron.com

In a study that tested the vision of people from a variety of professions, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley found that dressmakers who spend many hours doing fine, manual work seemed to have a superior ability to see in 3-D. Elena Fantini/Getty Images hide caption

In a study that tested the vision of people from a variety of professions, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley found that dressmakers who spend many hours doing fine, manual work seemed to have a superior ability to see in 3-D.

Julia Brennan grew up in a family of nearsighted people so nearsighted that they joked they were blind as bats. She, however, had perfect eyesight.

"Julia can see around corners," her mother would say.

Today, Brennan is a textile conservationist in Washington, D.C, and her work involves everything from fixing tiny holes in antique christening dresses to delicately stitching tears in the Brooks Brothers coat President Lincoln had with him the night he was shot.

Julia Brennan, owner of Caring for Textiles, always knew she had excellent eyesight and now wonders whether it's part of what inspired her choice of career. Courtesy of Julia Brennan hide caption

Julia Brennan, owner of Caring for Textiles, always knew she had excellent eyesight and now wonders whether it's part of what inspired her choice of career.

While her sharp eyesight is essential to her work, it was not something she thought about consciously when choosing her field. "I simply used it in one of the best professions possible," she says.

Now, a small study published this week out of the University of California, Berkeley backs up what Brennan has experienced throughout her career: Dressmakers may have superior stereoscopic vision. That's the ability to accurately perceive depth and distance between objects to see in 3-D.

Adrien Chopin, a postdoctoral researcher in visual neuroscience, made the discovery as he was testing the stereoscopic vision of about three dozen people, 13 of them dressmakers. We all use stereoscopic vision when we throw a ball to someone, grab a pencil or park a car, but Chopin noticed that some individuals have much better stereoscopic vision than others.

The testing was part of ongoing research aimed at finding ways to improve stereoscopic vision through computer games, some using virtual reality.

Chopin found that among the people in his study, dressmakers who spend a lot of time sewing by hand outperformed the study participants from other professions. The results intrigued him, given that prior studies of surgeons and dentists, who also do fine manual work, did not turn up similar results.

In fact, Chopin says, dressmakers are the only group of professionals he and his colleagues have found so far who seem to have enhanced stereoscopic vision.

Is it the endless hours of delicate, manual work that hones dressmakers' stereoscopic skills, or does the field naturally attract individuals with superior eyesight?

Chopin says further study is needed to be certain. But the findings have led him to believe there might be something unusual in the way dressmakers interact with the world.

"It's very fine manual tasks at close range, with direct feedback," he says. "If you misplace the needle just a little, you get pain. That's direct feedback on your vision."

He hopes his research might eventually help people who are stereo-impaired.

Dr. Rebecca Taylor, a Nashville ophthalmologist and the clinical spokeswoman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, says about 10 percent of the population lacks depth perception, and one cause is poor vision in one eye. She cautions that this is not always correctable and says some problems such as amblyopia, or lazy eye, should be corrected in childhood.

Still, she thinks further study is worthwhile, given how much we use stereo vision in our daily lives. "The more information that we have about depth perception, the better we can be set up to help people who struggle with it," Taylor says.

Of course, good stereoscopic vision will only take you so far. More than 30 years into her career in textile restoration, Brennan says she now needs strong reading glasses and a good source of light to do her best work.

"I often defer to my 20- or 30-year-old colleagues to double-check a stitch or detail now," she says.

Originally posted here:
Research Finds Dressmakers Have Good Eyes, And Not Just For Style - NPR

After 20 years of darkness, there is light for a man in Medford, Massachusetts.

A bionic eye implant has helped Anthony Andreotolla gain back some vision. It's not eyesight in the way most people see, but the technology is making a difference in his daily life.

Anthony Andreotolla, who suffers from a degenerative eye disease, can see for the first time in 20 years thanks to a new bionic eye.

CBS Boston/WBZ-TV

"It's not actual vision. It's what they call artificial vision," Andreotolla told CBS Boston.

He suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that affects the retina. Andreotolla began to lose his vision in his teens and by his thirties, he couldn't see anything.

"Once everything is black, for many, many years, that was it," he said.

For 20 years he lived in that darkness until he became one of the first people to receive a bionic eye.

Every day, Andreotolla puts on special glasses and commutes on public transportation to his job in Boston about six miles south of his home.

A tiny camera in the glasses sends images to a wearable computer and then those images are processed and sent wirelessly to an implant in his eye. The implant surgery took place in Baltimore at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

"I don't see things the way other people do. I see everything in different flashes, lights, shapes," Andreotolla explained.

