A new bionic eye could restore 20/20 vision to people who are blind
Article by Edd Gent via Singularity Hub
A New Bionic Eye Could Give Robots and the Blind 20/20 Vision
Image Credit: Free-Photos from Pixabay
Sports and Eye Safety
As May is coming to a close and a lot of us are beginning to spend more time outside, it’s imperative to take one more look at eye safety – May is Sports Eye Safety month after all.
Why the focus on eyes? Aren’t sports supposed to be fun and good for your health?
Yes, sports are generally great for your health, but they can also bring about lots of injuries! More than 600,000 eye injuries related to sports occur each year, and approximately one-third of these injuries occur in children. Eye injuries, coincidentally, are the leading cause of blindness in children, and most eye injuries among kids aged 11-14 occur while playing sports.
What kind of injuries are we talking about?
Sports eye injuries can range from abrasions of the cornea and bruises of the lid to internal eye injuries, such as retinal detachments and internal bleeding. Nearly 43 percent of sports-related eye injuries involve children under the age of 15.5 and boys between the ages of 11 and 15 are up to five times more likely to sustain eye injuries requiring hospital treatment than girls of the same age. Every 13 minutes an emergency room in the U.S. treats a sports-related eye injury for children and adults. It is also estimated that sports-related eye injuries in the U.S. account for more than 100,000 physician visits per year at a cost of more than $175 million . Of the 1.6 to 2.4 million Americans who sustain eye injuries each year, an estimated 40,000 will be legally blinded in the injured eye.
How can you protect your eyes?
Taking all of this data into account, it’s astonishing that the number of people who use protective eyewear (safety glasses or goggles) is extremely low. Yet, the best way to prevent a sports-related eye injury is to wear appropriate, sport-specific protective eyewear that is properly fitted. The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Optometric Association all strongly recommend protective eyewear for all participants in sports in which there is a risk of eye injury, whether it be tennis, golf, basketball or any other sport. Bottom line – get some eye gear and keep your eyes safe when playing sports.
Image via University of Wisconsin.
Cool Tech News – Google’s new AI system can help predict vision loss
Google has developed an Artificial intelligence (AI)-based system that performed as well as, and in certain cases better than, clinicians in predicting progression of a common eye condition that can cause vision loss.
The results, published in the journal Nature Medicine, suggest that the AI model, built in partnership with Alphabet subsidiary DeepMind and Moorfields Eye Hospital in Britain, could help doctors study preventive treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the third largest cause of blindness across the globe.
Around 75 per cent of patients with AMD have an early form called “dry” AMD that usually has relatively mild impact on vision.
A minority of patients, however, develop the more sight-threatening form of AMD called exudative, or “wet” AMD. This condition affects around 15 per cent of patients, and occurs when abnormal blood vessels develop underneath the retina.
These vessels can leak fluid, which can cause permanent loss of central vision if not treated early enough. Wet AMD often affects one eye first, so patients become heavily reliant upon their unaffected eye to maintain their normal day-to-day living.
Unfortunately, 20 per cent of these patients will go on to develop wet AMD in their other eye within two years. The condition often develops suddenly but further vision loss can be slowed with treatments if wet AMD is recognised early enough.
The new research showed that the Google Health AI model has the potential to predict whether a patient will develop wet AMD within six months.
The researchers trained their model using a retrospective, anonymised dataset of 2,795 patients. These patients had been diagnosed with wet AMD in one of their eyes, and were attending one of seven clinical sites for regular 3D optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging and treatment.
For each patient, the researchers worked with retinal experts to review all prior scans for each eye and determine the scan when wet AMD was first evident.
The AI system is composed of two deep convolutional neural networks, one taking the raw 3D scan as input and the other taking a segmentation map outlining the types of tissue present in the retina. It used the raw scan and tissue segmentations to estimate a patient’s risk of progressing to wet AMD within the next six months.
In the future, this system could potentially help doctors plan studies of earlier intervention, as well as contribute more broadly to clinical understanding of the disease and disease progression.
Article via Express Computer. Click the link below for more info!
Tech Talks Tackles Grocery Shopping!
Made possible by a generous grant from The Provident Bank Foundation, VLANJ Tech Talks discusses accessible technologies and accessibility features of personal computers, iPads and iPhones. The classroom is virtual, conducted via Zoom, and free for all attendees.
