StemCell Therapy

Long life expectancy can be achieved through eating the right food and drink. Some foods have been found to have a positive impact on blood pressure, inflammation, blood sugar and heart health, while others have been found to increase the risk of serious health conditions developing.

While genes play a role in life expectancy, environmental factors like diet are key.

Here are five diet changes recommended by experts to help keep health in check and achieve longevity.

Both drinks have been found to decrease the risk of chronic disease.

The polyphenols and catechins found in green tea may decrease a persons risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

READ MORE:Prostate cancer: How you sleep may increase risk of developing the deadly disease

And coffee has been linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and brain ailments like Alzheimers disease.

Studies have also suggested both coffee and tea drinkers benefits from a 20 to 30 percent lower risk of early disease compared to non-drinkers.

But the NHS does advises: It's fine to drink tea and coffee as part of a balanced diet.

If you drink tea or coffee with sugar or you have flavoured syrups in your coffee-shop drinks, you could be unwittingly damaging your teeth and adding unhelpful calories to your diet.

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A number of studies have shown nuts have beneficial effects on heart disease, high blood pressure, inflammation, diabetes and belly fat levels.

One study found participants who consumed at least three servings of nuts per week had a 39 percent lower risk of premature death.

Turmeric is renowned for its anti-inflammatory properties.

Curcumin, found in turmeric, is believed to give the yellow spice its health properties, and studies have linked it to improved brain function, lower risk of heart disease and even cancer prevention.

Curcumin has also been linked to an increased lifespan in both insects and mice.

Many studies have linked a plat-rich diet to a lower risk of premature death, as well as a reduced risk of cancer, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, depression and brain deterioration.

Plant foods are believed to hold such properties because of their nutrients, antioxidants, polyphenols carotenoids, folate and vitamin C.

Several studies have linked vegetarian and vegan diets, which involve higher plant food consumption, with a 12 to 15 percent lower risk of premature death.

Research has also suggested the risk of premature death and certain diseases increases with greater meat consumption. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19307518

Heavy alcohol consumption has been linked to liver, heart and pancreatic disease, as well as an overall increased risk of early death.

But moderate consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of developing several diseases, as well as a 17 to 18 percent decreased risk of premature death.

The results of a 29-year study showed men who preferred wine were 34 percent less likely to die early than those who preferred beer or spirits.

Men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week on a regular basis.

Drinking should also be spread over three or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week.

The rest is here:
How to live longer: Five diet tips to prevent disease and boost life expectancy - Express

When I moved to England in the late 70s, the first thing that struck me was the popularity of the royal family. I was there when Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977, after 25 years on the throne.

For a young married woman and a mother who had to take up the duties of a monarch at the age of just 25, this was a difficult task. But she performed well and won the approval of the society still recovering after the traumas of the Second World War. A young queen became a symbol of unity and optimism for the future.

Millions of special jubilee mugs with the picture of Elizabeth II were distributed to the schoolchildren all over the country who proudly brought them home to decorate their bedrooms. Coming from Greece where royalty was something of an anathema, synonymous with continuous interference in the democratic will of the people, I was surprised. In Greece, by then, we had finished with a nasty period of military rule and a long period of the monarchy.

I had difficulty in explaining that unchallenged respect across the whole political spectrum towards the British monarchy. In vain, I tried opening the subject to my British friends about their antiquated hereditary class system. The standard answer I received was that the queen symbolizes the nation and our cultural and historic continuation and that the British monarchy is like our national flag.

No one would have imagined, though, that the certainty that the British royal family is a rock-hard institution to last forever would have been turned upside down, just a few years later.

Marking her 40th anniversary on the British throne, Elizabeth II looked back on that year as an annus horribilis (a terrible year). Her second son, Prince Andrew, divorced from his wife following a series of scandals exposed by British tabloids.

Her daughter, Anne divorced, and her daughter-in-law Princess Diana published Her True Story, revealing her husband Prince Charles infidelity with Camilla, who was married to another man at the time. She now is Charles wife. Everything was overexposed in the media. As if all that was not enough, a terrible fire nearly destroyed the historic Windsor Castle, the official residence of the queen. The year ended as badly as it started.

Prince Charles, heir to the throne, separated from his wife, Princess Diana. That terrible year caused a grave blow to the image of the British monarchy, and I remember that some friends, whose children had kept the queens silver jubilee mugs as precious memorabilia, had second thoughts about the usefulness of the institution.

By now, Elizabeth II, who was born in 1926, has celebrated several more anniversaries. In 2002, her Golden Jubilee for half a century on the throne, in 2012 the Diamond Jubilee for the 60th year on the throne and the Sapphire Jubilee in 2017 for the 65th year on the throne. Already preparations have started for the Platinum Jubilee in 2023 for the 70th year by which the queen will be 96 years old.

The queen may indeed celebrate her Platinum Jubilee. But will the British monarch last that long? Todays Britain is very different from what it was even a few years ago. Polarization has split the society with the Brexit affair being the latest symptom. Traditions and institutions are at stake or are being discredited. Parliament, government and British political parties are not having good days.

So, when the terrible story about the Duke of Yorks association with the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein hit the news, the reaction of the British media was as if nothing had changed since 1992. The duke of York, the second royal son, was labeled as outcast, and the press said that the palace is in crisis.

Unlike 1992, this time, the palace establishment who consults the British monarchs on what to do in moments of crisis reacted speedily. The duke was forced to step back from public life for the foreseeable future, which is expected to be quite long. Still, is this affair going to shake the trust in the British monarchy?

Probably not, at least for as long as the strong-willed Queen remains at the helm. Figures confirm that. According to last years official poll, seven out of 10 Britons support having a monarchy, and 62 percent believe that Britain will have a hereditary monarchy in 100 years.

That was why, perhaps, Boris Johnson in this weeks TV debate with Jeremy Corbyn, stated that the royal family is beyond reproach.

Read the original here:
On British royalty and the longevity of the institution - Hurriyet Daily News

LOS ANGELES LeBron James was trying to figure out how impressed he should be by his latest feat. With 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against the Thunder, he became the first player in NBA history to record a triple-double against all 30 teams.

I really dont know what to really think about it, he said. Its a pretty cool stat to know. Im glad it happened in a win.

Magic never did that. Neither did the Big O. But that had more to do with era than anything. They played in a pre-expansion NBA. Pace has picked up. Triple-doubles are commonplace. Russell Westbrook is stuck at 29 teams, but he spent his whole career before this season in Oklahoma City and is a virtual lock to join James in short order.

[ Listen to The Forum Club for more Lakers coverage ]

But then again, James achieved the record a month before his 35th birthday, just shy of 15 years since his first triple-double. That came on Jan.

Read the original:
LeBron's triple-double record a testament to longevity, versatility - The Athletic

EDMONTON The public face of Cinder Angus is changing from one generation to the next.

With eight head at Farmfair International, 16-year-old Brynne Yoder led out the grand champion Red Angus female with Red Cinder Freyja 29E.

A home-raised cow registered in Yoders name, it is owned with Brian and Sherrie McKenzie of Brylor Ranch at Pincher Creek, Alta.

She is out of an 18-year-old dam, Brynne said.

Nicknamed Tude, her daughters have the same longevity.

She produces some of our most elite females. She has got a beautiful disposition and she raises some of our best calves every year, Yoder said.

Freyja 29E made it to the Supreme at Farmfair for the second year in a row, and Yoder entered her at Summer Synergy in Olds, Alta., where she was grand champion Red Angus. This female has also been recognized at Canadian Western Agribition and the First Lady Classic.

She has been one heck of a marketing strategy for us, she said.

Well spoken and friendly, Yoder admits her favourite part of the business is showing cattle over the other skills she has learned such as marketing and judging.

I love to show more, she said.

I would rather not stand and talk in front of a bunch of people. I like the quiet. There is more of an adrenalin rush to show cattle.

