Guest Blogger

There has been lots of news recently regarding the FDA approved CentraSight implant for those with end stage macular degeneration. The telescope is implanted in one eye much like a lens is implanted in those with a cataract. After a patient receives the implant, several weeks of training with a low vision clinic is required […]

I love to spend time in our backyard this time of year. Not only do we have some beautiful hydrangeas blossoming, but we have raspberries, blueberries and for the first time, blackberries all ripening and ready to be picked. Even if you don’t grow your own berries, there are lots of good reasons to pick […]

As I wrote last week, part of my Mobility & Orientation training in school was learning how to properly use a cane. It wasn’t so much that I needed (or still need) to use one — my vision is such that I can get around okay without it — but rather I have it for identification purposes. In other words, […]

The topic of using stem cells for treating medical conditions can generate strong feelings of support and/or serious ethical concerns. In the most simple terms there are basically two categories of stem cells – embryonic and adult. While the use of some, but not all, embryonic stem cells results in the death of the embryo, […]

Many people with low vision due to macular degeneration or other retinal conditions often find that as their eye condition worsens that their eyeglasses are no longer performing as well as they used to. Even with a new eyeglass prescription, words look blurred and faces appear fuzzy. The dark or blank spot in the center […]

In my last post, I mentioned that one of the reasons not being able to drive isn’t so terrible is because of the years of Orientation & Mobility training I received while in school. Learning how to cross streets, use a cane, even shopping at the grocery store were all skills that I had to learn how to […]

Hi. My name is Robert Kingett. I’m a blind journalist in Chicago. I’m writing to share my experience as a visually impaired young adult living at Friedman Place, one of only two supportive living communities for the blind in the country. As a 23 year old, there were a lot of obstacles in my life. […]

If there’s one major disadvantage to being visually impaired, it’s that getting behind the wheel is nothing more than a pipe dream. If you’re reading this blog post, chances are good that you’re familiar with the dream. Driving is a luxury that folks with similar circumstances will never be able to experience. While I do […]

While dry macular degeneration accounts for 80-90 percent of patients seen in retinal practices, according to Janet Sunness, M.D., head of Hoover Low Vision Services at the Greater Baltimore Area, about “3.5% of the U.S. population age 75 and older have geographic atrophy. In people older than 90, the percentage is 22%.” Geographic atrophy is […]

Geographic atrophy (GA) is an advanced form of dry macular degeneration. While it does progress much slower than wet macular degeneration, the vision loss can be just as severe resulting in a large scotoma or grey, blurry or black spot right in the middle of one’s vision. Other vision changes include blurred vision, the need […]