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News items on 'Blindness And Partial Sight'
Blind see again with bionic eye
(The Scotsman 21/11/2009)
BLIND people are being helped to see again with a "bionic" eye. Three Britons are among only 32 in the world taking part in a trial of the technology, which gave a 51-year-old man enough eyesight to read short words for the first time in his adult life. Another patient was able to see fireworks on Bonfire Night for the first time in 40 years. A third patient has also been able to recognise some letters.
Blind veterans seek help not cash
(BBC 08/10/2009)
Practical help is the most important element of support for ex-service personnel who lose their sight, research by a UK charity suggests. A survey by St Dunstan's found almost half of 160 people questioned valued this most. Only 15% said financial aid was a priority. It said an holistic approach helped people rebuild their lives. The research comes on World Sight Day, which aims to raise awareness of blindness and visual impairment.
NHS 'failing' people losing sight
(BBC 16/09/2009)
The support available to people losing their sight is "a national disgrace", according to a leading charity. The Royal National Institute of Blind People says that - of the 100 people who will lose their sight today - only eight will be offered counselling. RNIB's campaign - called Lost and Found - has the support of best-selling author, Sue Townsend who is now blind. The government says it is committed to working with disabled people, including the provision of support services.
(BBC 11/09/2009)
On approaching the flying eye hospital, it looks like any of the other passenger jets on the runway waiting to fly to exotic destinations. But this DC-10 jet is exceptional - it houses the only airborne operating theatre for eye treatment in the world. Its mission is to tackle avoidable sight loss and its charter reaches developing countries where 90% of the world's 45 million blind people live. Next stop is India, a country that has one of the highest rates of blindness among children.
Stem cells discovery offers hope to the blind
(The Scotsman 25/08/2009)
SCIENTISTS have transformed human skin cells into early versions of the eye cells that generate vision. The research raises the future prospect of restoring sight to the blind with stem cell treatments. A US team used as raw material for the study human skin cells that were genetically "reprogrammed" to possess the same properties as embryonic stem cells. Known as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, they have the potential to develop into virtually every kind of tissue in the body.
How a tooth let me see my wife for the first time
(Daily Express 04/07/2009)
A BLIND man saw his wife for the first time after a tooth was transplanted into his eye to restore his sight. Martin Jones was blinded 12 years ago when a tub of white hot aluminium exploded in his face. The eight-hour procedure involved using one of his teeth as a lens holder in his right eye. Martin, 42, from Rotherham, South Yorks, said: "I met Gill when I was blind. When I found out there was a chance I would get my sight back the first person I wanted to see was her. "
Sight loss 'costs' £6.5bn - RNIB
(BBC 15/06/2009)
A major UK charity says the cost of sight loss to the economy runs into billions of pounds. The Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) is also predicting that there will be almost 4m people with sight loss by 2050. It is urging the government to act now to prevent "avoidable" blindness. The government says it has cut waiting times for cataract surgery, and people with wet AMD now have access to medication under new guidelines.
Scots sight problems 'to double'
(BBC 28/04/2009)
A "worrying" rise in the numbers of people in Scotland with sight problems has been forecast, organisers of a conference on blindness have warned. The number of people with a degree of visual impairment was expected to more than double in the next 25 years. The increase has been linked to an ageing population and poor health.
Bionic eye gives blind man sight
(BBC 04/03/2009)
A man who lost his sight 30 years ago says he can now see flashes of light after being fitted with a bionic eye. Ron, 73, had the experimental surgery seven months ago at London's Moorfield's eye hospital. He says he can now follow white lines on the road, and even sort socks, using the bionic eye, known as Argus II. It uses a camera and video processor mounted on sunglasses to send captured images wirelessly to a tiny receiver on the outside of the eye.
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