Age-Related Macular Degeneration Month

Have you ever noticed how many people, places, things, and even a rather unattractive groundhog are designated and honored with a day, a month, or a year?  Now, I am not putting down Punxsutawney Phil because I do want him to see his shadow and promise us an early spring.  In our designation of things, we also should pay homage to values and causes that are important in our history and our health.  I am glad that I am reminded every November of our Veterans on a special day or the Presidents who have served our nation.  Certainly Dr. King’s birthday and Black History Month place an appropriate focus on issues that society is still working to solve.

So, I was delighted when I heard that February is Age-Related Macular Degeneration Month.  More than any other eye disease AMD affects the largest number of people over 65 of European lineage.  In fact, as I write this piece, over 15 million Americans are struggling within its dry form, currently an incurable condition.  It’s projected that if we are not able to solve the riddle of AMD by the year 2050, the number of senior Americans with AMD will be more than 30 million.

The Discovery Eye Foundation is committed to finding the answer that will preserve the vision of millions of people.  Right now research supported by DEF at the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, University of California Irvine, Medical School is on the cutting edge of promising breakthroughs that could make the difference in the lives of so many.  

Please join me in supporting this most worthy effort by contributing whatever you can to DEF and its important work.  Our vision may depend on your generosity.

 

Tom Sullivan
DEF’s Ambassador of Vision
sullivanvision.com

Mitochondrial Revolution: New Hope for AMD and Aging Diseases

How many times have we heard: “This field has been thoroughly studied, and we know all there is to know; there is no reason to continue investigating, because there is nothing more to find out on the subject”? This has been the attitude of some researchers with respect to the importance of mitochondria and diseases. For more than 50 years, we have known that mitochondria, which are the “batteries” of the cell, are critical for energy production. But many believed they did not have other major roles in the health of the cell, so when it came to developing drugs against diseases, mitochondria were overlooked.

That idea has now been turned on its head.

Mitochondria

Led by Discovery Eye Foundation (DEF) Research Director Dr. Cristina Kenney, the Mitochondria Research Group believed that, to really discover something new, you have to look in novel areas. This group has done just that. Using the transmitochondrial cybrid model, which are cell lines with identical nuclei, but with each line containing mitochondria from a different person, they have shown that the mitochondria have major regulation powers over cell behavior and expression of disease-related pathways. This is significant, because the mitochondria then become a target for therapies to combat diseases.

Kenney’s group is investigating various drugs and substances that will keep the mitochondria healthy and, ultimately, improve the health of the retinal cells in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). But it does not stop there. This same approach to developing mitochondria-targeting drugs is being pursued for drugs to treat Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, leukemia, various cancers, heart failure, thrombosis, stroke, diabetic retinopathy, Leber hereditary optic neuropathy, and even liver toxicity from acetaminophen.

The continued support from DEF, especially in the early stages of the mitochondria research, has fostered a new area to be opened up, specifically for AMD and diabetic retinopathy. In turn, this has allowed new collaborations among Kenney and researchers from the eye field, and laboratories studying the brain and neurodegeneration, cardiology, cancer therapies and methods to reduce side effects from cancer drugs. Kenney’s discoveries using cybrids have revolutionized the field of mitochondrial research, showing that mitochondria have wide-ranging biological effects never imagined and opening up the field of mitochondrial therapy to careful investigation.

You can help make a difference by supporting DEF’s sight saving research. Help our researchers advance AMD research by donating today! 

DonateNow

 

Lauren HauptmanLauren Hauptman
Lauren Hauptman Ink

Keep Your Eyes Comfortable During the Cold Winter Months

Harsh weather conditions can reduce the natural moisture in your eyes and the irritation usually results in a burning or itching sensation that often leads to rubbing or scratching your eyes which can worsen the symptoms. Sometimes it feels like there is a foreign object in your eye and for some, dry eyes can even cause excessive tearing, as your eyes try to overcompensate for their lack of protective tears. Prolonged, untreated dry eyes can lead to blurred vision as well. Between the harsh winter winds outside and the dry heat radiating inside, our eyes are very quickly irritated and dried in the winter months.  The result is itchy, dry eyes that may cause pain, blurred vision, a burning sensation, or even watery vision as our eyes try to compensate for the dryness.

What Are The Symptoms?

  • Uncomfortable, stingy, burning or scratchy feeling.
  • Stringy mucus in or around your eyes
  • Increased eye irritation from smoke or wind
  • Eye fatigue
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Eye redness
  • A sensation of having something in your eyes
  • Difficulty wearing contact lenses
  • Periods of excessive tearing
  • Blurred vision, often worsening at the end of the day or after focusing for a prolonged period

10 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR EYES COMFORTABLE DURING THE WINTER MONTHS

Whatever the symptoms, dry eyes can cause significant discomfort during the long winters and relief can seriously improve your quality of life.