In our next session, taking place on Wednesday, May 27th from 7PM to 9PM EST, we discuss grocery store shopping apps and the Amazon shopping app. Learn what shopping options are available for people with vision loss and find ways to navigate shopping for groceries and other necessities from home.
Registration is required for this class, as spots are limited. Use the link below to register:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEucuCupzMqEt3AsqebyOHAllv5-knTE7am
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. For more information, email beyondsight@vlanj.org.
Nine Tips for Healthy Vision
May is Healthy Vision Month. It’s important to have a comprehensive dilated eye exam once a year to check for common eye problems. Taking care of your eyes is a priority, just like eating healthy and getting physical activity. While in quarantine, it may not be possible to get an eye exam; however, there are things you can do to protect your eyes.
Eat right to protect your sight.
Keep your eyes healthy by eating a well-balanced diet. Load up on different types of fruits and veggies, especially leafy greens like spinach, kale, and collard greens. Fish like salmon, tuna, and halibut have been shown to help your eyes, too.
Get moving.
Being overweight or obese can put you at higher risk for diabetes and other conditions that can lead to vision problems. Exercise keeps your weight in check!
Speak up if your vision changes.
Is your vision blurry? Do you squint a lot? Ever have trouble seeing things? Consult your ophthalmologist if your eyes are bothering you or if you notice any changes in your vision.
Keep the germs away.
Always wash your hands before putting them close to your eyes, especially if you’re putting in or taking out contact lenses.
Gear up.
Playing your favorite sport? Using chemicals to clean your home? Mowing the lawn? Wear the right protection to keep your eyes safe. Many eye injuries can be prevented with better safety habits, such as using protective eyewear.
Wear your shades.
The sun’s rays can hurt your eyes. Choose sunglasses that block 99% or 100% of both UVA and UVB radiation from the sun. And remember, you should never look directly at the sun.
Give your eyes a break.
Do you spend a lot of time looking at a computer, phone, or TV screen? Staring at any one thing for too long can tire your eyes. Give your eyes a rest with the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look about 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Say no to smoking.
Did you know that smoking is as bad for your eyes as it is the rest of your body? Smoking can put you at risk for some pretty serious eye issues, which can lead to blindness.
Talk about it.
Does anyone in your family have issues with their eyes? Not sure? Ask! Talking about eye health with your family can help all of you stay healthy, and discover any underlying hereditary or genetic issues with your eyes!
Contact lenses and COVID-19
Health experts are urging people to avoid touching their face, as SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19 can enter the body through the mouth, nose and eyes. This leaves millions of people across the globe who wear contact lenses wondering whether they are placing themselves at risk with use of contacts, or if they should make the switch to glasses during the pandemic. A lot of information has been circulating the internet about contact lens wearers being at higher risk of becoming infected with COVID-19, but there’s also a lot of misinformation – let’s put the rumors to rest.
There is currently no scientific evidence that contact lens wearers have an increased risk of contracting COVID-19 compared with users of eye glasses. Should you have some questions about this, it’s best to consult your ophthalmologist.
Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert, says it is safe for people to continue wearing contact lenses as long as they remain diligent about hygiene. And good contact lens hygiene means washing your hands with soap and water. A lot. It’s also better to avoid alcohol-based soap alternatives, or sanitizers, before inserting or removing contact lenses, as you may experience some stinging or burning. Lastly, it’s not just washing to watch out for – drying is just as important! It’s imperative to use a clean towel and dry your hands thoroughly. These habits will help you stay healthy and out of your eye doctor’s office or hospital in general.
Whether you wear contacts, glasses, or require no vision correction, you should avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth when your hands are unwashed, to avoid contracting any illnesses. Dirty hands mean more than just the spread of COVID-19. You can also contract Pink Eye or other eye infections or other unpleasant illnesses. Ophthalmologists recommend that you temporarily stop wearing your contacts and use your glasses instead if you become ill. Once you return to full health and have spoken with your eye doctor, it should be safe to return to contact lens use.
Lastly, there is absolutely no scientific evidence supporting rumors that everyday glasses or spectacles offer protection against COVID-19.
For more information about eye safety, contact lenses and their use, as well as information on how to protect yourself from coronavirus, visit the following website: