Shortly after her birth, actor and writer Anna Shiels-McNamee’s father lost his vision. Retinitis Pigmentosa left her father living with blindness, a reality that would impact Shiels-McNamee’s life significantly. She is hopeful that her performance will help raise awareness about those who are living with disabilities and lead to greater dialogue.“My dad was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) before I was born. It is an inherited condition, passed onto him by his parents. It is a condition that gradually gets worse and is quite a slow process. By the time I was born, when he was around 31, he had lost a good bit of his sight and soon after he went totally blind. I have never known him with sight.”
‘My Dad’s Blind,’ will premiere at the Dublin Fringe Fest.
SDCB offers several programs for people living with blindness; please contact us to learn more.
“Local woman writes play about living with a blind father”
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that afflicts more than 9 million Americans - millions more worldwide – and it often results in severe vision loss. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projects that the number of people 50 and older with early-stage AMD will nearly double to 17.8 million in the United States by 2050. Several companies have developed or are developing treatments to keep the condition from progressing. Such therapies could help with other diseases, as well.
Last week, ABC's "Good Morning America" announced the contestants in this coming season of "Dancing With the Stars." Now, you may be wondering what ballroom dancing has to do with vision loss; the answer, one of the contestants in this year's competition, Danelle Umstead, lost her vision due to retinitis pigmentosa. Umstead is an American Alpine skier and Paralympian who won a bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Paralympics.
Merle Caples is an Orioles’ fan and has been one for almost 60 years now. While she once watched the team play with her eyes, now her ears keep her head in the game. Despite Caples’ (95) blindness, she still follows her team diligently. On September 18, 2018, in honor of Caples’ steadfast dedication and other fans living with vision loss, the Orioles will host National Federation of the Blind Night. During the occasion, Orioles players and coaches will wear jerseys with their names spelled in Braille.
A University of Michigan-AARP National Poll on Healthy Aging indicates that primary care providers (PCPs) could do more to promote eye care for people over the age of 50. The poll of 2,013 adults, ages 50 to 80, was conducted by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, and it shows that 18 percent of respondents have not had their eyes checked in three years or more. Eye exams are one of the most effective methods of identifying eye disease and preventing vision loss. During Healthy Aging Month this September, Americans over 50 are encouraged to have their eyes checked.
Former art teacher, Ron Ferguson’s passion for painting, continues even though he is living with blindness. In an effort to keep track of each color of paint he is using, Ferguson created a paint bottle braille system. The technique allows him to identify primary colors, which then enables him to mix up other hues. His wife initially helps him identify each color so that he can label the bottles correctly.
After 82 days at sea, a 57-year-old blind man from South Brent, Devon, finished rowing across the Pacific Ocean with his teammate. The race began in Monterey, California, this June and was to be 2,400 miles to the finish line in Hawaii. However, severe weather conditions meant the pair would row approximately 3,000 miles before it was all over. Steve Sparkes is the first blind person to row across the world's biggest ocean.
Kim Janda, of the Scripps Research Institute, led the development of a new test for river blindness. The condition is the result of a parasitic tropical infection common in sub-Saharan Africa that affects more than 18 million people. The practical test for the disease does not require access to a laboratory; now the infection is diagnosable with a dipstick urine test. Research on the test appears in the journal ACS Infectious Diseases.
The STD syphilis may seem like a condition that no longer affects people; however, there is a marked rise in syphilis cases around the world. This is critical to organizations working with the blind, because people who are exposed are at risk of blindness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that occurrences in the United States have more than doubled from 2.1 cases per 100,000 people in 2000 to 5.3 cases per 100,000 in 2013. A study on the heightened risk of ocular syphilis appears in the journal Scientific Reports.
"When it rained, he had to sit in certain spots so the rain wouldn't pour in on him," said Mike Graham, about his neighbor's camper. "He had no running water, no heat, no nothing."
David Lai, spent the summer at Brevard Music Center honing his piano talent. Nobody can deny Lai’s skill, which he mastered even though he is living with blindness. Playing the piano has enabled Mr. Lai to traverse obstacles in his life since childhood. Lai’s vision loss stems from oxygen therapy at birth; he was born 10-weeks premature with underdeveloped lungs.
