Vision Loss
Two kinds of blindness are easily combined so that those who do not see really appear to see what is not - Tertullian
image by: Ben Churchill
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Blindness
We are told to be strong act “normal”
make the first move
prove we are
just like everyone else
Then, people shout in our face
yank us across a street
ask the person with us
what we’d like to eat
After all the assurances
suggestions
playing down assumptions and
comparisons to other unseeing people
I walk away alone
knowing I am not the only person
who cannot see
Source: Blindness by Valerie Moreno, Vision Thru Words, August 2012.
Valerie Moreno had partial vision until 1999 when it disappeared literally overnight. Valerie’s eye disease is ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity). …
Resources
Non-Traumatic Monocular Vision Loss
Decrease of visual acuity due to a non-traumatic cause. Transient vision loss defined as vision loss <24 hours. Persistent vision loss defined as loss of vision >24 hours. Causes: There are multitude of causes of vision loss.
Acute Visual Loss in the Emergency Department: Pearls and Pitfalls
Acute vision loss can have many etiologies with a large differential. Many of these are time-sensitive, and the emergency physician may improve patient outcome through the consideration of several acute conditions.
An Innovative Way You Can Help Visually Impaired Aging Parents
As many as 11 million people over 60 have some form of macular degneration. It's an irreversible condition and it can cause gradual and total loss of sight. This could include your own aging parents. Many elders learn to get by, adapt and manage with some kind of help. What if they could just call a number and ask someone to find something for them? Now they can. Yes, there's an app for that.
The blind and visually impaired can help researchers by getting their genes tested
Blind and partially sighted people no longer have to wait passively for a research breakthrough in hope of treatment options. In fact, people living with genetic eye conditions can now actively drive vision research forward — by enrolling in a patient registry and getting their genes tested. There are 2.2 billion people living with visual impairment globally. Some are living with inherited retinal diseases that are progressive and can lead to complete blindness. Up until recent years, blind and visually impaired people were told that no treatment is available. This is changing as genetic testing is paving the way for a surge of gene therapies.
The Worst That Could Happen? Going Blind, People Say
When eyesight fails, some people become socially disengaged, leading to isolation and loneliness. Anxiety about a host of issues — falls, medication errors, loss of employment, social blunders — is common.
Why we lose our hearing and vision as we age
As people age, they often experience a number of changes in their physical, mental and social health. Among these are eye and ear changes, and diseases that usually result in vision and hearing loss. Changes to our eyes and ears occur as a result of disease, genetic factors, “wear and tear” and environmental factors.
With Some Structure, Stem Cells Might Still Stop Vision Loss
Clinical trials in the last few years have shown that injecting stem cell-derived retinal pigment cells into the eye can be done safely. But so far they haven’t been that effective, because the support cells often don’t wind up in the right place. They need a little help, a little structure.
Out of Sight
Today’s Q&A’s will bring together all the different ways the ‘lights can go out’ — don’t forget keep your ultrasound machine handy. Are you ready for the ‘out of sight / loss of vision challenge’?
An App to Aid the Visually Impaired
Research suggests that it is less difficult for those with a limited field of vision to read on backlit screens, and the ability to increase text size, sharpen contrast and set words in motion can make reading easier for the visually impaired. Spotlight Text is a bare-bones reading program, outfitted with scrolling text, adjustable font, sharp contrast and an audio feature that narrates books.
Concocting a Cure for Kids With Issues
Appelbaum is a behavioral optometrist, part of a growing subspecialty of optometry that takes the traditional practice beyond its usual focus on eye health and eyesight. Through a practice referred to as vision therapy — a combination of in-office and at-home eye exercises — many of these optometrists claim they can offer significant help for problems that go far beyond the headaches, neck aches, eyestrain and poor posture typically associated with vision problems.
Cracking the Retinal Code
Silicon “eyes” to help people with deteriorating vision are around the corner.
Does Your Toddler Need Glasses?
More children are being diagnosed with vision problems...
Famous Paintings Can Reveal Visual Disorders
Neural pathologies have shaped great art throughout history.
Glenn Beck - Blind Leading the Blind?
Macular dystrophies, one of the major causes of vision loss affect central vision which results in difficulty seeing straight ahead, reading, driving, as well as performing many day to day activities. The good news is total blindness is not likely.
I'm Gradually Going Blind at 33 Years Old
When I look in the mirror, I can't see my whole face any more, just my eyes and nose.
The Quest to Create a Bionic Eye Gets Clearer
The patients most likely to benefit from these devices are those with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare disease that damages and kills the cells in the retina—a tissue layer at the back of the eye—that process light.
What it's like to go blind
To many sighted people, the prospect of going blind is terrifying. They think about what they would lose: independence, visual beauty, reading labels at Costco. Pretty awful, huh? I can speak with some authority on this matter since I have retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that has caused me to lose my sight slowly since birth.
