A former equity research analyst hopes to create a tactile alphabet that echoes the Roman characters; the goal is to help people who experience vision loss later in life maintain the ability to read. It turns out that some people struggle to learn braille, Andrew Chepaitis’ grandmother had the same experience; as a result, Chepaitis founded ELIA Life Technology. Ike Presley, National Project Manager for the American Foundation for the Blind, has concerns though regarding ELIA citing inaccurate statistics about braille literacy, but he is not entirely against the idea.“It is a very interesting concept, and it’s neat that they’re trying to come up with something that could be usable,” says Presley.
SDCB offers many programs to help blind people manage everyday tasks with a greater sense of independence.
“Could This New Tactile Font Help People Who Lose Their Sight Late In Life?”
Experts believe that “blue light’ can disrupt sleep patterns, diet, and people’s vision. Purdue assistant professor of biochemistry, Vikki Weake, led a blindness study in fruit flies. The findings of the vision loss study could prove useful in understanding human ocular diseases.
People in the advanced stages of diabetes are at risk of losing their vision; the disorder is known as diabetic retinopathy. Given that hundreds of millions of people around the globe, including millions of Americans, have diabetes there is an urgent need to find ways of preventing diabetic-related vision loss.
When Kathy Martinez began her career, a counselor at the California Department of Rehabilitation said that Martinez would probably never make it further than working at a lock factory. Why would someone rain on the parade of young women with aspirations? It might have to do with the fact that Kathy is blind. The counselor couldn’t have been farther from the mark! It may have taken her 13 years to finish college, but since that time Martinez has worked with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, served under two administrations, and led Wells Fargo’s Disability and Accessibility strategy.
A couple of months ago we shared a New York Times article written by columnist Frank Bruni. Those of you who read the NYT are probably familiar with the author's op-eds. Bruni wrote an eloquent essay about discovering that he had nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy(NAION); it is often referred to as ‘a stroke of the eye.’ There isn’t a cure to the condition which usually results in blindness, but his doctor said he could take part in the world’s largest clinical trial of NAION; scientists are testing a groundbreaking injection of RNA that could prevent such patients from going blind.
In Baltimore, Maryland, high school students living with blindness are participating in a songwriting project called "Seeing Through Music." The program was created to assist young people living with vision loss share their story through songs and poetry.
Movies and TV shows that touch upon disability rarely employ actors who have the condition they are portraying. With that in mind, it is also lovely when directors and producers flip the script, hiring actors living with an impairment. Last week, the 350th episode of NCIS included a blind witness played by Woodland, California, native Marilee Talkington. Aside from being an exceptional actress, Talkington was perfect for the role because she is legally blind.
In New Caney, Texas, on the first Saturday of each month, blind and visually impaired children become budding artists as part of the "Creating with Blind Abandon" Art Club. Visual impairment teacher Kathy Trimm made a discovery; traditional art was not accessible to children living with vision loss. If you have a moment, the video is worth your time.
People who are living with diabetes often experience damage to their retinas, an eye disease known as diabetic retinopathy. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of vision loss among people with diabetes and is the number one cause of vision problems among working-age adults. The FDA recently approved the IDx-DR program, which utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to detect diabetic retinopathy.
Retinopathy of prematurity, or ROP, is a rare form of blindness that strikes people born prematurely. The findings of a new study showing the value of telemedicine eye screenings could lead to more blindness-preventing treatments for infants, especially babies born in areas lacking ophthalmologists. The study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, shows that telemedicine screens can be as useful as in-person eye exams.
A 24-year-old YouTuber and motivational speaker shares her thoughts about dating when living in blindness. Molly Burke lives in Los Angeles, CA. She says she isn’t able to experience physical attraction in the same way as most people because she suffered vision loss at the age of 14.
When Kirsty James was just thirteen years old she was informed that she would one day go blind. Before being diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition called Stargardt disease, she hid the fact that her vision was deteriorating; Kristy also came to believe that she might even be losing her mind because of the visions she was experiencing. Her hallucinations persisted without any explanation as to the cause, then she learned about Charles Bonnet Syndrome. It’s a condition that affects some people losing their vision; the brain replaces images with hallucinations because it's trying to make sense of what it is seeing.