  1. To keep eyes moist, apply artificial tears/eye drops a few times a day. If you have chronic dry eyes, speak to your eye doctor about the best product for your condition.
  2. Drink a lot of fluids – keeping your body hydrated will also help maintain the moisture in your eyes.
  3. If you spend a lot of time indoors in heated environments, use a humidifier to add some moisture back into the air.
  4. Try to situate yourself away from sources of heat, especially if they are blowing. While a nice cozy fire can add to the perfect winter evening, make sure to keep your distance so dry eyes don’t ruin it. 
  5. Staring at a computer or digital device for extended amounts of time can further dry out your eyes. If you spend a lot of time staring at the screen, make sure you blink often and practice the 20/20/20 rule – every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Use artificial tears often to lubricate eyes during long periods of using your eyes.
  6. Avoid air blowing in your eyes. Don’t direct hair dryers, car heaters, air conditioners or fans toward your eyes. In your car, direct heat to floor vents and away from your eyes once your windshield is defrosted.
  7. Stop smoking and avoid smoky environments.
  8. Don’t rub your eyes! This will only increase irritation and can also lead to infections if your hands are not clean.
  9. Give your eyes a break and break out your glasses. If your contact lenses are causing further irritation, take a break and wear your glasses for a few hours or days. Also talk to your optometrist about switching to contacts that are better for dry eyes.
  10. Protect your eyes. If you know you are going to be venturing into harsh weather conditions, such as extreme cold or wind, make sure you wear protection. Try large, 100% UV protective eyeglasses and a hat with a visor to keep the wind and particles from getting near your eyes. If you are a winter sports enthusiast, make sure you wear well-fitted ski goggles.

If you find that after following these tips you continue to suffer, contact your eye doctor.

I Can Only Imagine

I can only imagine my wife’s beautiful face.  Oh sure, I’ve touched it and kissed it many times.  I’ve felt the lines with the tips of my fingers, tracing our lives together, and I’ve heard her smile.  I understand that’s not really seeing it.  It’s not seeing her eyes as they sparkle with something funny I said; or, when she looks at me with love reserved only for those who are truly in love.

She’s often tried to explain the flash and colors of a sunset and the cotton softness of clouds as they drift across the sky.  And, what about a rainbow made up of all the colors that somehow promise all of us that things in the world will get better. 

How amazing it would be to see my daughter Blythe skiing her favorite Colorado Mountain trail or my son Tom riding a California wave, both so secure and happy enjoying the sports they love. 

There is so much more I wish I could see, but it’s not going to happen because I am blind.  I am left with only imagining what it’s like to have the gift of sight.

I can only empathize with how a person feels when their vision is threatened by glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, and the most devastating of all, macular degeneration.

At the Discovery Eye Foundation (DEF) our researchers are working every day to overcome the loss of vision and preserve your ability to treasure all the beauty that surrounds you.  I’ve heard it said that the eyes are the windows to the soul.  I don’t know if that’s true, but I am sure that they are the single most important sense in the group of five, and that saving vision is a cause that must be supported.

DEF is committed to that mission, and with your help, answers to all forms of eye disease will be discovered.  It’s up to all of us to support the research that’s bringing us ever closer to those solutions.

If you want to help, please click the button below or download donation form to donate by mail, click here: DEF donation form

DonateNow 

 

 

Tom Sullivan
DEF’s Ambassador of Vision
sullivanvision.com

Beware of Costume Contacts

Costume Contact Lenses such as cat eyes or zombie may make your Halloween costume a bit more frightful although wearing those lenses without a prescription can be more terrifying, as it could result in vision loss or even blindness.

You can buy contact lenses, including decorative contact lenses, from your eye doctor or on the Internet.  It’s very important that you only buy contact lenses from a company that sells FDA-cleared or approved contact lenses and requires you to provide a prescription.  Even if you don’t wear corrective lenses you still need to get fitted properly.

Remember — Buying contact lenses without a prescription is dangerous!

Right now there are a lot of products that you can buy without a prescription but they may not be safe or legal.

You should NEVER buy lenses from:

  • street vendors
  • salons or beauty supply stores
  • boutiques
  • flea markets
  • novelty stores
  • Halloween stores
  • convenience stores
  • beach shops
  • internet sites that do not require a prescription

Know the Risks –

Wearing costume contact lenses can be risky, just like the contact lenses that correct your vision. Wearing any kind of contact lenses, including costume lenses, can cause serious damage to your eyes if the lenses are obtained without a prescription or not used correctly.