She has made time to play competitive fastball, but working on the farm with her parents, Brad and Nicoll, is her first love. To make time for farm work, she and her sister, Tavianne, are home schooled. Her goal is to attend a post-secondary school on a livestock judging scholarship in the United States.

The rest is here:
Red Angus winner comes from long line of longevity genes - Western Producer

In Ikaria honey is used to treat everything from wounds to stomach issues, influenza, and the common cold. Ikarians start their day with a simple spoonful of raw local honey, which has a high antioxidant level. This may reduce inflammation and also contains amino acids and vitamin C which are known to speed the growth of healthy tissue in the body.

This famous Greek island is a part of Blue Zones a name given to 5 places in the world- Ikaria, Sardinia in Italy, Okinawa of Japan, Nicoya of Costa Rica and Loma Linda of California, USA, whose inhabitants surpass the life expectancy and reach over the age of 90 years.

A new television report by CBS has taken a close look at whyIkarian honey could be one of the main keys as to why the locals here keep healthy and strong well into old age.

Up the winding mountain roads of this isolated isle, youre likely to notice brightly-painted boxes dotting the landscape. And whats happening inside those boxes is generating some buzz: Bees busy making a rare honey that locals believe is one of the secrets to a long life, notes CBS.

Ikarian beekeeper Andoni Karimalis explained to CBS correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti that people on the island have been eating the honey for generations, to keep healthy and strong well into old age.

At work in her weaving studio, 109-year-old Yiayia Ioanna from Ikaria agrees there is something special about it.

So does 87-year-old-beekeeper Giorgos Stenos. He eats the honey every single day.

For centuries humans have valued honey for its medicinal properties. And in Ikaria, known in ancient times as the healing island, the honey is different from that found on most supermarket shelves.

As a result, the pollen and nectar collected by the bees are free of chemicals and pesticides normally found in commercial or private farming. And unlike most honey sold in the other parts of the world, Ikarian honey is also unheated, unfiltered, and unpasteurized all processes which can destroy the natural vitamins and minerals.

Although this has been one of Ikarias best-kept secrets, after the CBS report aired live on American television, there has been a huge response with people all over the world wanting to get their hands on some on this Ikarian gem!

Read the original:
Why Ikarian honey could be the key to longevity - Greek City Times

On November 20, Shinzo Abe will become the longest- serving Prime Minister of Japan, overtaking Taro Katsuras record of 2,886 days in office.

Mr. Abe has been in power for two different spells: a short-lived one, between July 2006 and September 2007, and the current stretch since 2012. Over the last seven years, he has brought stability to a political landscape that had been fractured, honing the image of a strong, conservative leader readying Japan for a newly muscular role in a shifting geopolitical landscape.

Mr. Abe has steered the economy out of deflation and decline, if not into growth. He has presided over a significant increase in the countrys military capabilities and attempted to expand Japans strategic options beyond its traditional reliance on the United States.

And yet, his legacy might not be as long-lasting as his time in office. Critics say the only reason Mr. Abe is still in power is because of a weak and uninspiring Opposition. In other words, the TINA (there is no alternative) factor that voters around the world are all too familiar with.

When Mr. Abe returned to power in 2012, Japan had been through five Prime Ministers in as many years. His immediate order of business was implementing a set of economic reforms to stimulate the economy, popularly dubbed Abenomics. The three pillars of this stimulus included monetary easing, fiscal spending and deregulation to promote private investment. He also vowed to bring more women into the workforce, an attempt nicknamed womenomics. More recently, Mr. Abe has reinvented Japan, from a recalcitrant participant in trade liberalisation to a leader of the Trans-Pacific Partnership bloc, after the U.S. withdrew from it in 2017.

Under him, Japan has boosted defence spending and enhanced its ability to project power outside of its borders. In a historic shift in 2014, Mr. Abes government reinterpreted (without amending) the Constitution to permit Japanese troops to fight overseas for the first time since the Second World War. A five-year defence programme announced in 2018 allocated 25.5 trillion yen ($233.7 billion) in spending, a 6.4% rise over the previous five years.

On the diplomatic front, Mr. Abe has reached out to traditional partners like the U.S. (he was the first foreign leader to meet with Donald Trump after the Presidents election), while keeping ties with rival China on an even keel. Mr. Abe made an official visit to Beijing last October (the first such visit in nearly seven years) and President Xi Jinping is expected in Japan next year. For Japan, it has been a difficult balancing act, to avoid excessive dependence on the U.S., while anticipating the dangers associated with a more assertive China. Mr. Abe has demonstrated considerable tactical pragmatism in walking this tightrope.

Mr. Abe has also reached out to strengthen alliances with regional powers like India and floated the idea of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific for which he has gained the backing, to varying degrees, of the U.S., Australia and India.

But, despite this smorgasbord of initiatives, Mr. Abes tenure has not been entirely rosy. The Japanese economy remains limp and Japanese corporations have so far proved unable to transform themselves into 21st century technology leaders. Though, during his tenure, Japan has benefited from periods of economic growth and low unemployment, the country remains mired in a slow-growth, high-debt deflationary trap. The government recently downgraded its 2019 growth forecast to 0.9% from an earlier prediction of 1.3%.

Domestically, Mr. Abes vision of a less pacifist Japan remains deeply contested. His most cherished policy goal is the amendment of Article 9 in the Constitution: the clause that restricts Japans ability to maintain a military deterrent. But it is looking no closer to fulfilment than it did at the beginning of his reign. The Prime Minister wants to write the existence of Japans Self-Defense Forces, as the military is known, into Article 9, giving constitutional standing to de facto reality. However, a survey conducted by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper earlier this year showed that 64% of respondents opposed even this modest revision. While Mr. Abe continues to reiterate his pledge to push through the revision by 2020, it is looking increasingly unlikely that he will prove successful.

It is also not clear how effectively, or if at all, Japan can meet the challenge of Chinas increasing heft. Relations with neighbour and potential ally, South Korea, are worse than ever. Under Mr. Abe, Japan has made little progress in facing up to its historical responsibility for the widespread atrocities of the Japanese Imperial Army in the Second World War. The recent deterioration in relations with Seoul were prompted by unresolved grievances involving Koreans who were forced to work in Japans mines and factories during the war, as well as comfort women who were made to service the militarys brothels. Far from helping heal the historical wounds inflicted by Japan, Mr. Abes nationalistic stance is seen as unrepentant at best and provocative at worst.

Finally, for all his cosying up to the U.S. President, Mr. Abe has failed to insulate Japan from Mr. Trumps transactional approach to international relations. The U.S. administration has recently asked Tokyo to pay roughly four times as much as it currently does to offset the costs of stationing American troops in Japan. The White House also threatened Japan with punitive tariffs on Japanese vehicles even as it was negotiating a bilateral trade deal with Tokyo. The administration had earlier raised tariffs on Japanese steel and aluminium.

Barring any major upheavals, Mr. Abes long reign will come to an end in September 2021 when his term as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party finishes. At the current juncture it looks as though he will get a pass in the history books, though not with distinction. A for longevity, but a B, at most, for everything else.

Pallavi Aiyar is a writer and journalist based in Tokyo

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When longevity is the biggest achievement: on Shinzo Abe - The Hindu

Since 1971, the incidences of nearsightedness in the U.S. have nearly doubled, accounting for almost half the population.

But parents and eye doctors are seeing more than just nearsightedness in kids and teens today. The culprit? Most likely digital screens.

Teens spend, on average, seven hours a day on their phones, tablets and computers. For a tween, ages 8-13, its a little less, at 5 hours a day, according to a survey by Common Sense Media, which has been tracking this since 2003.

Ive always wondered how staring into a little screen for hours affects eyesight, Victoria Leibman said. I have two teenage daughters that are active in school sports and other activities in addition to a lot of homework. This has limited their time on social media.