Play Video

A blind man with a degenerative retinal disease was able to see his wife of 46 years thanks to an experimental bionic eye.

It's more of a cloudy, black and white vision, he explains.

"I can tell the difference between a car or a bus or a truck. I can't tell you what make the car is," he said.

That vision helps him navigate life more safely.

After his commute, he arrives at his job as a substance abuse counselor at St. Anthony Shrine.

"I have my hope back. Once I lost my sight I was resigned to be blind for the rest of my life. I'm not resigned to that anymore. I believe if I can live long enough, I'll be able to see a lot of beautiful things," Andreotolla said.

The developer of the bionic eye isSecond Sightand they're already working on the next generation of bionic eye with faster processing and sharper images.

2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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After 20 years of darkness, bionic eye helps blind man see - CBS News

BBC News

Game used to test children's eyesight made in Wales BBC News A game for tablets is being developed in Wales which parents can use to test their children's eyesight at home. The Space Vision app gets children to tap increasing faint black and white squares on a grey background to make aliens pop up and make a noise. and more »

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Game used to test children's eyesight made in Wales - BBC News

High profile fatalities caused by poor eyesight have put driving and vision in the spotlight. OT explores what the UK can learn from its neighbours

16 Jun 2017 by Selina Powell

But often the conversations that are held on a national level after a fatal and potentially avoidable accident caused by poor eyesight follow a similar theme.

There are frequently calls for more stringent regulation of medical fitness to drive to prevent further accidents from occurring.

Particularly when there were red flags that a motorist's sight was failing, members of the public question why nothing was done to stop a driver from getting behind the wheel.

It is a nuanced area and one that does not have any easy answers. But asking the questions around vision and driving is increasingly important as the prevalence of vision issues among drivers increases with an ageing population.

One approach to strengthening the regulation of vision and driving in the UK is to look beyond national boundaries.

Anecdotal differences between member states prompted the European Council of Optometry and Optics (ECOO) to produce the Visual Standards for Driving in Europe report, which was published at the beginning of this year.

The report profiles how each member state has implemented a European Union directive that required all member states to align their standards on vision and driving by 2013.

All states needed to ensure that drivers applying for a licence, or the renewal of a licence, had a binocular visual acuity of at least 0.5.

"Driving not only affects you as a person but it affects the people around you"

UK optometrist and Association of Optometrists Councillor, Dr Julie-Anne Little, who led the drafting of the ECOO report, highlighted to OT that while countries met the broad thrust of the directive, many nations adopted different ways of implementing it.

"For example, in the UK we remain reliant on self-reporting and the driver self-testing with a number plate, whereas our closest neighbour Ireland requires drivers to attend a vision test and get a signed medical form determining their vision status before a driving licence application," she explained.

In the UK, a visual test is carried out by the driver testing officer, whereas in many European nations the vision assessment is carried out by an optometrist, ophthalmologist or medical doctor.

The ECOO report urged member states to ensure that visual standards for driving were assessed by an eye care professional and that sight testing was carried out as a requirement for licence renewal.

Optometrists have the right skills to take on this role, Dr Little explained, adding: "An optometrist's job is to understand, and try to maximise, people's vision and visual performance.

Optometrists are probably best-placed to give a judgement on visual function for everyday life.

There are significant differences in methods used to test vision across UK and Europe. In contrast to the UK's number plate test, drivers in other countries must take a series of visual acuity and visual field tests. In several countries, drivers attend a government driving centre for a medical and vision check ahead of licensing. In Belgium, there are additional tests that measure an individual's twilight vision and in Bulgaria, a driver's colour vision is assessed.

After a motorist has secured their licence in the UK, there is no regulatory requirement for a driver to have their vision tested again over the life of their licence. But in other countries, such as Italy, Spain and Bulgaria, visual tests are carried out every decade to ensure that a driver's vision is still safe for the road.

Visual testing in some countries increases in frequency as a driver ages, acknowledging the higher incidence of vision problems among older motorists.

The ECOO report called for a standardised visual acuity assessment across Europe and the UK and emphasised that the number plate test was not an adequate measure of visual acuity.

As part of its call to action, ECOO also urged member states to promote the effective assessment of vision, visual fields, contrast sensitivity and twilight vision. It was important that countries clarified what each test involved to avoid discrepancy between member states, the report emphasised.

"The vast majority of the time we are giving out good news - we are helping people to be able to drive and meet the standard"

Whatever change was implemented around vision and driving, it was important that optometrists give the public a positive message, Dr Little emphasised.