Carol Green, a blind teacher of the visually impaired, has developed a braille code for people who know the Navajo language. She is on a mission to raise money for her cause, becoming a semifinalist considered for the Holman prize, which awards up to $25,000 for innovative projects by the blind.
Jeri Weatherholt has a college degree from Indiana State University. She works as a medical transcriptionist and lives independently, despite the fact that she has been blind since the age of 10. At first glance, it may seem like there isn’t anything Weatherholt can’t accomplish; and that might actually be the case. The Indiana U grad has had a lifelong fear of water, but the 61-year-old didn’t let that stand in her way when she decided to learn to swim a year ago.
Last week, we shared a story with you about a woodworker living with vision loss that teaches his craft to others with eye diseases residing in Northern California. Napa artist, George Wurtzel, sees life in ways that sighted people can’t begin to understand, a fact not lost on Subaru of America; the favorite car company of outdoor enthusiasts featured Wurtzel in Subaru of America’s television spot called “See the World.”
Did you know that April is Women’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month. Prevent Blindness is an organization on a mission to educate, prevent vision loss, and preserve people’s eyesight. A study, The Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems, shows that 63 percent of those that are blind and 62 percent of those that are visually impaired are women. More women than men struggle with blindness, including age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, and dry eye.
Body modifications like piercings and tattoos are not a new trend, millions of people around the world display some form of body art. However, there are times when body mods come at a significant, life-changing cost. More and more people are open to cosmetic procedures that can change the whites of the eye to another color. If you are thinking, ‘What could go wrong?’ Then you are not alone, in fact, such eye procedures can cause permanent damage to the eye and blindness.
Smartphones allow the visually impaired a new sense of freedom and independence, thanks to several innovative applications. Now, blind people can utilize smartwatches to improve life quality. The Dot Watch has a touch display in which 24 dots rise and fall, spelling out words in braille; users can also link the watch to a smartphone via Bluetooth. The stylish watch can relay information from social media, texting and GPS apps. The Dot Watch is available to purchase for $359.
Master woodworker, George Wurtzel, doesn’t let vision loss stand in between him and his passion. Wurtzel teaches woodworking classes to the visually impaired at the Enchanted Hills Camp, which is now owned by the Lighthouse Center for the Blind. At the Napa workshop, you will find both sighted and blind instructors.
Douglas Waters developed vision problems almost three years ago. It turns out he was suffering from with severe wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The eye condition causes blurred vision or a blind spot. A few months after receiving his diagnosis he was selected to take part in a clinical trial at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. A stem cell-based treatment gave Waters his sight back; now he can read the newspaper.
New research identifies proteins that are linked to diabetic retinopathy, a common form of blindness that can result from diabetes. Two studies published recently could help healthcare providers grasp the connection and develop new intervention methods, potentially sparing patients from both vision loss and heart disease. More research is needed for better understanding the relationship triglyceride levels and the three identified protein pathways.
If eye problems are identified early enough, blindness can be prevented in many cases. The Lion’s Club has a long history of helping people living in darkness and advocating for vision loss prevention, thanks to a speech that Helen Keller gave to the organization in 1925. At the time, she was encouraging the Lions to partner with the newly formed American Foundation for the Blind. At the end of her talk she said:
World War I veterans who returned from overseas with eye injuries established the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) a century ago. Last week, the organization celebrated its 100th anniversary of "seeing beyond vision." As you can probably imagine, there were not many resources for people living with vision loss in the early 20th Century; thanks to advocacy groups like CNIB, countless visually impaired people can lead fulfilling lives.
On March 16, 2018, professional musicians living with vision loss will demonstrate the world’s first braille eReader at London’s Royal National Institute Of Blind People (RNIB). A “Kindle for blind people,” says Bristol Braille Technology in describing their multi-line refreshable Braille eReader. Are you are wondering why blind musicians will demonstrate using the device? It is because the Canute 360 gives musicians the ability to read multiple lines of music at once, a feature that traditional machines lack.