Leibman reached out to CPR News after reading parts of Teens Under Stress, CPRs in-depth series on teens in Colorado. The first package focused on phones the way kids use them, the impacts on their brains and how teens can use their phones more responsibly.

Dr. Barbara Horn, president of the American Optometric Association, said kids are staring at screens for extended periods of time both in the classroom and at home.

Everybody needs to know, but children especially, that staring at a screen for too long can cause you to get headaches and eye strain, Horn said. You may not be blinking properly so your eyes may get dry there are a number of things that can occur when youre using a device for too long.

That eye strain can also impact young people in the classroom, said Dr. Tara DeRose, a pediatric optometrist at the Mountain Vista Eyecare and Dry Eye Center in Littleton, CO.

Theyre getting fatigued by the end of the day and that oftentimes correlates into them avoiding reading or avoiding doing homework because theyve just been focusing and straining all day long, DeRose said.

When the eye muscles are tired, some kids struggle to keep their eyes aligned and tracking to do things like read.

Their muscles just say I cant stay aligned all day, I cant stay focused all day, Im just going to give up and not do it, she said.

While a child or teen may avoid reading or doing schoolwork, they dont always avoid the screens that are making their eyes tired in the first place.

Dr. Glen Steele, an optometrist at the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tenn., said kids will push through the pain to keep playing games or scrolling on social media. He thinks its leading to prolonged enlarged pupils, a phenomenon Steele calls defocus.

Steele's been tracking enlarged pupils for the last two years in his patients the worst case was in a 4-year-old. The kids will come into his office with dilated eyes that wont constrict for the entirety of the appointment, but hes not sure how long they stay dilated because he hasnt systematically tracked them outside the office.

Nonetheless, hes concerned about what hes been seeing.

Thats a persistent sympathetic response, he said. The sympathetic system controls heart rate, blood vessels, bronchial passageways, perspiration, blood pressure all those kinds of things. My concern now is, what is happening in the rest of the body if this is what Im seeing in the eye?

Steele said more research is needed to better understand what else is happening in the body and what the long term side effects may be.

Kids and teens arent the only ones who are impacted by too much screen time adults often fall into habits like checking Twitter first thing in the morning while still in bed which can cause smartphone-induced blindness.

When one eye is exposed to the light of a phone, and the other eye stays closed while the person in lying on their side, they may experience temporary blindness in the eye that was adapted to the phone screen light.

Start with the 20-20-20 rule. Take a break from staring at a screen every 20 minutes, and look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. DeRose said she recommends her patients program reminders in their phones.

For kids, Steele recommends more frequent breaks, and that parents set reminders and hold kids accountable. The World Health Organization released guidelines earlier this year that have recommendations for allotted screen time by age, but also on physical activity and sleep for children.

Steele recommends taking the WHO guidelines and going one step further, he offers parents and patients a few tips:

Visit link:
Staring At Screens All Day Hurts More Than Just Eyesight. Here's What To Do To Keep Your Vision Healthy - Colorado Public Radio

Theres a lot of talk about what cannabis can and cannot do. The herb surely comes with many health benefits from alleviating chronic pain to reducing the severity and frequency of seizures. Now that weed has finally been added to the legal list in most states, it has become more accessible.

This brings us to what the substance can do for the eyes. There are mixed opinions in this regard some say cannabis can improve eye health while others disagree. Several research works show that CBD can be a treatment worth exploring for glaucoma. However, the American Academy of Ophthalmology doesnt favor the use of cannabis for glaucoma.

Ever noticed the red, almost bloodshot eyes of pot smokers? Thank cannabis for this effect. Cannabis lowers ocular pressure which causes capillaries to widen and pupils to dilate. While such reddened eyes look horrifying, the visual organs are actually relaxed. Other than this, cannabis also improves night vision. This gives some hope that the herb may help with eyesight as well.

This benefit of improved night vision is not due to CBD though. In fact, tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive component of cannabis, takes the credit for that. One study found that the THC in cannabis interacts with the cannabinoid receptors in the eyes. By doing so, it can improve the ability to see at night.

Another indication that cannabis may improve vision is that it can reduce age-related blindness. Science shows that cannabis contains antioxidants that can reduce the risk of or slow down neurodegenerative blindness. Back in 2004, a group of fishmen claimed that they were able to see better when they consumed cannabis. Testing showed that they werent wrong.

Can you add cannabis to the list of foods that can improve your eyesight likes nuts, legumes, and carrots? Not much can be said about this. Research is scarce on the subject. In fact, if you look at the overall studies conducted on cannabis youll find that evidence on its effect in other areas of health is also limited.

One JAMA research concluded that cannabis can harm your sight overtime. Furthermore, some folks might also find that they are allergic to the herb. Since the long-term effects of what cannabis does to your eyes on the whole or your eyesight in particular are not known, its best to not use the herb. Some say that marijuana can only improve vision when you take it in high amounts. And intake of huge quantities of weed is not good for health.

Theres some research that shows that cannabis can be useful in some ways in the eye health department. It may help with glaucoma, but experts still dont agree on its use here. Weed can relax your eyes and also may improve night vision. However, since research is limited it is best to not use cannabis for vision or eye health.

Continued here:
Cannabis For Your Vision - Can It Improve Your Eyesight? - ProsperCBDNews

A lot of people dont know a lot about eyes or how interesting they can be. They are the window to the body and there are so many illnesses that cause complications in the eyes. As a surgeon, when you specialise in eyes you get to work with a great variety of patients and to interact with lots of clinical groups and physicians.

When I started studying medicine, I hadnt decided on a speciality. I went to school in Geelong and became interested in medicine and general surgery when my mother had breast cancer. But it wasnt until my internship at the Royal Melbourne Hospital that I decided to specialise in eyes.

When I applied for a vitreoretinal surgery fellowship, all of the vitreoretinal surgeons in Australia were men. It was suggested that I should do medical retina rather than surgery. That was because surgery can be very busy and unpredictable and there is lots of after-hours and emergency work. It wasnt considered family friendly.

I had a great mentor. Gerard Crock, the first Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Melbourne, was very encouraging of my career path and supported what I wanted to do. In 1995, I went to Moorfields Eye Hospital in London to do my final year of training. At the time, there was only one female vitreoretinal surgeon in the UK, and only one other woman training with me.

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I like the precision of surgery. Vitreoretinal surgery involves operating on the very intricate structures of the vitreous humour and retina the lining of the back of the eye.

When you repair a retinal detachment, you are either preventing someone from going blind or restoring their sight. I also like treating patients who have had eye trauma. Its unpredictable, but you can get some wonderful outcomes.

I never imagined I would one day work with a bionic eye. Then in 2008, the Australia 2020 Summit happened, and the bionic eye was identified as a goal for the Australian community.

The timing was perfect. Teams from the Bionics Institute, Centre for Eye Research Australia, the University of New South Wales, the University of Melbourne and NICTA had just got together and Professor Hugh Taylor had approached another surgeon, Mark McCombe, and myself to help develop a surgical technique that enabled the safe insertion of the device.

The bionic eye takes images from a tiny camera on the persons glasses. It converts them into electrical signals that travel to an electrode array implanted in the wall between the eye and the retina.

The idea of the device is to provide what we call a sense of vision. Its not detailed vision its little flashes of light that can help people to detect edges, outlines and movement, which helps them to navigate the world and identify objects around them.

Its exciting to offer hope of restoring some sight and independence to people. These are people who have lost their sight because of inherited retinal diseases. For many years, people with these conditions were told there was nothing that could be done to help them.

Read more

All of our trial patients are altruistic and incredibly brave. In 2012, Dianne Ashworth was the first Australian patient to have a bionic eye implanted in our proof-of-concept trial. When she asked me if I had done the surgery on a person before, I had to say no, but she still decided to take the leap of faith and go ahead.

We are now progressing with another trial using a new second-generation device. We have four patients using the device at home and are really thrilled with the early results. After many years of having no sight, they are now able to do things like distinguish between dark and light items in washing or tell if someone is standing at a shop counter.

A project like the bionic eye is a huge collaboration. I still remember the first surgery in 2012. It couldnt have happened without the collaboration of the entire team at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, especially Robert Briggs and theatre staff who made a huge effort to lay out the theatre and get it ready for surgery.

Weve also relied heavily on the expertise of the Bionics Institute, who have worked really closely with our team at the Centre for Eye Research Australia to develop the first bionic eye and a second-generation device that we are now trialling.

There are now some really exciting developments in vision processing software. Right from the outset weve worked with Associate Professor Nick Barnes from the Australian National University (ANU). His research will continue to improve how the visual information is provided to patients.

Wed also like to investigate ways of using implanted devices to prevent vision loss, and also how these devices might be used together with gene and cell therapies to restore sight.

In the future we hope to be able to bring the bionic eye to more patients. We hope it will be something they can use to navigate the world independently in their daily lives.

- As told to Janine Sim-Jones

Associate Professor Penny Allen is presenting the Centre for Eye Research Australias 11th annual Gerard Crock Lecture on 21 November. The event will be live streamed from 6pm here.

Banner: Getty Images

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A vision for the future - Pursuit

Share on PinterestChildren with nearsightedness often develop more serious eye problems later in life. Getty Images

Help is on the way for young children who have nearsightedness.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first contact lens designed to slow the progression of myopia in children between 8 and 12 years old.

The MiSight contact lens is a soft, single use, disposable lens thats discarded at the end of each day without overnight use.

This is a big deal, because we hope this will finally put myopia control management in the spotlight, Dan Press, OD, FCOVD, an optometrist at Park Ridge Vision in Illinois, told Healthline.

There is a mountain of evidence supporting multiple options to slow the progression of childhood myopia, but the uptake has been slow since none of the treatments were FDA approved to specifically slow down myopia. Our hope is that this brings the discussion into the mainstream, and doctors that have not been on board in the past will get on board now, he said.

According to the FDA, myopia is the most frequent cause of correctable visual impairment across the world.

Myopia happens when the eye grows too long from front to back. Instead of focusing images on the retina, images are focused on a point in front of the retina.

People with myopia frequently have whats considered good vision, but they struggle with poor distance vision that usually must be addressed with glasses or contact lenses.

Myopia first occurs in primary and elementary-age children and progresses until about age 20, Dr. Rupa K. Wong, a pediatric ophthalmologist based in Honolulu, told Healthline.

In childhood, uncorrected myopia may impair childrens ability to fully participate in everyday activities, such as school, extracurriculars like sports, dance, and music, she said.

Myopia isnt just about improving a childs performance or limiting vision-related injuries on a field.

Theres a real question of health. And the sooner its dealt with, the better.

The prevalence and severity of myopia are increasing, especially in our current reading devicefocused culture, Wong said. Theres widespread acknowledgement that progression can be managed, but there needs to be more urgency to act earlier.

As if myopia alone isnt enough to deal with, research shows it can lead to other eye problems later in life.

Evidence has demonstrated that higher levels of myopia are associated with increased risk of retinal detachment, cataracts, glaucoma, and other vision-threatening issues later in life, Wong said.

She says not only can the new contact lens address the sight problems, it can also affect the elongation of the eye.

Individuals who are nearsighted typically have a longer eyeball than those who are not. Their higher axial length means that their retina gets stretched more compared to people who are not myopic. It could mean that these kids will be much less at risk for the development of retinal detachments, retinal tears, or even cataracts, as adults, Wong explained.

The approval of MiSight was based on data gathered from four clinical sites, according to the FDA.

Its safety and effectiveness were studied in a 3-year, randomized controlled clinical trial of 135 children, ages 8 to 12 years, who used MiSight or a conventional soft contact lens.

The trial showed that for the first 3-year period, progression of myopia in those using MiSight was less than those wearing conventional lenses.

MiSight participants also had less change in the axial length of the eyeball at each annual checkup. There were no serious ocular adverse events reported during the study.

Though those trials were done for use in the United States, theres also plenty of anecdotal evidence from around the world, where MiSight has already been in use for a significant amount of time.

This is terrific news for our eye care practitioner colleagues in the United States, Damon Ezekiel, B Optom, FAAO, FCLSA, an Australian optometrist and the president of the International Society of Contact Lens Specialists, told Healthline.

We are very fortunate that we in Australia have had access to the MiSight lens, along with Canada, United Kingdom, and Spain. This brings the United States in line with so many countries.

Personally, I have quite a number wearing MiSight. All of our patients who have been wearing the MiSight lenses are very happy. Their visual acuities are stable, and they love the convenience of wearing a daily disposable lens, Ezekiel said.

Link:
Contact Lens That Helps Children with Nearsightedness FDA Approved - Healthline

New research has shown that up to 82 per cent of drivers have experienced poor vision due to weather.

Commissioned by lens specialist ZEISS Vision Care into the impact of the clocks going back on motorists it revealed that 61 per cent reported their vision has been impacted by glare from headlights, and 41 per cent struggling to see due to bad light conditions.

More than three quarters of driver (73 per cent) drivers reported feeling concerned about driving in winter - however the survey also found that millions of drivers are not taking effective steps to combat the poor driving conditions, relying instead on rudimentary methods to improve their vision.

For example, 23 per cent of those polled admitted to simply using their hand to shield their eyes from winter sun.

Twenty-eight per cent found they needed glasses for driving as a result of a regular eye test however with eye tests currently not compulsory for motorists, and only half of UK adults undertaking these, millions of drivers are leaving their eyes untested.

Despite current requirements, 81 per cent of those polled believed all learner drivers should have an eye test before getting behind the wheel.

And more than seven out of 10 felt an eye test should be a formal requirement of the driving test, and nearly three quarters (73 per cent) felt drivers over 60 should be subject to an annual eye test.

Professional services associate ZEISS Vision Care UK, Paul Hopkins said:Driving in low light conditions is challenging for your eyes. In low light, the pupils dilate and image contrast is reduced making the task of driving more difficult.

"Also, bright headlights from oncoming vehicles can cause discomfort glare. This is not only uncomfortable, but distracting to the driver, making it more difficult when driving at night time or in bad weather conditions.

"Most drivers will be aware of this effect when a car with bright headlights drives past; your eyes take time to adjust following exposure to this glare.

"When practising as an optometrist, I regularly saw patients who complained of difficulties with their vision when driving. This could often be easily rectified with a new pair of spectacles.

"I recommend that all drivers should see their optometrist for a regular eye test - although not currently a legal requirement for driving, this is the easiest and best way to make sure your vision is as good as possible, particular important for driving in the more challenging winter conditions."

Dispensing Optician at Gloucester Medical Eye Centre, Gloucester, Peter Slepertas said: Our research shows that 76 per cent of drivers feel more concerned about driving in the winter months, whether that be due to bad light, headlight glare, or unpredictable weather.

"There are steps that motorists can take to make them as safe a driver as possible, and consideration for the quality of their vision when taking to the road is one that can improve their confidence and comfort too.

"ZEISS DriveSafe lenses are an everyday lens that have been designed to meet the visual challenges involved with driving.

"The lenses innovative technology optimises vision in low light conditions, anti-glare coatings reduce discomfort from on-coming headlights and help with difficulty switching focus between the road, dashboard and mirrors.

"As a result, 77 per cent of DriveSafe users report feeling safer when driving and over three quarters felt more comfortable driving in all weather conditions.

"Whilst regular eye tests are not a legal requirement for motorists, were calling on UK drivers to consider the impact that winter weather conditions have on their vision behind the wheel, and take this opportunity to ensure their eye sight is up to scratch by booking an appointment with their optician."

To read more about health in Gloucestershire, click here.