"As optometrists, we have all experienced people who are a bit nervous about coming in for a sight test or who have avoided it for a long time because they are worried about what the outcome might be," she elaborated.

"The vast majority of the time we are giving out good news - we are helping people to be able to drive and meet the standard," Dr Little concluded.

Image credit: Laurence Derbyshire

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Driving for change - AOP

MEDFORD (CBS) After 20 years of darkness, there is light.

It seems like science fiction, but a bionic eye implant is bringing a kind of sight to the blind.

Its not what you and I see, but for a small number of people, its making all the difference.

Its not actual vision. Its what they call artificial vision, says Anthony Andreotolla,one of the first people to ever receive a bionic eye.

Every day he puts on his gear, leaves his Medford home and rides the MBTA to his job in Downtown Crossing.

Anthony Andreotolla wearing bionic eye (WBZ-TV)

Andreotolla has retinitis pigmentosa. He began to lose his vision in his teens. By his 30s he couldnt see a thing.

Once everything is black, for many, many years, that was it, he said.

For 20 years he lived in that blackness until he became one of the first to receive a bionic eye.

How does it work?

A tiny camera in his glasses sends images to a wearable computer. The images are processed and sent wirelessly to an implant in his eye.

Anthony Andreotolla wearing bionic eye (WBZ-TV)

I dont see things the way other people do. I see everything in different flashes, lights, shapes, Andreotolla explained.

Its more of a cloudy, black and white vision.

I can tell the difference between a car or a bus or a truck. I cant tell you what make the car is, he said.

That vision helps him navigate life more safely.

And after his journey, he arrives at his job as a substance abuse counselor at St. Anthonys Shrine.

I have my hope back. Once I lost my sight I was resigned to be blind for the rest of my life. Im not resigned to that anymore. I believe if I can live long enough, Ill be able to see a lot of beautiful things, Andreotolla said.

The developer of the bionic eye is Second Sight, and theyre already working on the next generation with faster processing and sharper images. Andreotolla had to go to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore for his surgery, but it will be available soon at at least one Boston hospital.

Follow Paula on Twitter Award-winning journalist Paula Ebben co-anchors WBZ-TV News at 5:30PM and WBZ-TV 8PM News on myTV38 with co-anchor Liam Martin. Ebben also reports across WBZ-TVs newscasts including WBZ-TV News Eye on Educatio...

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Medford Man Receives Bionic Eye - CBS Boston / WBZ

MIRI SCHROETER AND KAROLINE TUCKEY

Last updated17:56, June 11 2017

Warwick Smith

Accountancy student Megan Hislop, 19, was suffering headaches and fatigue from long hours studying, but found a big improvement after getting glasses especially for monitor use.

Almost 50 per cent of a group of 70 Massey Universitystudents were found to have eyesight problems, according to a study.

The EssilorVisionFoundation, a charity that tests students' eyesight nationwide, found that45 per cent of those in the study had previously undiagnosed eye issues.

VisiqueEye Spy optometristMaileTarsau, whocarriedout the free checks at Massey, said daily use of digital devices contributed to the problem.

Warwick Smith

An optometrist firm did free tests of students eyesight on Massey campus. Megan Hislop (pictured), who did the free test and was found to have eye issues as a result of lots of device use.

"Alot of [students'] work can be based online these daysand then they are online on their social media every day."

Many students spent up to 12 hours a day looking at screens without realising that it affected their eyes, Tarsau said.

"Commonly people come in saying they've got headaches, or it takes a little while for their eyes to focus, delayed focus, sometimes their eyes are watery, gritty or scratchy, or even itchy.

"People don't always put two and two together, that it might be related to their eyes.They know they've been under the pump and stressedand think they are just tired."

Massey accounting studentMegan Hislop, 19, realised after taking part in the study that her tiredness was partially a result of using a computer every day.

"I didn't really think it was anything at the time, but when looking at screens I found it took longer to focus.

"Some days I got headaches from it, because I'd been straining my eyes so much."

Hislop has been using glasses for about three weeks and has noticed that her eyes don't feel as tired.

"It's a huge advantage.I can process information faster."

Previous studies on primary school children showed that30 per cent of low decile school pupilshad eyesight issues, Tarsau said.

Ongoing use of digital devices throughoutschooling and then at university contributed to the problem, she said.

Massey University education lecturerJulia Buddsaid uncorrected vision could affect behaviour and learning.