Researchers have found a method for reversing congenital blindness in mice. The technique involves changing cells in the retina – called Müller glia – into rod photoreceptors, light-sensitive cells which help people see in low light. The findings of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded study appear in the journal Nature.
Daria Finley is living with blindness because of glaucoma, but she has not let her condition hold her back, and she is trying things for the first time. Since going blind, Finley is modeling, she has acted in a short film, and she wrote a one-woman play about her experiences and was the star. Blindness can be the beginning of a new chapter in life, not the end of a person’s story.
New research presents evidence that glaucoma may be the result of the immune system deteriorating eye cells; the condition often leads to vision loss. Even though glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the world, researchers know very little about the disease. The findings open “a new approach to prevent and treat glaucoma," says study author Jianzhu Chen, an MIT professor of biology.
Practically every American spends too much time on their digital devices. For many, the thought of life without a smartphone is surreal. While technology makes everyone’s life a little bit easier, a new study suggests that the blue light emitted from smartphones, laptops, and televisions can lead to macular degeneration and blindness. If the research holds true, we can all benefit from moderating our smartphone exposure.
The North Carolina Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons and the American Academy of Ophthalmology are observing Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month this August. The goal is to encourage parents to recognize the importance of vision and learning how to protect children's eyes for the future.
A team of researchers at the University of Utah discovered a single gene that influences the wing pattern of pigeons and human blindness. Variations in the gene mentioned above decide which of the four different feather patterns a pigeon will develop. The genetic research on pigeon wing patterns revealed a link to humans living with blindness.
Patrick Antaki, a former Olympian and defense contractor, is working on a device that helps older people living with blindness resulting from macular degeneration and diabetes. The Evergaze seeBoost helps the elderly see better, allowing users to sew, read or notice facial cues. seeBoost rests on a person's reading glasses and significantly magnifies what is in front of the wearer. 
There is a common belief that blind people experience heightened auditory and olfactory abilities, hearing and smell. However, a new study indicates that blind people have more of a challenge determining the location where sounds originate. The researchers found that such people needed additional timing cues to accurately decide the location of sounds played from a line of speakers. 
A new foreign film titled “Ya Veremos,” centers on a young boy named Santi who is going to have surgery that will either fix his visual impairment or result in permanent blindness. His parents ask the boy to make a list of all the things he would like to see before the big day, just in case the operation doesn’t go as planned. The film was released on August 3, 2018, and will be in American theaters on August 31.
Those living with macular degeneration can experience blurred vision or 'blind spots,' but a new virtual reality headset expands the user's peripheral vision and cancels out the blind spots. IrisVision relies on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone to record what the wearer sees and then it zooms in to make the blind spots disappear. The result: vision acuity goes from 20/400 to as high as 20/30. IrisVision was created by scientists at Johns Hopkins, The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, and UC Berkeley.
Do you like Indian food? If so, it may be that you are a fan of a colorful spice called turmeric. The bright orange powder has long been thought to have healing properties, and it turns out that it could prove beneficial for people living with blindness. More than 60 million people are living with deteriorating vision across the globe. New research suggests that the progression of vision loss in people with glaucoma could be slowed by administering eye-drops made from turmeric.
One of the planet’s premier keyboardists, composer, producer, and recording engineer has lived with macular degeneration since he was a young boy; but, blindness doesn't deter Rave Tesar! In fact, Rave started performing professionally by the age of 15 and was working full-time by 18. Tesar will be teaching a free master class on the keyboard with fellow musician Jason Miles on Sept. 30.
Researchers from Pakistan, USA, and the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, investigated a recessive genetic disorder that prevents the eyes from developing and leads to childhood blindness, and they believe they have found the cause. The research led to the discovery of pathogenic mutations in a new gene, MARK3. The findings, published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics, could lead to diagnostic services and personalized treatments for the blinding genetic disorder. 
This Fall, students in Roanoke City, Virginia, schools will undergo testing for color blindness, thanks to a local mother who states that Color Vision Deficiency could be a real problem in the classroom. Elizabeth Martin’s eldest son is diagnosed with color blindness. The condition makes doing classroom work a real challenge.
There are more than 4 million adults and nearly half-a-million children who are blind or have severely impaired vision in the United States. The Faster Treatments and Cures for Eye Diseases Act is a critical piece of legislation for everyone living with blindness and visual impairment. The bipartisan bill, if passed, will fund translational research, advanced treatments, and cures for blinding eye diseases.