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More than four-fifths of motorists in South West have poor driving vision due to the weather - Gloucestershire Live

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CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Like many southern Californians, Pete Gustin loves to surf. The Carlsbad resident spends a lot of time in the water, and while he may look like most others out there, he doesn't see himself that way -- because he can't see much at all.

Gustin began surfing three years ago in an effort to soak up the southern California lifestyle, but the Massachusetts native admits learning was a lot harder than he expected.

"I'd been skateboarding my whole life. I used to sail and I felt like I was coordinated. I just wanted to hop onto a board and start riding waves," Gustin said. "I thought it would be that simple."

But unlike most beginners, Gustin had another challenge: learning to surf while being blind.

"I have a degenerative eyesight disease, which really means that my whole world has been getting smaller and smaller and smaller as it gets really bad. These days, my functional eyesight is only as far away as my hand," he said.

Gustin was born with macular degeneration, an incurable eye disease.

"That old question, do you want to know the day you die? I don't necessarily want to know the day that my eyesight is going to shut in or if it's going to shut in," Gustin said. "I just live every day; this is what it is today, might be a little worse tomorrow. I try not to think about it too much."

Instead, Gustin focuses on surfing, one of the few remaining activities his eyes can handle. "To be able to go out into the wide open ocean and harness the power of the waves, and get up on a board and continue to get better at a skill that I eventually hope to compete at has really changed my outlook on life and everything that I do," Gustin said.

In order to surf, Gustin typically wears a hat that narrows his point of view, allowing him to make out the difference between light and dark.

"Light is the sky, dark is the ocean, and I try and keep the field real tight so that when a wave comes there's more dark than light," he said.

He also gets verbal help from his coach and friend, Josh Servi. "The biggest thing is timing because surfing is a lot of timing," Servi said. "So just being in the right spot at the right time." Servi's help often comes in the form of encouraging Gustin to move in one direction or another. "So like, 'Hey, go paddle 10 feet to your left and start paddling for the wave,' or, 'Don't go right, there's somebody right there,'" Servi said.

Aside from his limited vision, Gustin said the hardest part about surfing isn't the waves, the water or the surfboard. It's learning how to surf with other people in the water.

"I might get in someone's way," he said. "It's not intentional, I'm not out there trying to be agro or intentionally get off my wave. I just literally didn't see you. That's why I started putting the shirt on that says 'blind surfer,' so that hopefully someone might notice."

But being blind doesn't define Gustin, a surfer who plans to keep riding waves however long that may be.

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Blind surfer finds passion in riding waves - fox5sandiego.com

There are a lot of households that use a mixture of fennel seed and almonds to fight early signs of eye problem. (Source: Getty/Thinkstock Images)

Increase in screen time has led to many people experiencing eye problems at an early age. Watery eyes, blurry vision and constant headaches are some of the symptoms. According to the World Health Organizations first report on vision, more than one billion people worldwide are living with vision impairment because they do not get the required care for conditions like short and farsightedness, glaucoma and cataract. The report found that ageing populations, changing lifestyles and limited access to eye care, particularly in low and middle-income countries, are among the main drivers of the rising numbers of people living with vision impairment.

The unmet need of distance vision impairment in low and middle-income regions is estimated to be four times higher than in high-income regions, read the report.

Symptoms that are indicative of eye problem include:

1. Blurry and unclear vision.2. Pain, swelling, itchiness in and around the eyes.3. Redness and inflammation.4. Seeing small spots and floaters.

Main reasons for these problems are:

1. High pollution levels leading to dirt accumulation in the eyes.2. Irritation caused by using too many cosmetic products on or around the eyes.3. Prolonged use of technology that leads to dry or excessively watery eyes.

Some foods items that might help your eyesight naturally:

* Consuming amla or Indian gooseberry, which is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, helps keep eye problems at bay. Vitamin C helps in promoting healthy capillaries and maintain appropriate functioning of retinal cells, which helps to improve the eyesight.

* Fish, particularly salmon, can be a great choice when it comes to eye health. Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, it can help in maintaining a healthy retina. They can also help prevent dry eyes.

* Egg yolks contain vitamin A, lutein, zeaxanthin, and zinc, which are all important for eye health.

* Like egg yolks, carrots have vitamin A and also beta-carotene which helps the surface of the eye and can also help prevent eye infections and other eye conditions like dry eyes.

* Oranges and other citrus fruit contain vitamin C, which is important for the health of the eye.

Many people also consume a simple mixture of fennel seeds and almonds to fight early signs of eye problem. Fennel or saunf consists of antioxidants and nutrients which help in slowing down the progression of cataract and promote healthy eyes. Fennel is also known as the herb of sight, whereas almonds are very rich in omega-3 fatty acid, antioxidant content and Vitamin E which are very useful for improving the vision. Almonds help in enhancing concentration and memory power.

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Vitamin-rich foods to keep eye problems at bay - The Indian Express

GAHANNA, Ohio Theres an old phrase that goes: "What you see is what you get."

In some instances, that phrase holds true. But, at the Locker Soccer Academy of Gahanna, theres a team of people who believe what you see is not at all what you get.

With any sport, we say that its more than a sport, said Katie Atkinson, a coach for the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. She is the head coach and creator of Ohios first and only blind soccer team.

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Vision-wise, they are all legally blind, but when it comes to sports, there's actually different classifications, Atkinson said.

Some of the players have varied light perception and can see certain shapes or shadows. So, the players use eye shades which helps cancel out any independent sight the players may have.

Its a 5v5 game, Atkinson said. So, four individuals with visual impairments on the field and then one sighted goalie.

The players use a ball with bells in it and there are guides on the field who use clapping and verbal cues to help the players aim and shoot.

It's very challenging, said Rylie Robinson, a player on the team. You have to run around everywhere and be very orientated to everybody else. And, there's a lot of communication.

Robinson was born with Lebers Congenital Amaurosis.

I am totally blind with a little bit of light perception, Robinson said. Im a very team-based player. So, I really like being on a team and having to communicate with other people.

Noah Beckman is also on the team. He says hes been playing sports most of his life.

My vision has gotten worse over the years. So, I used to be able to see a little bit better, Beckman said. I played soccer in elementary school and in middle school for a little while. I just go out there, and I just wing it and hope for the best.

Beckman says the game not only promotes athleticism for people with visual impairments, but also serves as a community builder.

It helps inclusion, said Beckman. It makes it that its a sport that blind and sighted people can play together. It's yet another activity that encourages team collaboration.

Erica Cooper, also on the team, was 24 years old when she lost her sight.

I lost my vision due to diabetes, Cooper said. At first, it was kind of hard for me to deal with it.

Cooper says she now uses athletics to keep her active. Many times, she takes her 8-year-old daughter with her to practice to help guide and cheer her along.

I help her walk around. I walk her places, said Phinelope Austin. I do that because I know that she can't see, so I decided to help.

Little Phinelopes guidance comes in the simplest forms: a hand touch or just a few words.

Step up, or step down turn left and turn right, Phinelope demonstrated.

Ohio Blind Soccer team is about so much more than just playing sports. Its about building community and giving people with visual impairments a sense of independence.

I'm happy that she knows that she can do things, instead of just give up and sit on the couch, Phinelope said about her mommy.

If you or someone you know would like to participate in blind soccer, click here for more information.

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Ohio league giving those with visual impairments a chance to play soccer - 10TV

When Vince Hill took to the stage last month to sing his 1967 hit Edelweiss, his iconic voice was as smooth and unmistakable as ever.But few could have guessed that the legendary singer was struggling under the bright lights at his farewell show earlier this year at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, because of a degenerative eye condition which has been slowly robbing him of his vision.

Ive spent my life on stage but now I can only see the audience sometimes, he admits today.

Lights are a menace for me, shining brightly into my eyes. The audience were so wonderful, absolutely fantastic at least I could hear their appreciation.