Budd was currentlycompleting a studyto see what the affects are and whatimprovementscould be made, such as providing regular testing for childrensimilar to dental checks theyreceivedduringtheir schooling.

Massey University associate professor Alison Kearney, who is working on the project with Budd, said it was estimated that up to 80 per cent of learning was done through visual means.

Shannon School principal Murray Powellsaid some pupils used devicesup to 80 per cent of the day at school.

Because they used them heavily at school, Powell advised pupils to minimise screen time at home.

Awahou school principal Matt Schmidtsaid teachers tried to limit screen time and when the weather permits pupils were not allowed inside on devices.

They were encouraged to play outsideto limit screen time and to increasesocial interaction, Schmidt said.

-Stuff

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Island Packet (blog)

Hilton Head waitress who inspired the nation gets her eyesight back Island Packet (blog) He called to suggest the local Lions Clubs might be able to help resolve Webber's eyesight problem. Lions Clubs International, now celebrating its ... Conventional glasses cannot compensate for the loss of vision. And even with glasses, Webber has been ...

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Hilton Head waitress who inspired the nation gets her eyesight back - Island Packet (blog)

Photo: Stocksy/Vegterfoto

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It feels great tobe one of the first people to Instagrammermaid toastor your early-morning workout with your furry BFF. And when its Bachelorette time, does an episodeeven happen if you dont live-tweet it?

All that time looking at screens (and the potentially eye-damaging blue lightthey emit) adds up, thoughespecially sinceyoublink 66 percent less than normal while checkingyour iPhone or watching videoson your laptop,studies show.

Think about how much of your day is spent looking at illuminated digital data: To start off, theres (at least) eight hours at the officeusing your work computer. Plus,the average American looks at their phone 76 timesper dayfor a total of 145 minutes. (A really good argument for ditching your phone on vacation, BTW.) And that doesnt even figure in Netflix binges(hello, nightly hit of Friends, a la Emma Watson).

So how do you know how much is too much? Is it even such a big deal?

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Symptoms like blurred or double vision, fatigue, or recurring headaches are a tipoff. But the best way to assess things is to visit your optometristtheres no hiding that late-night Instagram scrolling habit from them. They can tell if screens are hurting your eyes, even if you dont have any of the tell-tale signs, says Linda Chous, MD,optometrist and chief eye care officer of UnitedHealthcare.

There are muscles inside the eyes that have to work for us to see up close, and Dr. Chous says they have all a few tests to see how those muscles are workingwhich is a good reason to keep optometrists on your medical calendar (along with the gyno, dentist, and dermatologist). Theres no need to see your eye doctor as often as your main MD, but booking some face time every two years is ideal, Dr. Chous says.

Just because you have 20/20 vision doesnt mean you have healthy eyes. It can give you a false sense of security.

Just because you have 20/20 vision doesnt mean you have healthy eyes, she says. It can give you a false sense of security. Dr. Chous explains that the eyes truly are windows to the rest of the body, and often they can providecues for things to look out for, like diabetes or high-blood pressure.

The takeaway: Make a regular date with your optometrist toavoid stressing out about your screen time year-round. Best-case scenario? Youre all good. Or maybe you just need your prescription tweaked. Worst-case? You come up with a plan together.

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Maybe you already know staring at a computer all day at work is messing with your visionyou can feel it. Or your eye doctor literally told you that you needed to chill with the screen time. (There isnt a hard-and-fast rule when it comes to how many hours is bad, so let your doctorand your eyesbe your guide.) So what do you do? James Stringham, PhD, who specializes in neurology and vision, says the first thing to do is fill up on more greens.

Leafy greens are full of luteinand zeaxanthin, two specific types of antioxidantsthat are vital for vision, he says. Dr. Stringham explains that theyre highly concentrated in eye tissue, which the blue light from screens can damage. When that happens, people can start experiencing headaches or migraines, he says.

Leafy greens are full of luteinand zeaxanthin, two specific types of antioxidantsthat are vital for vision.

Ideally, Dr. Stringham says people need 26 milligrams of the two antioxidants each dayabout two cups of spinach. But most people dont get that, and may opt to pop a supplement. (In fact, Dr. Stringham has been helping develop one, Blutein, which will be available next month at Vitamin Shoppe.) He says some professional athletes even take the two so-called eye vitaminsto speed up how quickly their eyes react to a moving target. Some other foods withlutein and zeaxanthin: eggs, zucchini, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

What about those blue light-fighting glasses that are gaining traction?Dr. Stringham says if youre getting enough bluetein and zeaxanthin, they arent necessary. Wearing glasses doesnt give you the other benefits filling up on the healthy foods wouldlutein and zeaxanthin is in your brain too, so getting enough is important for cognitive function as well, he says.