What to Do When You Can’t Read the Fine Print
EVERYTHING seems to stiffen up as people age, and our eyes are no exception. As the years go by, the lens of the eye becomes harder and less elastic. The result is a gradual worsening of the ability to focus on objects up close, called presbyopia.
Why Small Print Makes Us See Red
Here is a clear plea, written in legible 12-point type, from middle-aged women to package designers. Increase the size of the print on your products because our eyesight is weaker, our patience is shorter, and our brand loyalty is volatile. Give us big type or skip the hype because we're not buying it anymore.
Blindness
We are told to be strong act “normal” make the first move prove we are just like everyone else
Be My Eyes
Be My Eyes is a free app that connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers and company representatives for visual assistance through a live video call.
Seeing AI
Seeing AI is a Microsoft research project that brings together the power of the cloud and AI to deliver an intelligent app, designed to help you navigate your day.
Going Blind
Going Blind tells personal and courageous stories of everyday people living and thriving with vision loss in extraordinary ways.
BrightFocus Foundation
BrightFocus Foundation is a nonprofit organization supporting research and providing public education to help eradicate brain and eye diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. We are working to save mind and sight.
Fight for Sight
Since 1946, Fight for Sight has supported and inspired eye and vision research by providing initial funds to promising scientists early in their careers. We are a 501(c)3 charity that provides crucial pilot funding to promising new researchers before they are able to receive grants from governmental sources and large private foundations.
Foundation Fighting Blindness
The urgent mission of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, Inc. is to drive the research that will provide preventions, treatments and cures for people affected by retinitis pigmentosa (RP), macular degeneration, Usher syndrome, and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases.
Prevent Blindness
Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness touches the lives of millions of people each year.
Second Sense
Second Sense inspires our clients to move beyond vision loss and believe in their abilities. We offer client-centered training in a supportive environment, teaching new skills, building confidence and helping our clients realize their value in our community.
Second Sight
Through dedication and innovation, Second Sight's mission is to develop, manufacture and market implantable visual prosthetics to enable blind individuals to achieve greater independence.
Through Scarlett’s Eyes
I want to provide parents just like me with a hub of information and advice. When Scarlett was first diagnosed all I had available to me was information from the professionals, but I was desperate to actually find out what its like to raise a child with a visual impairment.
Vision Loss Resources
The mission of Vision Loss Resources is to create a community of services, skills and support for people with vision loss.
VisionAware
VisionAware helps adults who are losing their sight continue to live full and independent lives by providing timely information, step-by-step daily living techniques, a directory of national and local services, and a supportive online community.
At the Gateway to Blindness
Stories from a vision-impaired perspective.
Bookshare
Bookshare® opens up the world of reading for people with print disabilities. If you cannot read traditional print books because of a visual impairment, physical disability or severe learning disability, Bookshare can help! Our books are “accessible,” which means you can read our books many different ways.
Fred's Head
The Fred's Head blog contains tips, techniques, tutorials, in-depth articles, and resources for and by blind or visually impaired people. Fred's Head is offered by the American Printing House for the Blind. It was voted best blindness-related blog three years in a row by BlindBargains.com
InfoEyes
InfoEyes is a question-and-answer service provided by professional librarians at braille and talking book libraries to people with visual or other print limitations.
International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness
IAPB’s mission is to eliminate the main causes of avoidable blindness and visual impairment by bringing together governments and non-governmental agencies to facilitate the planning, development and implementation of sustainable national eye care programmes.
Jalapeños in the Oatmeal
Digesting Vision Loss by Jeff Flodin.
Lighthouse Guild
Lighthouse Guild is the leading organization dedicated to addressing and preventing vision loss. We do this by coordinating care for eye health, vision rehabilitation, behavioral health and related services. Our goal is to reduce the burden of living with vision loss, it is the cornerstone of what we do.
Low Vision Support
The mission of Low Vision Support is to promote increased independence among those with visual impairments. This is accomplished through education by making available the latest medical information, community resources and assistance in helping others to share their challenges and solutions to problems with one another and other family members.
Seeing Possibilities
Navigating through life with Vision Loss
Vision Loss and Personal Recovery
Losing vision is very confusing, but there are tips for dealing with social situations and day-to-day life that can help a lot. This website is for you, the person losing vision. You can read or listen to it on your smart phone, or link to it from Facebook.
Vision Through Words
Poetry and Short Essays by Visually Impaired and Blind Writers.
Introducing Stitches!
Your Path to Meaningful Connections in the World of Health and Medicine
Connect, Collaborate, and Engage!
Coming Soon - Stitches, the innovative chat app from the creators of HWN. Join meaningful conversations on health and medical topics. Share text, images, and videos seamlessly. Connect directly within HWN's topic pages and articles.