But I need people to help me get on and off stage. I should have got an Oscar for getting down those steps. I love it when Im on stage but Ive been doing this for 60 years.

Ive lost that rush of excitement I used to get. It takes so much effort now to get around that I think, maybe its finally time to stop.

It would be a great loss to his devoted fans.

The singer had a string of Top 20 hits during the 1960s becoming record label Columbias most prolific recording artist, producing 14 albums of traditional melodies in nine years.

Edelweiss, from the musical The Sound Of Music, spent 17 weeks at No 2 in the British charts and became a platinum-seller.

A move into television followed, hosting popular BBC shows such as They Sold A Million and The Musical Time Machine.

He has performed regularly ever since.

But a routine eye test eight years ago revealed that Vince, now 85, was suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a debilitating and progressive condition which is the UKs leading cause of blindness.

It occurs when cells in the retina at the back of the eye gradually die off and devastatingly there is no cure.

I started to notice I was struggling to focus, and going a bit cross-eyed, Vince recalls. It was a slow, creeping thing in my right eye, which felt weak and misty.

Id reach out for a cup or glass and close my fingers around it only to realise it was miles away. That started to happen more regularly, and I was struggling to judge distances when driving.

Figures show as many as 1.2 million people in Britain may be suffering from AMD.

Most, like Vince, have the dry form but, when it becomes more advanced, it can turn into wet AMD when abnormal blood vessels leak into the eye.

This can be stabilised with injections, which can slow the progression of the disease.

Vince accepts that he has, to an extent, been lucky. He can still see the faces of his grandchildren now aged 21 and nine if they are close enough.

I still have some vision, although its patchy. Its like looking through a real pea-souper. I cant read and the words swim around the page, he says.

Ill often throw things across the room in frustration. I cant recognise faces and Ive had to give up driving. I cant go out on my own any more as Im a danger to myself and other people.

The one positive thing is that it doesnt affect the rest of my body. I can walk, stand up, all of that.

His eyesight has deteriorated to such an extent that, just five months ago, he was officially registered as partially sighted.

Vince wears glasses with an opaque lens on his worst-seeing right eye to force the left eye to do all the work.

But even the sight in his best eye is like dark, shadowy blobs.

I find it all so aggravating, he sighs. Ill take them off for a break and a glass of wine and end up putting them back on again. If theyre off I see two of everything.

The doctors have said there is nothing they can do, but I dont buy that. I dont want to give up just yet.

The loss of his sight comes on top of several years of heartache for the singer.

His only son, Athol, died suddenly aged 42 of an accidental overdose in 2014, and his beloved wife Annie, whom he married in 1959, died following a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis three years later.

It slowly destroyed Annie, which was hard to watch. Its been three years now, and I still cant believe it.

After Athol died I actually did feel like packing it all in. Then you think, I cant go on like that.

So I got myself back on to the stage. But Im at a point now where it takes a lot of effort to get up there and do it.

Vince has sought support from charity the Macular Society, which has provided telephone counselling.

It has been really helpful just to talk about it, he says.

Cathy Yelf, the chief executive of the Macular Society, said: We must fund much more research until a cure or treatment is found which can stop it in its tracks, so no one else like Vince has to live with this terrible disease.

Its hardly surprising that Vince is reluctant to slow down given the decades he has spent in the spotlight.

He performed with Cilla Black and Tony Christie at venues like the Royal Albert Hall, London Palladium and Sydney Opera House.

But it was featuring on This Is Your Life in 1976 with Eamonn Andrews which remains a highlight. He nearly didnt make it.

Annie told me I was going to sing some songs at an old folks home in the East End, he recalls.

Id been doing some digging that day in my vegetable plot and Annie came out and said, I think you should get a decent jacket on the cars comingany minute.

So I grudgingly got changed. As I was sitting down with a cup of tea, I felt this hand on my shoulder and it was Eamonn. I was so knocked out by it. It was a great moment.

One famous fan was reportedly Princess Margaret.

I always found her very nice and very charming, Vince says. But one evening in the 1970s, he was performing at the Theatre Royal in Windsor, with the Princess in the audience, when there was a blackout.

We decided to do the soliloquy from Carousel, as that just involved me and a piano. Its quite long and dramatic, but it was wonderful in the dark.

We all lined up to meet Princess Margaret afterwards and I expected her to say, you know, Well done, considering the circumstances. Actually, she said, What a long song, wasnt it?

I never forgot that moment.

His only regret is never singing with his idol Tony Bennett.

Todays musicians dont hold as much appeal, although he admits to quite liking British singer George Ezra.

His career isnt over yet. Warner Music is releasing a greatest hits album, Legacy, as a digital download to commemorate his 85th birthday year.

And next month, Vince will appear for one night only as Baron Hardup in Cinderella at the Kenton Theatre, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon.

Reading the script has been a challenge, but he says proudly hes the only one whos so far learned their lines.

Theyve decided theyre going to put me in a wheelchair, which will be part of the comedy. Its a bit naughty, but it should be fun. After that, who knows? I think Ive had enough.

For his audiences, at least, Vince will always be a sight for sore eyes.

Contact the Macular Society on 0300 3030 111, or macularsociety.org. Legacy is available on CD from vincehill.co.uk, price 5.99. A download comes out later this month.

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Vince Hill: After losing my wife and son, blindness will cost me my career - Express

Second Sight Medical Products (NASDAQ:EYES) was upgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a hold rating to a buy rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Zacks.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $1.00 price target on the medical device companys stock. Zacks Investment Researchs price target would suggest a potential upside of 20.48% from the companys previous close.

According to Zacks, Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. is a medical device company. It develops, manufactures, and markets implantable prosthetic devices to restore some functional vision to blind patients. The Company provides Argus II system, an implantable neurostimulation device for the treatment of outer retinal degenerations, such as retinitis pigmentosa. Second Sight Medical Products, Inc. is headquartered in Sylmar, California.

Separately, ValuEngine downgraded shares of Second Sight Medical Products from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th.

Shares of EYES stock traded down $0.03 on Wednesday, hitting $0.83. 40 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 204,239. The firm has a market cap of $104.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.60 and a beta of 2.27. Second Sight Medical Products has a 52 week low of $0.63 and a 52 week high of $1.21. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $0.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 2.83 and a quick ratio of 2.66.

Second Sight Medical Products (NASDAQ:EYES) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 14th. The medical device company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, meeting the Thomson Reuters consensus estimate of ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $0.47 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.94 million. Second Sight Medical Products had a negative net margin of 743.86% and a negative return on equity of 201.34%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Second Sight Medical Products will post -0.29 EPS for the current year.

About Second Sight Medical Products

Second Sight Medical Products, Inc develops, manufactures, and markets implantable visual prosthetics that are intended to deliver artificial vision to blind individuals. It develops technologies to treat the population of sight-impaired individuals. The company offers the Orion Visual Cortical Prosthesis System, an implanted cortical stimulation device, which is intended to provide useful artificial vision to individuals who are blind due to various causes, including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, optic nerve injury or disease, and eye injury.

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Second Sight Medical Products (NASDAQ:EYES) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Investment Research - Riverton Roll

First-of-its-kind contact lens delivers superior visual performance with seamless adaptation to light day and nightThe UK is the first market in EMEA to make the contact lens widely available amidst findings that 70% of Britons eyes are bothered by light

Johnson & Johnson Vision today announced the national availability of ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions Light Intelligent Technology in the UK. The first-of-its-kind1 photochromic contact lens offers superior visual performance indoor and outdoor, day and night.

Named one of TIME magazines best inventions, ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions combines the proven comfort and vision performance of ACUVUE OASYS, with the ability to reduce the stressful impact that light can have on your eyes. The lens also reduces halos and starbursts around bright lights at night, delivering more effortless sight with less squinting.