A breakdown in vision, he points out, is yet another sign of inflammation. So when you fill up on foods that fight that, it does your whole body good.

This inflammation-fighting food pyramid can help you build the ultimate healthy meal planand here are a few recipes, if you need guidance.

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Do you really need to be worried about all that screen time? - Well+Good

ReginaldArseneau was 29 years old when he started losing his eyesight.

It didn't stop him from completing four years of university and building a house and a life. But now the 69-year-old has a chance to improve his vision, if he can only find a way to pay for it.

The Argus II, a new type of implant, captures images on a camera that's attached to glasses worn by the patient. The image is then transmitted to the eye's retina with the help of a small computer worn on a belt.

Arseneau, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that changes the way the retina responds to light, causing slow vision loss over time, could regain about two per cent of his eye sight, his opthamologist said.

But while the cost of the surgery will be covered, he needs help paying for the chip.

"It costs $150,000just for theArgusII. It's the chip they put in the eyes with the computers so just for that, it costs $150,000," said Arseneau. "After that it's sure I'll need a surgery but the government should pay the surgery. I will need also a follow-up for the first three months."

The New Brunswick government, however, said it's not paying.

Reginal and Marie-Ange Arseneau built their home in the 1980s, when Reginald was already blind. He has also published two books - one is a memoir, written in French. (Bridget Yard/CBC)

In anemail,Departmentof Health spokespersonGeneviveMallet-Chiassonsaid the department will "not consider coverage for this prosthesis at this time."

"According to the New Brunswick Regulation 84-20 under the Medical Services Payment Act, schedule 2b,prosthetic devices are not insured services," she wrote.

Arseneau said he'll continue to lobby for financial aid.

He said he's lived withretinitispigmentosafor over 40 years, but he is also losing his hearing now, and wears two hearing aids.

At home, he can still "see" with his hands, feeling his way around, even working on carpentry projects with the help of a braille ruler and measuring tape. But when he leaves the house, or goes on vacation, his wife, Marie-Ange, has to guide him, he said.

He hopes the implant will help him regain one of his senses, and his independence.

"I will see black and white and shapes," he said. "I could distinguish maybe a door, or windows, and that will really help me with my mobility."

Arseneau still has the ruler made for him at Universite de Moncton decades ago. He uses it in his woodworking projects. He finds simple ways to hold on to his favourite hobbies and independence. (Bridget Yard/CBC)

DrFalvioRezende, of TheMaisonneuve-RosementHospital in Montreal, said he'simplanted theArgusII in two patients.

"To transform an illness that would seem to have no cure, and re-engage people into society, it's enormous," he told Radio-Canada. "It's possibly the most touching experience I've had in my career."

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DR LIBBY WEAVER

Last updated05:00, June 6 2017

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Our eyesight is such a gift - and we should look after it.

For many people, eye health just isn't a conscious priority new research in Australia indicates that only 6 per cent of people aged between 50 and 64 years rate an eye disease check as their top health priority.

Assuming that New Zealanders have similar health priorities, this is concerning as it has previously been shown that 99 per cent of New Zealanders aged 55 years and over have noticed changes in their vision.

Despite this, only half schedule frequent eye exams, and many are not aware of ways in which they can proactively enhance their eye health, such as through a plant-rich diet full of vision-supporting nutrients.

Did you know that dark green leafy vegetables are considered the best vegetable for great eye health? More than a third of adults surveyed in New Zealand identified carrots as the top vegetable for eye health, while spinach was the top pick for less than one in 20.

READ MORE: *Dr Libby: Foods that can help boost your eye health *Simple $60 eye exam saves Amberley mother's sight *Open your eyes to a revealing health check

Our eyesight is such a gift it allows us to see and appreciate beautiful landscapes, to curl up and enjoy a good book with ease, and to watch our children and grandchildren play and grow up. We often hear about the importance of taking care of other organs, such as our heart, but eye health tends to be less of a focus perhaps due to a perception that declining eyesight and compromised vision are an inevitable consequence of ageing.

I'm not denying that ageing affects the eyes, but science tells us that we can mitigate this process with good nutrition.

Nutrients for great eye health include:

VITAMIN C

The concentration of vitamin C in the fluid in the eye is higher than in any other body fluid. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that helps to protect the eyes from damage associated with exposure to environmental factors, and it also enhances nutrient delivery to the eyes by promoting healthy blood vessels. Vitamin C-rich foods include citrus fruits, kiwifruit, broccoli and capsicums.

VITAMIN A

Vitamin A is needed to form rhodopsin, a molecule used by specialised cells called rods in the retina that detect light in dim or dark conditions. Beta-carotene a plant compound is a precursor to vitamin A and it also protects the eyes through its antioxidant capacity. Vitamin A is found in liver, egg yolks, fish and cod liver oil, while beta-carotene is found in yellow and orange vegetables, such as carrots, kumara and pumpkin. Beta-carotene is also found in green leafy vegetables (the yellow/orange pigment is masked by the green from chlorophyll, another plant compound).

LUTEIN AND ZEAXANTHIN

These plant compounds belong to the carotenoid family (of which beta-carotene is also a member), and are concentrated in the macula of the eye. Lutein and zeaxanthin are powerful antioxidants that protect against oxidative damage, and they filter and protect the eyes from blue light. This is particularly important as this is the type of light emitted from screens (think smartphones, tablets, laptops, computers and TVs), which our eyes are increasingly exposed to. The best food sources of lutein and zeaxanthin are green leafy vegetables (such as spinach, kale, silverbeet, broccoli, parsley), egg yolks, kiwifruit, corn and pumpkin.

ZINC

Zinc deficiency is associated with functional impairments in various parts of the eye. Zinc is needed for the conversion of retinol (a form of vitamin A) into retinal, which is required for night vision. Zinc is also needed to deliver vitamin A to the eyes, and it works with vitamin C to protect the eyes against oxidative damage. Zinc is found in oysters from clean waters, meat, eggs, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

Dr Libby is a nutritional biochemist, best-selling author and speaker. The advice contained in this column is not intended to be a substitute for direct, personalised advice from a health professional. See drlibby.com

-Stuff

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Dr Libby: The nutrients that help support healthy vision - Stuff.co.nz

Eye health experts recommend early and frequent vision screenings for children, who may not understand or be able to communicate if they are not seeing well.(Photo: Andrey Kuzmin - Fotolia)

According to the American Optometric Association, as much as 80 percent of a childs learning is visual. So whether theyre reading a book, learning math problems on a dry erase boardor dissecting a frog in biology class, kids rely on their vision as much as, if not more than, any other educational tool.

Melody Thompsons daughter Tyra was preparing to start kindergarten when the Nashville-based mom of three noticed that one of Tyras eyelids was drooping. After seeing a doctor, they learned that the official name for the condition is ptosis. And while Tyras ptosis didnt affect her sight, in severe cases, it can cause a complete obstruction of vision in an eye if the eyelid droops low enough to cover the pupil.

More: 13 startups get funding to troubleshoot a few of health care's many problems

Dr. Carl Flinn, an optometrist in Memphis, notes that ptosis is fairly common in children. Another condition frequently seen in children is amblyopia, or the lack of visual development.

One of the most common causes (of amblyopia)is a major refractive error, Flinn says. If you notice your child consistently holding things very closely in order to see, and they are squinting to see the television, then suspect a visual problem and a possible need for glasses.

The major refractive errors that can cause amblyopia include near-sightedness (also known as myopis), in which distant objects are out of focus; far-sightedness, in which distant objects are clear and close objects appear blurred; and astigmatism, in which eyes take on a football shape and both distant and close objects appear blurred.

Less frequent, Flinn says, are cases of infantile cataracts, which can cause irreversible vision loss if left untreated, or instances in which a child can see clearly out of one eye but poorly out of the other.

Your child often does not recognize the discrepancy and accepts this condition as normal and may not bring it to your attention.

Regardless of the condition, however, Flinn and other eye health experts recommend early and frequent vision screens for children.

And, says Dr. Ming Wang, director of Nashvilles Wang Vision 3D Cataract & LASIK Center, failure to closely monitor a childs visual health early can lead to long-term damage.

The visual cortex, the part of our brain involved in visual interpretation, develops primarily in early childhood, from birth until about age 10, he explains. Proper development of the visual cortex is critically dependent on continued and proper visual signal stimulation. So if a child cannot see well at, say, age 3, and the problem is not corrected immediately, the child may develop irreversible, permanent loss of sight.

Wang advises parents to begin screening their children at birth. At that age, his staff looks for congenital problems that may affect a babys vision, while older infants are tested on their ability to fixate on and follow anobject. Toddlers are asked to recognize patterns, and older children are tested with a standard vision chart.

