Category Archives: Retinitis Pigmentosa

Gloria ARGUS II Gloria Fisher, a wife and mother, has become completely blind over the course of her life. At a young age she was diagnosed with an eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa. With this disease... By: Charlotte Souter … Continue reading →

Natural Alternatives for Retinitis Pigmentosa and Other Degenerative Retinal Diseases Your retina is the thin light-sensitive membrane that covers around 65 percent of the interior surface of the back of your eyeball with millions of nerve cel... By: Hippokrates … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise Dr. Robert Devenyi and Dr. Samuel Markowitz will give a presentation followed by a Q and A session on the successful implantation of Canadas first eye prosthesis system, a device that restores functional vision in patients with forms of advanced retinitis pigmentosa, on Tuesday, October 14 at 11 a.m. (ET). Dr. Devenyi is Ophthalmologist-in-Chief and Director, Retinal Services at UHN and performed the surgery to implant the Argus device. Dr. Markowitz is a low-vision rehabilitation specialist at Toronto Western Hospital. Following their formal remarks, Drs. Devenyi and Markowitz will field questions from the media. WHO: Dr. Robert Devenyi, Dr. Samuel Markowitz The first two patients to receive the Argus Retinal Prosthesis System. WHAT: Presentation followed by Q & A Embargo lifts at 12 p.m. ET WHEN: Follow this link: Krembil Neuroscience Centre's Donald K. Johnson Eye Centre to Announce Successful Implant of Argus Retinal Prosthesis ... … Continue reading →

CTVNews.ca Staff Published Tuesday, October 14, 2014 12:13PM EDT Last Updated Tuesday, October 14, 2014 6:03PM EDT For the first time ever in Canada, two patients with severely impaired vision have received bionic eyes that will not restore their sight, but will allow them to once again perceive light. Doctors at Toronto Western Hospital say the two patients have retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative disease in which the retina progressively becomes so damaged that most, if not all, vision is lost. The bionic eye is known officially as the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis Device, and has two parts: The patient is outfitted with a pair of glasses with a built-in video camera, while a prosthesis the size of a pencil eraser is surgically implanted onto the retina. Information from the camera is wirelessly transmitted to electrodes in the implant and converted to electrical pulses. These electrical pulses are turned into images, which are transmitted to the brain, Toronto Westerns Dr. Robert Devenyi explained to CTV News. The patient must undergo intensive rehabilitation to learn how to process these images, he said. The device stimulates the retina the same way that light normally does, just electronically, Devenyi said. It really allows us … Continue reading →

Much to offer: Scott Grimley has overcome obstacles to build a successful career at the National Museum of Australia. Photo: Rohan Thomson Scott Grimley is a valued employee of the National Museum of Australia. He is also legally blind. Despite being declared legally blind 16 years ago due to a condition Retinitis Pigmentosa, his vision impairment hasn't stopped the 43-year-old from building a successful career. Since joining the museum 14 years ago, Mr Grimley has held five different roles, earned several promotions and is now the diversity and wellbeing officer. He believes employers have a lot to gain from hiring people who are blind or visually impaired. Advertisement "You may find your staff are a bit more aware of workplace health and safety and you may find that staff are a bit more aware of customer needs," he said. Mr Grimley admits he struggled to find employment in the early days of losing his sight and spent several years unemployed despite applying for a variety of roles he felt capable of doing. With the support of Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, Mr Grimley accessed mobility training to use a white cane and a Miniguide - a hand-held sonar-driven device that vibrates when … Continue reading →

A WINTERBOURNE couple who act as co-ordinators for a charity fighting blindness have helped launch an appeal for used stamps. Ron and Gina Pritchard work to make more people in South Gloucestershire aware of the disease retinitis pigmentosa, which is known as RP and leads to loss of vision and blindness. The organisation RP Fighting Blindness also raises money for vital research aimed at finding a treatment or cure for the 25,000 people in the UK alone who are affected by the condition. The appeal involves supporters tearing off stamps from letters and sending them to the charity via the Pritchards so they can be sold on to stamp dealers. Anyone who wants to get involved should tear off the corner of envelopes bearing the stamp rather than peeling or steaming them off and send them to 22 Huckford Road, Winterbourne, Bristol, BS36 1EA. The couple also give talks to local groups about RP. Any organisation that would like to hear more about the disease should phone 01454 772927. More: Stamping down on eye disease … Continue reading →

A North Carolina man who's been blind for 33 years recently got his sight back with the help of a groundbreaking "bionic eye." Larry Hester lost the ability to see after being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa -- a disease that slowly wore down his retinas-- in his early 30s, according to the Duke University Eye Center. There's no known cure, so the 66-year-old tire salesman has been in the dark for more than half of his life. In September, an electronic stimulator was surgically implanted in Hester's left eye. The result? Light. And lots of it. "Yes. Oh my goodness. Yes!" Hester exclaims in a video after doctors ask if he can see anything. His ecstatic wife runs over and kisses him. While Hester's vision will never fully return, he hopes it will improve enough that he can distinguish between doors and walls. Watch the video below or by tapping here: Link: 'Bionic eye' helps blind man see after 33 years … Continue reading →

Durham, N.C. The moment a North Carolina man blinded for 33 years sees again with a bionic eye was captured in this heartwarming video. Larry Hester lost his vision due to retinitis pigmentosa. But a new electronic system can help him see shapes and light, according to The New York Daily News. Duke Medicineposted the touching video to YouTube earlier this week. The YouTube description reads: Larry Hester, 66, has been blind for half his life from a condition called retinitis pigmentosa. In September, 2014, an electronic stimulator was surgically implanted in his left eye. On October 1st, 2014 Duke eye surgeon Dr. Paul Hahn turned it on for the first time. While the device does not restore vision in the normal sense, it provides light-and-darkness differentiation. Hes the seventh person in the United States to receive the visual aid since the device, known as the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, was approved by the FDA. Duke is only the fourth center in the country to implant the device since approval. Learn more here:http://www.dukemedicine.org/blog/#!/n Go here to see the original: Watch: North Carolina man blinded for 33 years sees again with bionic eye … Continue reading →

Support Retina Australia One in every 3000 children born will contract Retinitis Pigmentosa, the leading cause of youth blindness. Don Burke is a patron of Retina Australia. Help Do... By: BurkesBackyard … Continue reading →

Larry Hester and Paul Hahn, MD, prepare for the first test run with the new bionic eye. (Photo Credit: Shawn Rocco at Duke Medicine) People diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease are seeing a new future thanks to bionic eye technology. For decades, Larry Hester adjusted to life without vision after retinitis pigmentosa caused the photoreceptor cells in his eyes to gradually die off. But this week, Hesters sight was partially restored following surgery that transformed his eye into a bionic eye. Hes now the seventh person to undergo this FDA-approved procedure. Hester received the device in September, but he tested his bionic eye for the first time yesterday as captured in the video below: The device Hester uses to see is called the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis system, which the FDA approved for use in patients with advanced retinitis pigmentosa last year. The disease affects about 100,000 people in the United States, and roughly 10,000 individuals vision has deteriorated to a level that makes them eligible for the procedure. The device uses a camera thats mounted on a pair of Rec-Spec-like glasses, which feeds visual data to a processor clipped on a belt. The processor converts visual data into … Continue reading →