What is the Braille Challenge? It is an academic competition for the blind or visually impaired; it was created to encourage students living with vision loss to master their braille literacy skills. Honing such skills can pay immensely for academia and employment. This month, Shianne Ramsey (8) competed as a finalist in the National Braille Challenge in Los Angeles. Thanks to Shianne’s hard work and dedication, she reads at a fifth-grade level even though she starts the third-grade this fall.
July is UV Safety Month, an excellent time to practice protecting your eyesight from the sun’s damaging rays. Many people are unaware of just how harmful ultraviolet rays are to the eyes; overexposure can result in cataracts, macular degeneration, and photokeratitis. Each of the above conditions can result in vision loss.
A new study suggests that people who undergo cataract surgery mitigate the risk of traffic accidents, according to a report published in JAMA Ophthalmology. The researchers found that after the operation, cataract surgery patients were 9 percent less likely to experience a car crash. However, Dr. Kevin Miller of the Stein Eye Institute and the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, says that not everybody with a cataract needs surgery or has a difficult time driving.
A study involving more than 2,000 Australian adults aged over 50 reveals that people who regularly eat oranges are less likely to develop macular degeneration. Researchers followed the participants for 15 years and found that the individuals who ate one serving of oranges per day, had more than a 60% reduced risk of developing late macular degeneration.
In the final days of June, California State Parks announced that the organization has begun rehabilitating the Three Senses Trail, or “Braille Trail.” Located at Calaveras Big Trees State Park, the Braille Trail was commissioned in 1976 for the blind and the visually impaired; the update will include the addition of new interpretive stations. The Arnold Lions Club and the Calaveras Big Trees Association (CBTA) are working with California State Parks on the project, which is scheduled to be completed in 2019.
Bobby Thomson’s “shot heard ‘round the world” home run in 1951, which won the New York Giants the pennant, was the last thing Ed Lucas remembers seeing before he lost his vision. While blindness was a setback for Lucas, he says it isn’t a handicap; since then, Ed became the first blind graduate of Seton Hall University. If that were not impressive enough of a resume, Lucas is the first father to win custody of children from a sighted wife. Ed Lucas has had 38 books published and has written more than 20,000 articles about baseball.
Living with visual impairments or blindness may slow down one’s life, but not to a full stop. A group of blind and visually impaired cyclists, “Team Sea to See,” took part in the 2018 Race Across America. The race takes riders from the West to the East in under nine days. The brave bike riders say, “I choose for my blindness to be an asset.”
Brothers Bradford and Bryan Manning came up with a brilliant idea one day after shopping at Bloomingdales. On that day the two young men bought the same shirt. The fascinating aspect of this occurrence is that both Bradford and Bryan are blind; they made their choice of shirt not on aesthetics but by the softness of the fabric. Their idea: design and create clothing that caters to people’s sense of touch rather than sight. Their profits will go toward fighting blindness.
Mirabile dictu! Researchers at Washington State University created a prototype that could reduce the cost of treating the two leading causes of blindness in America, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The prototype is called a microneedle array; apt considering the device consists of a cluster of hundreds of tiny needles. The technology is essentially a patch for the eye which could make delivering drugs to the eye more effectively than the three current techniques: laser therapy, direct eye injections, and eye drops.
eSight is the only clinically validated device that “enables those living with vision loss to see, be mobile, and engage in virtually any activity of daily living.” The revolutionary device completely changed the life of Joel Gomez, 14, who was born with legal blindness. eSight helps him see as far as he desires, whereas previously he could barely see five feet ahead. Thanks to gracious donors, Gomez was able to acquire a pair which goes for the daunting price of $10,000. Desiring to give back, Joel is working with eSight to give a device to 13 kids from around the world struggling with blindness. The movement is called #TogetherWeSee.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is working on a book about kids with “life challenges,” young people living with conditions like attention deficit disorder, autism, blindness, and diabetes. Justice Sotomayor was diagnosed with diabetes as a child, so the subject matter of her book is something she acutely understands. Her new book is set in a garden and is about "a bunch of us kids working on creating the beauty of a garden."
