A survey of 2,000 adults in the U.S. has shown that 42% have used telehealth services in place of their regular in-person visits to eye clinics since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Telehealth is a service made available by way of telecommunication devices like computers and smart phones. Using this recent […]
People with severe vision loss can less accurately judge the distance of nearby sounds, potentially putting them more at risk of injury, according to new research published in the journal Scientific Reports. Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University’s Vision and Eye Research Institute (VERI) tested participants with different levels of vision loss, presenting them with speech, music […]
In March, we posted an article which suggested ways to keep busy in spite of low vision. As we continue through another month of mass quarantine, here are more suggestions contributed by an especially thoughtful reader in response to that article. Learn a language. Duolingo, a method used in the school system, can be downloaded […]
Support groups for people with blindness and low vision are important monthly events in hundreds of senior centers, clinics, retirement communities, and other venues for older adults. Recent public health concerns, however, are causing worries about attendance at these gatherings. MD Support has announced that its telephone support group, TeleSupport, is welcoming guest callers during […]
Many doctors are restricting clinic visits to urgent or emergent problems during the coronavirus pandemic. Are anti-VEGF injections considered urgent? What qualifies as an emergency? Should I let my eye physician know if I am showing symptoms of COVID-19? I’m in a clinical trial. Should I continue to participate? Prevent Blindness provide answers to these […]
A presentation to the International Low Vision Support Group May 11, 2006 By Dan Roberts, Founding Director Macular Degeneration Support The retina is the thin lining in the back of the eye, and the macula is at the very center. When the macula is healthy, we are able to see in fine detail. When it […]
(Featuring “Sarah’s Day”) by Dan Roberts As an unabashed gadget geek, I have followed the development of low vision technology since my diagnosis in 1994. The first fifteen of those years offered a number of optical and non-optical devices to help our low vision community get by, and we have hungrily consumed each and every […]
Investigators have found significant associations between lessened brain functions and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). 5604 people age 40+ who participated in the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey have been found to experience increased memory problems and confusion, seemingly as a result of their AMD. The report was published in the December 2019 issue […]
Leading patient advocacy organizations collaborate on important new resource Living with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) poses some difficult challenges, but a new free resource called “My Home in Sight Kit” can help make adapting the living space easier. Prevent Blindness has joined with five other patient advocacy organizations* to share valuable advice based upon five […]
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Intervention (CDC), “Vision impairment often co-occurs with cognitive decline, which can be associated with functional limitations”. Data from Analysis of 2015–2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System determined that, “after adjusting for age and other demographic and smoking characteristics, 18% of adults who reported vision impairment also reported […]