blindness – News Stories About blindness - Page 6

Apr 21, 2008 8:04 PM CDT

UK Docs Implant Bionic Eyes

Surgery aims to restore partial vision in blind men

(Newser) - British doctors have given two blind men bionic eyesight and say they will soon enjoy partial vision, the Telegraph reports. Using US technology, the surgeons inserted electrodes in the men's retinas last week. Studded on a metal plate, the conductors will be connected to a small eyeglass camera that enables...

Blind Paterson Feeling His Way as NY Governor

Apr 21, 2008 11:18 AM CDT

Blind Paterson Feeling His Way as NY Governor

Much of Albany familiar, but layout of new digs takes getting used to

(Newser) - It takes a lot of extra sweat for New York's legally blind governor to act like a person with 20/20, the New York Times reports. David Paterson spends hours each night listening to recorded staff briefings—and memorizing speeches, since he can't read a teleprompter. And though the veteran politician...

Cataract Risk
Linked to Climate Change

Apr 7, 2008 4:03 PM CDT

Cataract Risk Linked to Climate Change

Rising UV levels will hit developing countries hardest

(Newser) - As climate change drives ozone depletion and increases the level of ultraviolet rays reaching Earth's surface, humans' eyesight will be suffering more and more, AFP reports. UV rays are one of the leading causes of cataracts, which in turn cause 50% of avoidable blindness worldwide. The trend is likely to...

New Keller Photo Surfaces

Mar 5, 2008 8:20 PM CST

New Keller Photo Surfaces

It may be the first image of her with teacher Anne Sullivan

(Newser) - A rare photo of a young Helen Keller accompanied by teacher Anne Sullivan in 1888 has surfaced among a family collection donated to the New England Historic Genealogical Society. The photo, which was tucked away in an album, may be the first taken of the two and the only to...

Cell Phone
Can Read
to the Blind

Jan 30, 2008 7:19 PM CST

Cell Phone Can Read to the Blind

4-ounce, $2K talking device is smallest reader ever made

(Newser) - A new cell phone can read aloud to people with impaired vision—and at 4 ounces, it's the smallest such device ever made, NPR reports. The $2,000 phone can help with the myriad daily tasks that seeing people take for granted, like identifying a $20 bill. "All you...

Visually Impaired May Soon Watch TV

Jan 28, 2008 6:01 PM CST

Visually Impaired May Soon Watch TV

Scientists use algorithm to boost contrast for frequencies still visible

(Newser) - Macular degeneration, the disease which causes most age-related sight loss, can make it impossible for patients who suffer even only mild sight loss to watch TV. But help is on the way for these people, Technology Review reports, as Harvard researchers have developed an image-processing algorithm which allows the sight-impaired...

Cat Out of the Bag: Kitty's DNA Decoded

Nov 2, 2007 6:12 AM CDT

Cat Out of the Bag: Kitty's DNA Decoded

Deciphering feline genome could help with HIV, blindness research

(Newser) - A 4-year-old Abyssinian cat named Cinnamon has become the first of her species to have its DNA sequenced, the BBC reports. Cats now join dogs, chimps, rats, mice, cows and people as mammals with decoded genomes. Cinnamon’s sequence could shed light on hundreds of human illnesses; cats can suffer...

Spinach, Eggs Fight Blindness

Sep 11, 2007 3:55 PM CDT

Spinach, Eggs Fight Blindness

Nutrients help ward off age-related vision loss

(Newser) - Nutrients found in spinach and eggs help stave off age-related blindness, a new study shows. Macular degeneration, the most common cause of vision loss in the elderly, was 35% less likely to develop in people who consumed the most eggs, spinach, and other leafy greens, which are rich in lutein...

Still Crazy After All These Years

Jun 6, 2007 9:46 PM CDT

Still Crazy After All These Years

A new documentary catches up with the twisted romance of Burt and Linda Pugach

(Newser) - Burt and Linda Pugach are having their third 15 minutes. The first was in 1959, when Burt hired a thug to throw lye in Linda's face after she broke up with him. The second, in 1974, was when, Linda, now blind, agreed to marry Burt, just released from jail. And...

Stem Cell Cure for Blindness in Sight

Jun 6, 2007 6:45 AM CDT

Stem Cell Cure for Blindness in Sight

Fix for macular degeneration could be available in 5 years

(Newser) - A pioneering stem cell technique developed by British scientists and backed by an anonymous American benefactor could soon cure blindness in millions of people suffering from macular degeneration, the Daily Mail reports. The procedure involves injecting lab-grown embryonic stem cells into the back of an affected eye to repair the...

Eye-Care Recall Reverberates
on Wall Street

May 29, 2007 1:24 PM CDT

Eye-Care Recall Reverberates on Wall Street

Product problem seen influencing bids for Bausch & Lomb

(Newser) - In the wake of reports linking its Complete MoisturePlus contact lens solution to a rare eye infection that can lead to blindness, Advanced Medical Optics has recalled the product. Competitor Bausch & Lomb's stock price dropped on the news, since the recall may put AMO's plans to enter the bidding...