Low Vision Guide

Virtual Magnifying Glass is an excellent free tool for screen magnification.
Check it out at http://magnifier.sourceforge.net/

University of California Bioelectronics Professor Wentai Liu is working on technology for artificial retina implants and neural prosthesis for spinal cord and other injuries.
Here is a recent article on him and his work from Good Times in Santa Cruz:
http://www.goodtimessantacruz.com/santa-cruz-news/good-times-cover-stories/485-top-of-the-class.html
Here’s an earlier article from UCSC:
http://www.cbse.ucsc.edu/news-article?ID=1656

The Artificial Retina Project sponsored by the US Dept of Energy will soon be implanting artificial retinas with over 200 electrodes. Current implants have 60. They are also investigating the use of photosynthetic cells from algae as potentially higher efficiency replacements for the metal electrodes currently used.  See the Artificial […More…]

People with Stargardt’s disease may be the first to be treated with human stem cells.  Clinical trials of the RPE regeneration therapy may begin in early 2010. See the news article in the Daily Mail.

Dale Davis, a 78 year old man who has lost his vision to Macular Degeneration, bowled a perfect 300 game. See the full news story.

I have found the Blind Handyman group to be a useful resource for dealing with common home maintenance issues as a visually impaired person.  Check it out on Yahoo Groups or listen to the show.

The new US $5 bill goes into circulation today.
It has a large high contrast purple 5 in the lower right corner of the back side.

I have tried a number of different canes.
The 4 section aluminum canes seem to last the longest but they tend to start sticking after awhile and they don’t flex very well if you catch it on a curb.
The 6 section graphite cane is nice for it’s compact size when folded and the graphite material flexs […More…]

Floaters are common as people get older, however if you have a lot of floaters or they are accompanied by light flashes you should see an eye doctor (opthamologist).
Here is a good article on floaters:
http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/spotsfloats.htm
If you are seeing yellow or discolored spots or areas in your vision, you should see […More…]

This is a bit of a tangent but salmon is a great source of fatty acids that have been shown in clinical studies to be beneficial for people with retinal degenerations.
My caption for the Give A Dam For Salmon Cartoon Caption Contest was chosen as the winner.
See it at http://www.giveadamforsalmon.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57&Itemid=90