Wang also encourages parents to be vigilant about screenings even if their child doesnt appear to have any vision problems.

Unlike adults, who are more communicative and can relate their vision problems, children tend to be less communicative, he says. For example, a childs school grades may fall, simply because he cant see the board at the front of the room, but he may not tell his parent. So the parent might suspect another problem.

At Tyras initial vision screening, when doctors diagnosed her ptosis, they also noticed that she was nearsighted. And even though Tyras need was only slight at the time, Thompson immediately ordered glasses for her daughter. Tyras nearsightedness has continued to progress over the years (shes now 12 and in the fifth grade), but Thompsons diligence has ensured that those vision problems havent negatively impacted any other aspect of her life.

Tyra has annual eye visits, and we just got the clear from Vanderbilt to see a regular eye doctor instead of having to see the specialist, Thompson says. Im just thankful for a good team of doctors who showed real concern from the beginning to make sure she received the best care possible.

Thompson notes that her own nearsightedness (she began wearing glasses in seventh grade) may have caused her to pay extra attention to the visual development of her children.

I will never forget putting my glasses on and walking outside for the first time, Thompson says. I had no idea you could see the leaves on trees from far away! That has been a crazy, ingrained memory for me, and I never wanted my children to have that experience.

Unfortunately, though, not all parents are as acutely aware of the importance of monitoring their childs eye health. In considering the biggest challenges in diagnosing and treating child vision problems, Wang says it actually comes down to a lack of parental education.

Because children are not independent, and they depend largely on their parents for all aspects of their lives, it is of paramount importance that adults be properly educated about vision care for their children, says Wang. We host monthly vision education seminars at the Wang Vision Center to provide that important education for adults.

Dr. Rebecca Norris, an optometrist at Nashvilles AccessorEyes, agrees.

Many children grow up in homes where the parents have great eyesight and do not need vision correction. Many of these parents do not even realize that the child is having problems because it is not on their radar or on their normal list of annual doctor appointments.

For parents who rely on the yearly vision screening performed by a primary care physician, Norris says that may not provide a comprehensive overview of a childs visual health.

Many pediatricians and schools screen a childs vision by simply having him read the eye chart; yet there are so many children who can pass these screenings but still need glasses, she says. Its so important to have an optometrist do a full comprehensive vision and eye health exam. And these full exams should be performed each school year because vision can change so drastically from year to year.

Falling grades

Excessive squinting

Head tilting

Sitting closer and closer to the TV

Skipping lines when reading

Getting tired when reading

Avoiding reading altogether

Eyes that turn in or out

We are cognizant to apply sunscreen but forget that the suns UV rays can also cause damage to the eyes, which can increase the risk of cataract, corneal damage, and macular degeneration," says optometrist Carl Flinn.

Sunglasses marked UV 400 or 100% UV blockage with a wraparound style along with a wide brim hat are a must for a day outside.

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Early and frequent screenings the key to child vision health - The Tennessean

MINNEAPOLIS -- After a two-week break from coaching following his latest eye surgery, Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was told he could return to work on his 61st birthday.

Zimmer, who spent the past two weeks at his Kentucky ranch after his eighth surgery to repair a detached retina in his right eye, was cleared to return to coaching after a follow-up appointment Monday morning. He will be back on the field as the Vikings resume organized team activities Tuesday.

The coach, who had his first eye surgery Nov. 1 after having vision issues during the team's Oct. 31 loss to the Chicago Bears, eventually had to miss the Vikings' Dec. 1 game against the Dallas Cowboys because of an emergency operation.

His latest operation, on May 17, prompted the Vikings to send Zimmer on a leave of absence so he could recover away from the stresses of coaching. He was still able to watch film of practice from his ranch and conducted conference calls with his coaches each afternoon.

Vikings rookie Ifeadi Odenigbo got a late start in football with hesitant parents, including a mother who is a pediatrician. But he found a path.

The Raiders and Lions could soon lock up their star quarterbacks with mega-money extensions. The Bills, Chargers and Vikings have big decisions to make. Here are the top looming roster questions facing every team.

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Zimmer had a gas bubble put in his right eye to hold his retina in place. He said May 26 that if his retina stayed put once the gas bubble dissolved, "we should be good to go." But even if his eyesight worsened, the coach said, he had no plans to step away from his job permanently.

"Like I texted Kyle Rudolph, I said, 'Hey, I'll be back shortly with one eye or two. Doesn't really matter -- I'm going to be back,'" Zimmer said. "So we can put that me retiring thing or whatever to bed quickly."