IDX, a company in Iowa City, created an instrument that the Food and Drug Administration calls a breakthrough device. The machine can autonomously detect diabetic retinopathy by taking photos of the eye. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness, causing vision loss in roughly 24,000 Americans each year. Given that more than 30 million Americans have diabetes, preventing vision loss is critical. Early detection can prevent vision loss, and the IDX device can help.
Diane Krek is a graphic designer who began losing her vision 25 years ago. Like many people living with blindness, Krek refuses to let her condition stand in the way of making art and helping others. In 2016, she launched BLT Art for a Cause; it serves as a platform to sell her artwork. Krek donates a portion of the profits she makes selling prints to vision loss organizations, such as Foundation Fighting Blindness, Pennsylvania Council for the Blind and Lions Club’s Leader Dogs for the Blind program. 
Blindness was a part of Hoby Wedler’s life from day one, and yet he still manages to accomplish remarkable feats. In high school, Wedler he enrolled in honors chemistry and chose to pursue a career in the field as a food and beverage sensory expert. He studied at the University of California, Davis, earning a doctorate in organic chemistry. In 2011, with the help of Francis Ford Coppola, he created 'Tasting in the Dark;' the program takes sighted people through a wine tasting experience in total darkness. A truly blind event!
Each day in the United States, about 2,000 workers sustain a job-related eye injury that requires medical treatment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Did you know that March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month? Sponsored by Prevent Blindness, the nation’s oldest volunteer eye health and safety group, the goal of Workplace Eye Wellness Month is to educate employers on how to keep vision healthy in the workplace.
Brad Snyder lost his vision when he came in contact with an improvised explosive device (IED) while serving in Afghanistan. His story is one of inspiration, to be sure, a year after going blind he won the gold in swimming at the Paralympics; he has a loving family, great friends, and an excellent job. While, on the surface, he maintains a healthy perspective on life and it may seem like he’s got it pretty good (all things considered), he says that there is more to his story:
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Seeing-eye dogs significantly improve the quality of life for people living with blindness. Unfortunately, BBC journalist, Mohammed Salim Patel, has a phobia of dogs which led him to give up on the assistance of a service animal, until he met Digby. It turns out that dogs are not the only animals that can serve as guides for the visually impaired, Digby is an eight-month-old, two feet tall American miniature horse.
If you’ve ever listened to the voice of the Tuscan tenor, Andrea Bocelli, you might think you were hearing the voice of an angel. Bocelli’s story is one of inspiration; he was born with glaucoma, lost his eyesight at the age of 12, and went on to sell more than 80 million albums worldwide. His memoir was adapted into a biopic, The Music of Silence; the film was directed by Michael Radford (Il Postino) and stars Game of Thrones’ Toby Sebastian.
Blindness, or being visually impaired in any way, makes it extremely difficult to navigate through life, especially without help and compassion. Many people don’t understand just how hard it is or the kinds of discrimination that the visually impaired tolerate on a day to day basis. A video that has gone viral shows just what blind people are subjected to, often times.
Students at a public charter school in Utah had the opportunity to experience simulated deafness and blindness. Vista School students who participated in the simulation learned what it was like to live with deaf-blindness and how to interact with those affected by such conditions. The demonstration was organized and instructed by teachers from the Deaf-Blind Services division of the Utah Schools for the Deaf & the Blind.
Usher syndrome, the leading cause of combined deafness and blindness. ProQR, a RNA-based medicines developer, is joining forces with the Foundation Fighting Blindness to make QR-421a, which targets blindness resulting from Usher Syndrome. QR-421a corrects the mutation that causes blindness. The FFB has awarded €6M to ProQR for research and development.
Gail (McGuckin) Cornwell, 61, published her first book in a six-book series titled “The Gates of Avalon.” While she is unable to drive a car, technology allows her to write her novels on the computer, despite being legally blind. She is a testament to the fact that vision loss doesn’t need to deter you from fulfilling your dreams.
It’s fair to say that every adult stares at their smartphone far too often; some people spend over six hours a day on their phone. Smartphones are still relatively new, which means researchers are still learning the costs of having convenience at our fingertips. Well, troubling news for people who use their phones excessively, LED lights in device screens could damage the retina leading to eventual blindness.
