By Staff
Monday, September 16, 2019 11:32 AM
When someone says "art," what do you think of? For many people, the answer likely includes some form of visual arts—paintings, photographs, sculptures, maybe even dance or writing. But art is all-encompassing, and it can and should be accessible to everyone, including people with visual impairments. Last week,
Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America, profiled a
partnership between High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, and Center for the Visually Impaired Georgia, which is bringing art and museum experiences to people with visual impairments. Head over to
Americans for the Arts' blog to read more about this special partnership, and the impact it has on visually impaired people.
By Staff
Friday, September 13, 2019 2:49 PM
From Apple Watches to Fitbits to a good old pedoemeter, there are plenty of ways to
monitor your health at home. And now, there's a new way—through your toilet. According to
Fast Company, reseachers at the Rochester Institute of Technology are in the process of developing a smart toilet seat, which can be mounted on a regular toilet to monitor your heart health. Head over to
Fast Company to learn about the smart toilet from Nicholas Conn a research scientist in microsystems engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology involved in the project.
By Staff
Thursday, September 12, 2019 10:26 AM
As World Alzheimer's Month, September is dedicated to raising awareness for and challening the stigma that surrounds Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's can be a devastating disease in so many ways—but many people don't think about the ways it affects vision in particular. To change this,
Ontario Optometrists has shared an
infographic that shows just how Alzheimer's can affect patient's vision—and why.
By Staff
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 6:38 PM
This year, the highly anticipated
Apple Event brought us information about new iPhones, iPads, and the
announcement of three large scale health studies, which Apple plans to conduct in partnership with major health and research institutions. These studies include a Women's Health Study, in partnership with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS); a Heart and Movement Study with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the American Heart Association; and a Hearing Study with the University of Michigan. Head over to
Apple to learn why the tech giant decided to take on these studies, and what the details of each study are.
By Staff
Tuesday, September 10, 2019 2:13 PM
Eighteen years after September 11, 2001, people all around the world are still feeling the physical and emotional after effects. For first responders and other people close to the Twin Towers at the time of the collapse, health care remains a priority. In New York City, the
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has developed a dedicated
9/11 Health portal, where those affected by 9/11 can get connected to the care they need. In addition, the page tracks the health impacts of 9/11 across various health conditions and areas. Take a look at the research, or get connected to care,
here.
By Staff
Monday, September 9, 2019 11:57 AM
James O'Brien, who lost vision in his right eye afer an acid attack over 20 years ago, has regained his sight via a new surgery, the
BBC reports. O'Brien is the first patient to receive this new treatment, which involved using stem cells to replace the scar tissue over his eye. Head over to the
BBC to learn more about O'Brien's treatment, which took 10 months at London's
Moorfields Eye Hospital.
By Staff
Friday, September 6, 2019 12:15 AM
NFL season has officially kicked off, and sports fans all around the country (and the world) are settling down for the 100th season of one of America’s most popular sports. Football games can be long, and being a fan can mean spending a lot of time looking at TV, exposing your eyes to harmful blue light, and straining to see properly. As the season gets underway, The Vision Council is
reminding us all to take care of our eyes during the game. Take a look at The Vision Council’s
resources on digital eye strain, which you can share with patients, family, and friends, or keep as a reminder to yourself this football season and beyond.
By Staff
Wednesday, September 4, 2019 10:36 AM
Hurricane Dorian is still on its way. While many people who live in the southeastern United States are evacuating the storm, some are remaining in their homes. Either way, it's important to prepare your home before you leave or board up, in order to minimize damages and potential injuries. Because preparing for a hurricane can be overwhelming, the US Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC have
shared an
infographic and list to help those in the path of the storm. Before you go, make sure to bring in or secure any outdoor furniture you might have, move electronics and important documents to the highest level of the house to avoid or minimize flood damage, cover windows with plywood, trim dead limbs from any nearby trees, and ensure your car has gas. If you're staying at home, make sure to only run diesel generators outside, to avoid carbon monoxide poisioning, and bring your car indoors if possible.
Head over to the CDC to check out the infographic, and read more about preparing for Hurricane Dorian.
By Staff
Tuesday, September 3, 2019 9:38 AM
An unnamed 19-year-old from Bristol, in the United Kingdom, has lost his vision permanently due to a nearly lifelong
diet of fries, chips, white bread, meat, and other processed snacks,
The Guardian reports. The teen suffers from an eating disorder called Arfid, or avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, which makes him unable to stomach the texture of fruits or vegetables. According to
The Guardian, the teen's diet, which is extremely low in B-12 and other vital nutrients, has led to nutritional optic neuropathy, damaging fibers in his optic nerve. Head over to
The Guardian to learn more about this eating disorder, and to hear from the teen's family.
By Staff
Friday, August 30, 2019 11:03 AM
As we move into the height of hurricane season and prepare for one of the first big storms of this season to make landfall in the United States, there are a few things to keep in mind. Lots of what happens in regards to hurricanes is up to chance, but that doesn't make it any less important to be prepared. In advance of Hurricane Dorian,
Forbes has put together a
list of six facts to keep in mind that may help you prepare. Head over to
Forbes to learn more about the storm, and stay safe.
By Staff
Thursday, August 29, 2019 2:54 PM
Earlier this week, Costco opened it's very first store in China. The store, located in China's commercial capital, Shanghai,
was met with more excitement than anticipated—in fact,
The Wall Street Journal reports, it was pure chaos. With a three hour wait just to find a parking spot, the Costco was forced to close early on its opening day. Head over to
The Wall Street Journal to learn more about Costco's first day in China, and what it might tell us about American and Chinese retail markets.
By Staff
Wednesday, August 28, 2019 3:43 PM
In a
blog post shared this week, Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institutes of Health,
shared some of the experimental work happening within the NIH-led Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative to restore vision in patients with age-related macular degeneration. This new research doesn't involve trying to repair the eye; instead researchers are trying to "recreate the light-recording function of the retina within the brain itself." Head over to
Dr. Collins' blog to see a video that shows how this groundbreaking research works.
By Staff
Tuesday, August 27, 2019 11:13 AM
When it comes to technology, we really are living in the future. The robot butlers we all once dreamt of are a reality now: in our homes and in the stores, libraries, and other public places we frequent. But interacting with a robot can feel strange, sometimes, especially if you need to speak to it. Recently, as
Fast Company reports, the central Oodi library in Helsinki, Finland, found that some of their patrons were having trouble with their new robot, which they brought in to help librarians out. Minja Axelsson, a roboticist at Futurice who designed, coded, and tested the central Oodi library's robot,
told Fast Company that patrons couldn't quite relate to the robot as "a social object," and that children would climb or jump on it, too. In the end, a simple, but unexpected addition solved this problem: a set of googly eyes, stuck on the robot's front. Head over to
Fast Company to learn why a set of eyes made this robot so much easier for humans to interact with and trust, and how eyes change the way we think.
By Staff
Monday, August 26, 2019 10:11 AM
There are few sights more comforting than coming home to your dog. For lots of us, dogs are the lights of our lives: loving, welcoming, family members that enrich our day-to-days, and for lots of dogs, their humans fill the same role. Yesterday, dog lovers all around the world celebrated National Dog Day with selfies, trips to the dog park, pupcakes, and a little bit of education about how our furry friends see the world. To mark National Dog Day, Prevent Blindness shared
some
interesting facts from PetMD about dogs' eyes, and what their eyes can tell us about their overall health.
By Staff
Friday, August 23, 2019 3:16 PM
It's easy to let our sleep schedules slip after a weekend. Whether it's staying up late to watch something like SNL or sleeping in for breakfast in bed, weekends and days off often present us with easy opportunities to mess up our sleep schedules. But is having a regimented sleep schedule that important, really? And what happens if we mess it up? And how long do we really need to sleep each night? The answers to these questions vary from person to person, but the
National Institute of Heath has some good guidelines worth following.
Head over to the NIH to see how much sleep you should be getting, and why getting that amount is so important for your overall health and wellness.