Zimmer said in March that doctors have told him he has a "high likelihood" of similar problems eventually developing in his left eye.

The Vikings' offseason program concludes with three OTAs this week and the team's mandatory minicamp June 13-15.

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Mike Zimmer given permission to rejoin Vikings after eye surgery recovery - ESPN

Many lifelong carrot eaters feel a little betrayed.

"There is no way [carrots] affect eyesight," says Silvio Fontecchio, a project manager at a print shop in Tallahassee, Fla., whose parents told him when he was young that munching the orange veggie would help his eyes. "As a kid, my go-to snack was carrots and ranch [dressing], and I have really bad nearsighted vision."

For some, disillusion comes even earlier: When Rozalynn Goodwin, a health care executive in Columbia, S.C., told her 6-year-old son to eat his carrots to help his eyesight, he said, "I've been eating carrots, and I still had to get glasses." Goodwin didn't have a response.

We've all been sold the bill of goods that carrots improve eyesight. Yet many faithful crunchers still find themselves squinting at street signs. So, do carrots actually help us see better?

Absolutely, according to ophthalmologist Rebecca Taylor, a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and one of the most enthusiastic carrot champions around.

"There's a reason why these adages become adages: in large part because they're true," says Taylor. "When you eat a carrot, you're helping your body take a light source [and interpret it]. ... That makes food pretty darn important. That's the stuff that will keep me up at night, it's so exciting."

For eyesight, a carrot's nutritional punch comes from beta carotene, a "carotenoid" the body can convert into vitamin A, according to T. Michael Redmond, chief of the Laboratory of Retinal Cell and Molecular Biology at the National Eye Institute. Vitamin A enables opsin proteins to form in "cone cells" and rhodopsin protein to form in "rod cells" near the back of the eye. Cone cells process light in daytime conditions, while rhodopsin does the same in dim light. When light hits rhodopsin or cone opsins, it creates an electric impulse that travels to the brain for interpretation, helping us see.

Vitamin A deficiency can lead to night blindness, a condition in which people have difficulty adjusting their vision to low levels of light. "You go into a movie theater," Taylor explains, "and you see nothing. You can't process the little bit of light that's in there."

But night blindness is rare in the U.S. because vitamin A deficiency is rare in this country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That may help explain why carrot enthusiasts don't have superior eagle eyes compared with carrot detractors: Even without carrots, most people are getting enough vitamin A from other sources. (Sweet potatoes can provide even more vitamin A than carrots do, and dark leafy greens like spinach and kale are also vitamin A treasure troves.)

Enabling vision is not the same as improving vision. According to the online World Carrot Museum which exists the British government began touting carrots' health benefits during World War II to lure consumers away from rationed foods. Part of that campaign emphasized vitamin A's role in seeing in the dark. From the campaign, the myth grew that carrots improved already-healthy vision in the dark for example, during blackouts. That claim is false, according to Harvard Health Publications.

"Vitamin A will [help] keep your vision healthy; it won't improve your vision," Taylor says. "It won't keep you from needing glasses or contacts."

There's one more catch to vitamin A's powers. Because vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, one needs to eat it with fat in order to fully absorb it and its benefits. Eating a raw carrot won't deliver as much vitamin A punch. "That's why you need to dip it in ranch," quips Taylor.

Because the process of converting beta carotene to vitamin A is somewhat inefficient, the National Eye Institute's Redmond says it's important to eat orange-colored foods frequently, as well as other foods with vitamin A, like dairy and fish.

To make nourishing the eye easier, Taylor recommends an ideal plate for healthy vision. Most of the plate would be taken up with a spinach and kale salad, red peppers, almonds and carrots on top good sources of vitamin A, E and C, all of which support eye health. An oily dressing helps with intake of fat-soluble vitamins A and E. (Some hard-boiled eggs would also add carotenoids that protect vision, as well as fat to help absorption.) On the side, kiwi and oranges provide vitamin C, and fish like swordfish or salmon offer zinc, another key ingredient for eye health.

But if that doesn't tickle your fancy, Taylor recommends a favorite from childhood. "I used to grow carrots with my daddy in the garden," Taylor says. "Try roasting carrots, parsnips, beets and fingerling potatoes with olive oil, rosemary and sea salt. ... Life just doesn't get better than that."

Gnawing Questions is a semi-weekly column answering the food mysteries puzzling us and our readers. Got a question you want us to explore? Let us know via our contact form.

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