It is not difficult to imagine how vision loss could impact one’s life in a myriad of ways. You might think that living without vision would be cause for losing hope. The truth is quite the opposite, and we can see examples of this all around us. Doctors diagnosed Danielle Umstead with retinitis pigmentosa when she was thirteen, a degenerative eye condition that causes complete blindness over time. Despite being blind, her father invited her to go skiing in 2001; she fell in love with the sport and the activity gave her life new promise.
A national clinical research trial led to some promising findings regarding storing corneal donor tissue. Until now, corneas could only be stored for seven days or less, if surgeons are going to use the tissue. The study found that the cornea, our eye's clear outer covering, is still viable for transplant after 11 days of storage. The findings appear in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Thanks to modern medicine the average American live longer than their ancestors. However, that doesn’t mean that a person’s body is going to function normally. In fact, eye diseases and vision loss are a significant public health concern; 4.2 million Americans ages 40 and older are visually impaired. Experts project that visual impairment will affect 7.2 million by 2030. As many as 5 million will struggle with low vision.
On the 28th of January, the 43rd Annual Ski for Light International Week came to a close in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Each year, the event works with visually impaired and mobility-impaired people, giving them cross-country ski lessons. Ski for Light has over 115 able-bodied volunteer guides training more than 250 attendees.
Braille code has helped countless people living with vision loss access knowledge for nearly 200 years. Without the 64 character reading and writing system, it’s hard to say how blind people would have fared in life; although, one can imagine not all that well. Today, computers and software open the doors to education for those experiencing vision loss; begging the question, is the raised dot matrix still required?
Anyone who has tried their hand at golf knows that it’s a challenging sport. People play the game for decades and still struggle to finish a round under par. Imagine, then, trying to play the game of golf blind, pretty difficult to picture, right? However, there is at least one man who’d disagree, four-time American blind golf champion Mario Tobia. The pro blind golfer has a degenerative condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, an eye disease in which the back wall of the eye (retina) is damaged.
Trachoma, a bacterial eye infection, is the world’s leading cause of preventable blindness. The most significant number of people affected by Trachoma-related blindness live in Ethiopia. Despite the fact that the blinding eye infection is easily treatable with antibiotics and simple surgery, the condition has been neglected. Experts say that the disease is not new, scientists found evidence of the bacteria in Egyptian mummies. The World Health Organization set a global target to end Trachoma cases by 2020
Seven out of 10 people who are legally blind are unemployed and 50 percent battle with depression. TIME Magazine voted eSight as a Best Invention of 2017, electronic glasses which can give people living with blindness the chance to see. The company pledged to help make blindness history by 2020. You can see the first time people see with the help of eSight, at MakeBlindnessHistory.com
Between 2010 and 2050, the National Eye Institute estimates that people affected by eye disease that can cause vision loss will double. Such conditions include age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. However, there are several steps you can take to protect your eyes from experiencing problems, such as having regular eye exams.
Chris Visions, an artist who is known for Dead Letters and Gwen-Spider, is blind in his left eye due to Keratoconus, a progressive eye disease. Visions will undergo cornea transplant surgery at the end of the month. Keratoconus runs in the family; Chris’ father has had three cornea transplants for blindness.
ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) is a blinding eye disorder that the National Eye Institute says affects as many as 16 thousand preemies in the U.S. each year. Babies who are born prematurely are at risk of vision loss; Stevie Wonder was six weeks early, and it cost him his vision. Dr. Michael Chiang is an advocate for early screening and ROP treatment, fighting against two common obstacles to early diagnosis: accessibility to experts and a lack of standardized tests. Dr. Chiang uses an eye injection called Avastin in ROP cases:
Warren Moore was born with a condition called Coloboma, which involves underdevelopment of the retina and iris. In his late 30’s, he decided to quit teaching music after his vision began to deteriorate due to cataracts. Moore went on to start a catering company and opened several successful restaurants with his wife, Georjean. In spite of his blindness, Moore shows that following your dreams is possible.
Neil Harbisson, 33, is color blind but that doesn’t prevent him from being an artist. He can compensate for his achromatopsia, or complete color-blindness, through the use of an antenna that allows him to "hear" color through vibrations in his skull. Harbisson's implant gives him the ability to "see" in UV.