Medical Breakthrough Restores Part Of Blind Man's Vision
The burgeoning field of optogenetics, using gene therapy to control nerve cells using light, has been successfully used to partially restore sight to a blind man.As reported by the Nature Medicine journal, scientists reengineered eye cells to make them more sensitive to light. Though it has only been done on one 58-year old male patient with retinitis pigmentosa, this technique shows promise in using gene therapy to help restore sight to other blind people.
Scientists partially restore blind man's vision with breakthrough gene therapy
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The leading cause of blindness throughout the world is cataracts. Cataracts are also the leading cause of vision loss in the United States. Cataracts cause a clouding of the eye's lens, and can occur at any age, including at birth.
A study published July 3, 2020 and conducted in South Africa and Austria shows that blind people have an IQ 14 points higher than average, and visually impaired people scored 3 points higher. The opposite result was found for verbal comprehension. Several other studies confirm these results.
Anthony Melena graduated from UCLA in 2019, just before the pandemic, flush with the hope of finding the ideal job. The fact that he was blind did not deter him. After all, he had successfully graduated high school, gained admittance to the #1 public university in the country, and graduated from it. Surely the UCLA moniker on his resume would open a lot of doors.
Some 100 million Americans will watch the upcoming Super Bowl 2/12 between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, taking place in Glendale, AZ.
We've all seen people using white canes to get around. But how much do we really know about them. Here are 10 fun facts about white canes:
"Vision loss" means losing one's ability to see properly without corrective measures like glasses, contacts, or eye surgery.
Losing one's sight can be devastating. Particularly difficult can be the emotional toll, and adapting to activities of daily life, including getting around.
So you're blind or becoming blind. What skills are important for you to learn, or at least learn how to adapt to? Here are some of the key skills you'll need, and may want to get help with:
Blind from birth, Daniel Kish has pioneered the use of human echolocation to "see" his surroundings. He produces high-frequency clicks with his tongue, then listens for their echoes. Depending on how long the echoes take to reach him, and the direction they come from, he is able to detect obstacles.
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, led by David Gamm, have not only grown retina cells in their lab from stem cells, but they have been able to implant those cells, have them communicate with other cells in the eye, and transmit signals to the brain.
Here are some of the essential vitamins and nutrients needed to ward off eye disease, and the foods which contain them:
It may seem difficult or impossible for blind or visually impaired people to find ways to easily gamble in Las Vegas. But the Mandalay Bay perhaps leads the way in accommodating the needs of the visually impaired and others with special needs. They have:
If you are blind or visually impaired, you might wonder what the impact of that will be upon your dating life. As part of that dilemma, you might contemplate whether it's better for you to date a sighted person or a blind person.
Here are a few does and don'ts for talking and interacting with people who are blind or visually impaired:
We've all heard of Braille, and seen it, perhaps on elevators and ATMs. But how does it work?
If you're blind or visually impaired, it might be intimidating to throw a great NYE party. But many aspects of good party planning and execution are the same as with any other host: create a budget, shopping list, to do list, song playlist, and guest list. Plan time to do each task, with contingency time built in.
It's not easy learning that you're losing your sight and becoming legally blind. There are a flood of emotions and a ton of to do items to deal with. Getting your home and life prepared for vision loss is easier to do while you still have some sight. And hopefully a support structure.
This inspirational article was written by Tamara Gaudet, a women who is almost completely blind, but who has found myriad ways to enjoy the holidays as much as everyone else. In fact, she arguably appreciates, more than the rest of us, holiday food and feasts, music, smells, sounds, and the warm feelings of family and togetherness spawned by this time of year.
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Here are 4 incredible technologies that could enable blind people to see:
Blind and visually impaired people eat. All of them! And many of them cook. Or want to. But they want to do it safely, neatly, and effectively. Given the dangers of heat, sharp objects, and spillage in a kitchen, it's no wonder that blind people can be somewhat reticent to venture into cooking on their own.
Attending the World Cup is a thrill for any soccer (sorry, football!) fan. But if you are blind or visually impaired, the enjoyment you get from your seat is somewhat limited. However, at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, fans can now download the FIFA Interpreting app to help them "see" the action.
There is some amazing technology enabling blind people to watch and enjoy TV. Some of the key technological features include:
Lucy Edwards, 27, lost her sight at age 17 due to a genetic condition. She thought she'd never be able to travel again, especially abroad.
Sight Tech Global is an online, free conference December 7-8 discussing technological advances for people with blindness or visual impairment.
At the recent International Consumer Electronics Show, a Swiss company unveiled an incredible, backpack-like device which, when worn by a blind or visually impaired person, guides them safely.
A recently released study, conducted before the pandemic in 2019 published in JAMA Ophthalmology, shows that nearly 20 million Americans have some form of AMD -- 2.75 times as much as previously thought!
Diabetic retinopathy is complication arising from diabetes which stems from damage to blood vessels in the retina.
No, not 3 blind mice! Here are 10 animals that are actually blind:
Here are 8 amazing books about blindness. They include both fiction and non-fiction.
James Hodges, 61, who is legally blind, was arrested when officers mistook his folded cane for a gun while he was walking to jury duty.
Wanna know which are the best U.S. cities to visit as a blind or visually impaired person?
India, the world's second largest country (by population), leads the world in the number of blind and visually impaired people, with 275 million, narrowly edging out China. Here are the top 10 countries, ranked by the total number of blind and visually impaired people:
The following techniques can not only help blind and visually impaired students be more productive in the classroom, but they can also be of help to sighted students as well:
Once you get glaucoma, the damage cannot be reverse. Nevertheless, several treatments are available to prevent or slow further vision loss.
Darryl Lenox is a legally blind comedian who has performed since the early 1990s. Much of his career centered around stand-up comedy in clubs around North America. In an early gig he opened for Chuck Berry.
Dan Mancina always loved skateboarding. But due to retinitis pigmentosa, he gradually began to lose his sight at a young age. By his mid twenties he was completely blind.
For sighted people, it can be confusing as to how to talk to a blind person. What to do? What not to do?
It might seem like Braille can only be learned in person. But now in this post-pandemic world, where seemingly everything can be line virtually, you can now learn Braille online.
These days, you can pay for most things with a credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, online, Venmo, Zelle, and more. But for those times when cash is required or preferred, how do blind people distinguish between different denominations?
You have a surprising degree of control over maintaining your vision. Here are some important things you can to to ward off vision loss and blindness:
Only one sport was specifically created for blind people -- goalball.
Losing one's sight is difficult. One important aspect is the toll it takes on one's mental health.
A blind person, visually impaired person, or sighted person may have the need to convert braille to text - so it can be read more easily, read aloud (by a person or screen reader), copied and pasted, or for other reasons.
Perhaps the only country ever to have had a bling leader is Indonesia. Its fourth president, Abdurrahman Wahid, was completely blind in his left eye and partially blind in his right eye, due to glaucoma.
Playing board games and other games with others is fun! But if you're blind or visually impaired, it can be difficult or frustrating.
It can be scary losing your site, or thinking that you are. Here are causes of sight loss:
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