In 2016, fireworks sent 11,100 Americans to the emergency room, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Not surprisingly, 68 percent of incidents took place around Independence Day. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that approximately one-third of the 1,000 eye-related firework injuries in 2017 resulted in permanent blindness. Prevent Blindness argues that there isn’t a safe way to use fireworks and that the only legal fireworks should be those used by licensed operators in public displays.
Weeds are the bane of most gardeners’ existence. Each summer, hours and hours are spent pulling the unwelcome guests from lawns and gardens, an annoyance to be sure. People who are living in Virginia, please be advised that if you encounter Giant Hogweed—an invasive species that originates from Asia—exercise extreme caution. The plant can grow as high as 14 feet, and its sap makes skin sensitive to sunlight causing severe burns. If the Hogweed sap gets into your eyes, it can result in blindness 
New research analyzing 80 eye surgeries on people living with concurrent wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts indicates that the procedure is safe and does not worsen the symptoms of AMD. The study shows that patients receiving anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment for AMD are not at risk from cataracts surgery. The findings stymie concerns that the inflammation caused by the operation could make macular degeneration worse.
An innovative laser surgery, called collagen crosslinking, helps extend Airmen’s careers. The procedure corrects degenerative eye diseases, such as keratoconus and corneal ectasia. Those affected by the above conditions are not commissioned unless they receive a waiver; and, pilots are restricted from flying. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved collagen crosslinking in 2016 for the treatment of progressive keratoconus.
Major tech companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Google have a new USB HID (Human Interface Device) standard for Braille displays; making computers far more accessible to the blind and people with visual impairments. The technology allows people to use Braille displays across different operating systems and devices, no longer having to concern themselves with the myriad of drivers and software.
Barbara Moore lives with a condition called nystagmus with cataracts; she was born legally blind, and she has limited vision. Despite her blindness, Moore taught herself to sew after deciding she wanted to make a comforter. Armed with a desire to work with needle and thread, she has spent the past 16 years sewing buttons and buttonholes on women’s military trousers while working as a seamstress at Vocational Guidance Services (VGS). Since 1890, VGS has trained and provided employment to individuals living with mental and cognitive disabilities.
In the May 2018 issue of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, an interesting case study appears that could prove beneficial for anyone who wears makeup regularly. Every night, millions of women around the world go out with myriad cosmetics on their face; and, when the night comes to an end, it is expected that a few minutes will be taken to wash off mascara, foundation, etc. Of course, there are some evenings that washing one’s face seems arduous and off to bed, people go. So, what happens when people opt to head off to dreamland with makeup in tow?
Larry Woods was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, the growth of tiny collections of inflammatory cells in different parts of the body, at a young age. He was treated with the steroid Prednisone which wreaked havoc on his optic nerve eventually leading to blindness due to glaucoma. While it seems like life was conspiring against him, Woods pursued his dream nevertheless. Larry completed his schooling at South Arkansas Community College, graduating with the highest grade point average in Liberal Arts, and now wants a chance at employment.
Technology can give millions of people around the globe the ultimate gift, the opportunity to see for the first time or see again after going blind. There are a number of tech companies developing smart glasses, such as 
Kenny and Justin Jongsma were diagnosed with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy—a rare genetic disease. The twin brothers became legally blind at the age 21; they only have peripheral vision now. A special kind of eyeglasses made by eSight of Toronto could help the brothers lead a more normal life, allowing them to do some of the things they did before losing their central vision. The eyewear uses a high speed, high-resolution camera to project real-time images to the wearer.
Around 5 million people are completely blind because of damaged or diseased corneal tissue; another 10 million people need surgery to prevent corneal blindness. While modern medicine allows for corneal transplants, there is a severe donor shortage. Fortunately, scientists are now using 3D printers to create synthetic corneas which could help prevent millions of people from losing their eyesight. The cornea is a transparent sheath that sits over the iris and the pupil, directing light rays onto the retina.
Actress Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) stars in a movie playing a character living with vision loss. In order to learn more about living with blindness for her role as a blind pianist in the movie Darkness, Dormer turned to the Royal National Institute Of Blind People (RNIB). Dormer says she had several challenges playing the role.
Be My Eyes is a remarkable new app that assists blind people and those living with low vision see where they are going. The Smartphone application pairs users who have questions or need directions. People who have interest in helping the blind get around can download the app and lend their eyes.