Kale as Treatment for Wet AMD

The kale nutrients that are most important to us who are concerned about macular degeneration is lutein and zeaxanthin. These carotenoids are powerful antioxidants that protect the macula – a tiny spot in the middle of the retina that gives us our straight ahead vision.

But that’s not the only health benefit of kale. This cruciferous vegetable is a rich source of calcium, Vitamins A and C along with the powerful macular degeneration antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin.

As far back as 1994 a Harvard study was done by Dr. Johanna Seddon. The conclusion of that study was that those who ate at least 5 servings of dark leafy greens per week had a 43% lower risk of developing AMD than those who ate small amounts or none at all.

For more info:

http://www.webrn-maculardegeneration.com/kale-nutrients.html

Trick for Reading with Macular Degeneration

People who have difficulty reading because of macular degeneration and other eye diseases may benefit from a simple trick of turning a page sideways, says a study in the September issue of Optometry and Vision Science. Macular degeneration results in loss of vision in the center of the eye’s viewing field, which can interfere with reading. Turning the page 90 degrees clockwise significantly improved people’s ability to read words using the peripheral vision surrounding the central field of vision, the study found.

For more info:

http://online.wsj.com/articles/a-simple-reading-trick-for-people-with-vision-problems-1411410171

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25062130

http://journals.lww.com/optvissci/Abstract/2014/09000/Learning_to_Read_Vertical_Text_in_Peripheral.11.aspx

Limit Ranibizumab Injections in Macular Degeneration

The lucky number is 7 — or 7.1 to be exact — the mean optimum number of injections of intravitreal ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) that should be given during the first year of treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration, according to a new meta-analysis.

The results suggest that beyond 7 injections, there is little likelihood of additional gains in visual acuity, said Heinrich Gerding, MD, an ophthalmologist in the Department of Retinology at Pallas Clinic Olten in Switzerland.

for more info: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/832020?src=rss

Low Tech – High Impact

This article by Leslie Degner, RN, BSN

During a recent conversation with my father-in-law who has wet macular degeneration, he asked if we would send him another penlight. He uses it all the time and carries it with him everywhere, right in his pocket. Many times it’s not magnification that’s needed to see better but rather more light.

With a quick push of a button he can see the buttons on the microwave, find an electric cord outlet, or read the wording on a bottle.

Simple Solution

The benefits of this little light are:

1. Super Bright

The extra source of super bright LED light provides clarity and visibility.

2. Lightweight and Small

Carry it in your pocket or clip it onto your shirt pocket.

3. Convenient

You don’t have to get to a lamp to see.

4. Durable

The new LED lights means you never get a broken bulb because they last for 1000’s of hours. The lens is unbreakable and scratch resistant. Despite several drops his is still going strong.

5. Easy to replace AAA battery

6. Inexpensive

The penlight we purchased costs just under $20.

For more Info:

http://www.webrn-maculardegeneration.com/WebRNMacular_Degeneration_News-pocket-light.html

App for macular degeneration available for Android

The original and new app has been designed to test ‘eccentric viewing’, which scrolls the text at a steady pace through the reader’s peripheral vision, enabling those with macular degeneration to read text. The app, which is free and now available for both Android and iPad, lets readers read text from an eBook (or any ePub document) to be scrolled in a single line, much like a news ticker tape. Users can adjust the speed of scrolling using the track pad to find a comfortable reading speed on the screen that suits them.

The app also means users can change text size, text colour and background colours as well as the speed of scrolling. It also includes a movable fixation point on the screen to help people to use their best point of vision. Text can also be scrolled backwards as well as forwards, so if a word is missed, the user can scroll backwards to recap. There is also a screen with a menu of all readable books and documents that is searchable.

To install the App, users will need a Google Play account. Once this has been set up, search for MDev_Reader on Google Play and follow the on screen instructions to download and install the app.

For more info:

http://www.humboldt.co.uk/mdev_reader-app-for-those-suffering-with-macular-degeneration-now-available-on-android-platform/

Woman Receives First Stem Cell Therapy Using Her Own Skin Cells

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Japan surgically transplanted a sheet of retinal pigment cells into the eye of a 70-year old woman with macular degeneration.

The cells are the first induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, given to a human patient. They were made by Masayo Takahashi, who grew them from the patient’s own skin cells, which were treated with four genetic factors to revert back to an embryonic-like state. Takahashi then soaked the cells with the appropriate growth factors and other compounds so they developed into retinal pigment cells.

It’s not known whether the cells will continue to grow and form abnormal tumors, or whether they will migrate to other parts of the body. But now that the first patient has received them, those questions – and more, about the effectiveness of stem cell therapy – might be answered soon.

for more info:  http://time.com/3340766/stem-cell-therapy-skin-cells/

Google Drive & Docs updated for Low Vision

Google is in the midst of rolling out improvements for Drive and all of its productivity apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, and Forms) specifically with blind and low-vision users in mind.

Aimed primarily at education users, the internet giant collaborated with a number of experts on this project, including the National Federation of the Blind and the University of Michigan.

The new features include refreshable Braille display support for reading and entering text, an updated keyboard shortcut help dialog for faster searches, and more screen reader improvements (specifically for Docs, Sheets and Slides) for tasks such as spelling suggestions and revision history.

For more info: http://www.zdnet.com/google-drive-apps-retooled-for-blind-and-low-vision-users-7000033580/?s_cid=e019&ttag=e019&ftag=TREd47db54