The vending machine industry lobbyists have once again pushed the US Treasury Department into making yet another useless dollar coin that no one will want to use. Just like the Sacagawea and the Susan B Anthony. How many of those do you have in your pocket?
Here’s a news article obout the reaction from some people at AFB. http://geoffandwen.com/blind/newsarticle.asp?u_id=17673
Here is a recent news article updating progress on the second generation artificial retinal implant developed at USC.
The second generation implant moves up from 16 electrodes to 60. At this point it is not enough resolution for facial recognition or reading large print. Plans are for 1000 electrodes within 7 years.
I have found Acoustica software to be very intuitive and easy to use. Acoustica CD/DVD Label Maker is no exception to this. It is also generally very accessible as a visually impaired user. I have tried other CD labeling programs but have found Acoustica to be the easiest to use. It also supports a wide variety of label papers and doesn’t require complex setup or configuration to get good results. Learn more about Acoustica CD/DVD Label Maker
Antioxidants and other nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, B Vitamins, Copper, Zinc, and Taurine are important in maintaining eye health. The best way to get these is through a healthy diet containing a variety of organic fruits and vegetables. Also check your multivitamin do see if it provides what you need on those days when your diet isn’t so healthy.
Zeaxanthin has been shown to slow the progression of Macular Degeneration. Lutein also protects the retina from damaging ultraviolet and blue light. Amazon sells ICaps Lutein & Zeaxanthin Formula .
The study on DHA supplementation completed in 2004 did not show benefits from supplementing with DHA alone on people already taking Vitamin A. However, it did show that people eating a diet rich in fish containing Omaga-3 fatty acids did show a slowing of the progression of their retinal degeneration. If you don’t eat 1 to 2 servings of oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, or sardines per week, it might be a good idea to supplement with fish oil. Amazon sells Nature Made Fish Oil, 1,200 mg (100 Softgels) .
Vitamin A has been shown to extend the useful vision of people with retinal degenerations by many years. 15,000 IU per day of Vitamin A in the Palmitate form is recommended. If you take a multivitamin containing 5,000 IU of Vitamin A you may want Carlson Laboratories - Vitamin A, 10000 IU, 250 softgels. It is not recommended to take Vitamin A in the Beta Carotene form as people with retinal degenerations may have problems converting the Beta Carotene to a usable form of Vitamin A in the body.
Depending on where you live, this can be a great option for getting places on your own. It can take a little longer, bui you don’t have to depend on others to always take you places.
If you are visually impaired, get mobility training with a cane. You may be resistant at first but afterwards you will wonder why you waited so long.. The best thing about using a cane, besides not running into fire hydrants and bus stop benches, is that people understand why you do things like go in the exit line and they are quick to get out of your way. You’d be surprised how a white cane can clear a path through the mall or down a busy sidewalk.
If you are visually impaired, stop driving before it’s too late and somebody gets hurt! It’s a challenge to adapt to no longer driving, but it’s not nearly as hard as it would be to deal with knowing that you hit a child who was in one of your blind spots. This may seem obvious but giving up driving and finding alternate means of transportation is part of accepting visual impairment. Having a drivers license doesn’t mean you should still be driving. I had a valid drivers license even after my eye doctor declared me “legally blind”! And no, thankfully, I wasn’t driving then.