A recent survey commissioned by Johnson & Johnson Vision found 70% of Britons eyes are bothered by light, which can result in feelings of eye tiredness, distraction and discomfort. The survey revealed driving is the most common situation causing Brits to be bothered by light (56%), followed by the change of moving from dark to light environments, such as leaving a cinema or shopping centre (51%).

The awareness of the impact of light on eye health is also growing, with half of UK respondents (52%) indicating they are concerned about the impact of light on their eyes.

In response, 94% of UK adults who are bothered by light are turning to solutions to cope and protect their eyes, by shading their eyes (74%), squinting (71%) and turning down screen brightness (47%).

Speaking about the new product, Jakob Sveen, Director Northern European Cluster and General Manager UK & Ireland, Johnson & Johnson Vision said: We are excited to bring ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions Light Intelligent Technology to the UK. In Europe, 64% of those who stop wearing reusable contact lenses do so because of performance and comfort issues. Consumers are demanding more from their contact lenses beyond improved sight alone which is what makes this contact lens so great.

We believe this technology will be a game changer for the health and eye care industries, giving contact lens wearers superior visual performance over any other contact lens on the market.

The creation of the ground-breaking lens follows more than a decade of work by Johnson & Johnson Vision in partnership with Transitions Optical Limited, the leading provider of photochromic (smart adaptive) eyeglass lenses worldwide. The two organisations are working together to research and deliver best-in-class vision care innovations.

Johnson & Johnson Vision is collaborating with UK influencers and athletes, such as marathon runner Matt Rees, to share how light affects their eyes and visual performance every day, and the benefits that ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions can bring to a range of situations, whether it is commuting in and out of the office, attending an event, playing sports or driving at night.

ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions is a two-week reusable contact lens. It is now commercially available at select retailers in the UK and is being rolled-out to other markets in EMEA. Anyone interested in the lens should speak with an eye care practitioner for a prescription. For more information or to find an eye care professional near you, visit https://www.acuvue.co.uk. Follow the conversation on Instagram and Facebook.

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First-of-its-kind contact lenses released giving superior visual performance - The Scarborough News

Since the inception of combat, darkness has limited the ability of soldiers to operate and complete missions, but with modern optics technologies, troops and vehicles can see further, and in more detail, than ever before.

At DSEI in September, Qioptiq showcased a suite of vision enhancing technologies, from dismounted soldier sights and heads up displays for fighter aircraft to long-range surveillance tools deployed on armoured fighting vehicles and supporting equipment.

The companys sights and cameras use a combination of cooled and uncooled thermal imagers and image intensifiers which are either used exclusively or in what is referred to as blended systems.

To see at night, several methods have been developed, Qioptiq explains. You can illuminate the scene you wish to observe; you can use intensification of the visible light reflected by the scene; and you can use thermal imaging or a combination of these.

While most night-vision systems use image intensifiers, thermal imagers work in complete darkness using heat, rather than available light to find and locate targets. In these systems a lens detects infrared energy emitted by the target, which is then converted into a picture, usually using blue to red colours to indicate hot and cold areas. The ability of these systems to work in no-light is essential, allowing users to find and locate targets in total darkness, but with the drawback of lower fidelity.

Image intensifiers, on the other hand, do just that, intensifying the light received by the sensor and cleaning up the picture to reveal more details than what would normally be seen by the human eye. The picture is reconstituted using colours from green to black, as the human eye is more sensitive to green than other colours. One drawback is that this is a low-light system and needs some reflected light to function, as the company explains.

Blended scopes require more power but offer the best of both worlds, giving users an intensified view of their surroundings which can be overlaid with an in-picture thermal view for greater fidelity and situational awareness. Qioptiq says it developed these systems to overcome the shortfalls of both systems and to maximise the advantages of each system.

Our systems are used wherever dismounted users, law enforcement professionals or security services require an enhanced detect, recognise, identify, and engagement capability, 24 hours a day, in poor visibility, in total darkness or through battlefield and natural obscurants, the company says.

The companys mounted sights are in use across NATO and other countries. Image: Qioptiq

Qioptiqs range of soldier based optics varies in scale, from uncooled in-line sights to long-range cooled optics capable of supporting marksman missions using a blend of image intensifiers and in-picture thermal optics. These tools allow operators to seamlessly transition and continue operations from day to night.

The optics focus in the close range below 5km. They are far less powerful than their mounted equivalents but vital nonetheless for ground forces intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

At the top end of the range is the Dragon-S, an uncooled thermal imager capable of detecting a human-sized target at around 3km distance. Qioptiqs UK sales and marketing manager David Lever explained the inner workings of the scope including a hot-swappable battery system allowing an operator to constantly keep eyes on their targets. The in-line sight is billed by Qioptiq as providing snipers with 24 hour surveillance and target capability, all powered by four AA batteries.

On the lower end of the scale sits the companys Kite image intensified weapons scope, which is available as a stand-alone scope or an inline optic to maintain accuracy during the day. The mounted sight is already in use across NATO and other countries, and in peak conditions allows users to detect a person at up to 2.5km distance. The Maxkite-1 version, meanwhile, is capable of detecting targets at up to 4.5km.

Other soldier systems include helmet-mounted night-vision binoculars and handheld surveillance tools designed to give a marksmans spotter the same capabilities as they have on their scope. The Phoenix-H handheld thermal imaging unit has a detection range of about 11km for a vehicle and 6km for a human target.

This system can also connect to the companys Phoenix sight allowing the transfer of marked targets from the handheld spotting unit to the marksman site directly.

The Phoenix-H handheld thermal imaging unit has a detection range of about 11km for a vehicle and 6km for a human target. Image: Qioptiq

Qioptiq also produces a range mounted night-vision systems which are deployed, for example, on the UKs AJAX platform of vehicles and US LAV.

The companys mounted offerings have a significantly wider detection range of well over 10km and are designed for a range of uses. One of them is the PanthIR uncooled continuous zoom camera that Qioptiq touts as suitable for everything from border surveillance to remote weapons stations and anti-drone uses.

Another mounted system is the CheetIR-L which can spot a vehicle at just shy of 40km away and is built for long-range ISR, targeting and naval use, where engagements can be at great distances.

A special focus of both of these optics is a focus on detecting small UAS, which have recently emerged as a new threat to infrastructure and vehicles. Small UAS are hard to spot at the best of times and at night this becomes even more challenging.

Qioptiqs offering also includes heads up display systems for pilots, which are deployed in a range of aircraft including the Eurofighter Typhoon, the F-22 Raptor and the C-130J Hercules. The company also supplies some of the technology embedded in the $400,000 helmets of F-35 pilots, making a vital contribution to the workings of the worlds most advanced helmet, worn by those who fly the worlds most advanced fighter jet.

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Qioptiq and the art of seeing - Army Technology

TUCSON, AZ A week after the University of Arizona in Tucson announced its withdrawal of recognition of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity on hazing charges, the U of A announced Wednesday its revocation of recognition of its Theta Chi fraternity, too, also on hazing charges.

While the specifics of the Alpha Epsilon Pi hazing case remain undisclosed by the university, Theta Chi's loss of recognition follows its Sept. 4 interim loss of recognition stemming from an alleged April 12 hazing incident that resulted in a $1 million lawsuit against the university.

The withdrawal of recognition of Theta Chi was explained in a Nov. 8 letter from U of A assistant dean of student accountability Rosanna Curti to the university's Theta Chi president, whose name is redacted in the letter provided to Patch Media. The letter references the notice of claim the U of A received from a new (and former) fraternity member regarding the alleged April 12 hazing circumstances.

What The Former Theta Chi New Member Alleges

The former Theta Chi member's amended notice of claim pertaining to the incident was published by KOLD near the end of October. The claimant's letter says that when he got to the Theta Chi house on April 12, three active fraternity members and the chapter's social chair took away the initiates' cell phones and ordered them to lie on the ground face down. An active member then picked up and slammed down the bodies and heads of some of the pledges, the letter states. Next, the pledges were forced to recite Theta Chi's creed while being choked by an active fraternity member, according to the letter.

The pledges were then reportedly asked to identify the chapter members' hometowns. The claimant said he gave the wrong answer and was shouted at in an effort to force him to drink a shot glass of hot sauce, which he hesitantly did. Then the claimant was asked the same question and said he couldn't remember. This time, the claimant said, a fraternity member filled a shot glass with an even hotter El Yucateco Habanero Sauce and flung it at the claimant's face from only a few inches away, and it got into the claimant's eyes.

The pledge's eyes were so intensely burning, the notice of claim says, that he couldn't stop screaming or stand up for a few seconds. He then went to the bathroom and washed his eyes for 15 minutes, then heard someone yell that he must get out of the bathroom in two minutes.

The lawyer's account continues by saying that the pledge's eyes were nearly closed shut from the persistent burning when he went back into a dark room. He was then ordered to do pushups alongside the other initiates. But when he got on the floor, he said, he felt scattered, broken glass shards. The active members commanded that the pledges continue to exercise while the members dumped odorous garbage near and underneath them, the account states. Active fraternity members didn't allow the initiates to return to their homes until about 5 a.m. the next day.

The claimant said he awoke to pus coming from his right eye and sharp pain, then went to an urgent care that morning. The doctor said that the claimant's right eye's selera, conjunctiva and lid were infected and had developed chemical conjunctivitis. He was given eyedrops.

On April 15, the claimant woke up screaming in the middle of the night, the attorney's notice said, with the claimant's right eye sealed with pus and swollen, and it couldn't be opened. This time, he went to Banner University Medical Center in Tucson, where he was given morphine for extreme pain. He was also diagnosed with a blood infection resulting from cuts on his elbows and palms from the incident. He was given antibiotics.

Two days later, the claimant went to Hodges Eye Care and Surgical Center in Tucson. The vision in his right eye wasn't getting any better, and the optometrist said the claimant's right eye had swelling and dilated blood vessels of its conjunctiva. The right eye was also diagnosed with superficial punctate keratitis, which, according to merckmanuals.com, is "an eye disorder caused by death of small groups of cells on the surface of the cornea The eyes become red, watery, and sensitive to light, and vision may decrease somewhat." The claimant's right eye was also now deemed infected, and its cornea had a 100 percent epithelial defect, according to a doctor.

In mid-May, the claimant was still having eye symptoms, and his eyesight was measured at 20/150. A referred doctor said the claimant had an acid chemical burn. The claimant then underwent an amniotic membrane placement procedure in the right eye and had numerous follow-up appointments, the attorney said.

His attorney's claim letter states, "It is difficult to measure the damage that UA has done in failing to protect [claimant] from hazing. UA was or had reason to be aware of how vulnerable students are to physical, mental, and emotional harm in connection with hazing activity. UA failed to provide adequate supervision of the pledging process and failed to be properly vigilant in seeing that supervision was sufficient to ensure the safety of students."

The notice of claim also says the claimant's eyesight is still blurred and that it isn't known if the damage is permanent. Additionally, a corneal scar tissue removal procedure was recommended.

What's In the U Of A's Letter To Theta Chi's President?

Curti's Nov. 8 letter to Theta Chi's president states she has finished her investigation of the hazing allegations pertaining to the April 12 incident as described in a notice of claim from the pledge's lawyer. Curti also refers to an Oct. 10 administrative hearing and reiterates what her letter's redacted addressee, as Theta Chi's president, said at the hearing:

Curti also reiterates that when she inquired about the claimant, the president said the claimant shared some information with him in early May pertaining to the April 12 incident, including that the claimant said hot sauce got on his face and he had rubbed it into his own eye unintentionally. The president also said the claimant told him he had to get his eye examined at the hospital after the incident. The president also reported that the claimant downplayed his eye injury's significance and continued to pay dues and was actively participating in Theta Chi.

The fraternity's president additionally said at the October hearing that a Theta Chi judicial board meeting was scheduled in May 2019 but that no action resulted from it. Curti said in her letter to him, "This was, what you described as a point of desperation due to one of the responsible members being the social chair."

The April 12 alleged hazing incident wasn't reported to the university's Dean of Students by the fraternity president right away, Curti wrote, because he didn't think it was "that big of a deal." However, the president did work with the fraternity's parent organization in August once the fraternity learned more details.

Curti says that her investigation included talking with other new members present at the April 12 incident and with fraternity members who were said to have organized the event. Those there that night told Curti that new members had to repeat the Theta Chi creed many times, and that the claimant didn't accurately state the creed. This resulted in hot sauce in a Dixie cup being thrown at a nearby wall and splashing on the claimant's face close to his eye. Those in attendance then said the same thing the president did that the claimant rubbed it into his own eye.

The letter from Curti then states:

"In making a determination in this matter, I considered all of the relevant information gathered by the Dean of Students Office, including:

The fraternity was deemed, therefore, to have violated various hazing codes of conduct, Curti reported. The U of A's revocation of recognition of Theta Chi is in effect through May 31, 2025. That means the organization can't take part in university-sponsored events and no longer has access to U of A's resources and facilities.

This isn't the first time the U of A has withdrawn recognition of its Theta Chi fraternity on hazing allegations, however: It was also shut down in May 2015, the Arizona Daily Independent reported.

However, it might not be the end of the road for Theta Chi just yet. Curti's letter ends with a ray of hope for Theta Chi fraternity members:

"Should Theta Chi present a viable plan to return to recolonize at the UA, a request can be made to the Dean of Students Office and Fraternity and Sorority Programs (FSP). Any mitigating or aggravating factors present from the date of this notice to the time of the request to recolonize will be considered. Theta Chi must be in good standing with FSP including payment of any outstanding fees.

"Theta Chi may appeal the sanction of loss of recognition to the University Hearing Board by filing a written request for appeal with the Dean of Students Office."

But Curti also concludes with a warning to the Theta Chi president:

"I also emphasize the importance of not taking any action that might be construed as retaliatory. The University prohibits retaliation of any kind against anyone who has made a discrimination claim or cooperated in a resulting investigation."

Meanwhile, the U of A continues to assert its claim of enforcing a "zero-zolerance hazing policy."

The university's Vice Provost and Dean of Students Kendal Washington White expressed her approval of the revocation of Theta Chi's recognition. "I am pleased that the Theta Chi Fraternity's board of directors and national leaders recognized the need to revoke the charter of the Arizona chapter," she said. "Greek-letter organizations provide brotherhood, scholarship, leadership, philanthropy and community service; however, it is imperative that we ensure the health and safety of our students. Unfortunately, the actions of a few mean a lost opportunity for the other young men who sought a brotherhood."

To thwart hazing and bring it into the light, the U of A offers a hazing reporting hotline and a Greek organization listing, showing students and parents which sororities and fraternities are being investigated or are under sanction. The list is updated every semester.

Originally posted here:
U Of A Withdraws Recognition Of Second Fraternity: Theta Chi - Patch.com

Eyes are very vital organs because they enable us to see. Damage associated with eyes can lead to total or partial blindness.

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Many people are not aware of these habits that tend to damage the eyes. They include;

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2. Smoking

Everyone is aware that smoking causes heart and lung problems but miss out on the eyes. Smoking affects eye tissues since they cause macular degeneration. A smoker also risks getting other eye conditions such as cataracts, vision loss and uveitis.

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This is common among many people. Swimming without goggles expose your eyes to water containing chlorine and other salts. This will cause eye irritation.

4. Having a poor diet

Just like other organs, eyes require food enriched with nutrients for its well being. Vitamin A, C, omega-3 fatty acids and zinc are good for your eyes and they are found in leafy green vegetables and fruits. Water is also essential as it prevents your eyes from dehydration and it is also a raw material for tear production.

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Daily habits that damage your eyesight - Hivisasa