These risks include:

  • A cut or scratch on the top layer of your eyeball (Corneal Abrasion)
  • Allergic reactions like itchy, watery red eyes
  • Decreased vision
  • Infection
  • Blindness

Signs of possible eye infection:

  • Redness
  • Pain in the eye(s) that doesn’t go away after a short period of time
  • Decreased vision

If you have any of these signs, you need to see a licensed eye doctor (optometrist or ophthalmologist) right away!  An eye infection could become serious and cause you to become blind if it is not treated.

This Halloween season DEF wants to remind you of the importance of eye safety and to make sure to take the proper steps in ensuring the proper contact lenses. 

The Human Drama

All of us are players in the human drama, and there are moments when we get to observe it up close and very personal. I was in Chicago, preparing to speak in an ophthalmology practice. As I often do, I arrived early to sit in the waiting area and work to get a feel for the energy and style of the practice. I didn’t mean to overhear their conversation, but as I listened, I was deeply touched by their love and in that moment, their fear.

I learned that Charlie was 88 and Rose was 86. I am sure they were holding hands as Rose was saying “Oh, Charlie, I am so sorry about the falls I have had. I just can’t see the step from the kitchen into the family room.”

Charlie tried to comfort her. “It’s alright Dear, the Doctor will give us the answers, and I am sure you’ll be better.”

I didn’t speak to Charlie over the next 40 minutes believing that I would be intruding but sure that he was living every second of the exam going on just a few steps away.

When Rose exited the Doctor’s office, she was supported by the Doctor and a Tech who must have been holding her up because she collapsed into her husband’s arms.

“I’m sorry,” she kept saying.  “I am sorry Charlie. It’s Macular Degeneration.  And, the Doctor says there’s very little he can do for me.”

I could hear Charlie rubbing his wife’s shoulders and telling her that everything would be alright. But, Rose kept saying “I know we’ll have to sell the house and move into something smaller, and I am going to be blind Charlie. Blind.”

Moments like this are happening across the country in ophthalmology and optometry practices every day. 30% of adults, age 60 and older, suffer from this horrible disease, and only through research will answers be found.

The Discovery Eye Foundation is committed to finding those difficult answers and making it possible for people like Rose to see the faces of loved ones for many years to come.

 

Tom Sullivan
DEF’s Ambassador of Vision
sullivanvision.com

 

A Second Vision

Kristin McDonald

For the last few years Kristin McDonald, a former actress and television spokeswoman, has been applying her make-up without the aid of her eyes due to retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that reduces a person’s peripheral vision until all that is left is a pinpoint of sight.

Today, she is in a first stage study that is offering her and others hope that the injection of stem cells might be the mechanism that could slow, and maybe even halt the effects of this horrible disease. Discovery Eye Foundation helped support many of the preliminary translational studies necessary to bring the clinical trial to the FDA and get this exciting, novel approach to the patients.

I am Tom Sullivan, Ambassador of Vision for the Discovery Eye Foundation, and I was rocked when my phone rang recently and I heard the sound of my friend Kristin crying.

“What’s the matter?” I asked with real concern.

Her tears were quickly replaced by laughter, joyous laughter.

“It might be working,” she said, “I mean, the cells just might be having an impact.”

“Meaning your feeling change in your vision?” I asked. 

“Tom,” she went on, “you won’t believe it. This morning when I was getting dressed and putting on my make-up, I saw my mascara in the mirror. Listen, I am not trying to tell you I can see, but since the cells were injected, I can focus on a light and even begin to notice shadows.”

“And, now,” she laughed again, “maybe I can put my mascara on straight!”

Kristin has no illusions about how far the injection of cells will take her; but, she is encouraged, as are many of the other patients who are part of Dr. Henry Klassen’s clinical study helped by DEF’s early stage funding.  Maybe the old phrase really does apply – you probably know the one I mean – “hope springs eternal in the human breast.” That goes for the researchers, the patients, and all of us who treasure the gift of sight.

To read more about Kristin McDonald, visit her website at secondvision.net

 

Tom Sullivan
DEF’s Ambassador of Vision
sullivanvision.com

5 Elements of Accessible Web Design

A common misconception is that all you need to have a successful blog or website is good content. While content people want to read is important, if you can’t see it, or it is difficult to read, very few people are going to take the time to try. There is lots of good content to choose from.

Making your content easy to scan and read and using great graphics that can tell a story are just as important. Especially if you want to reach the millions of potential readers that are blind or visually impaired.

While a person with low vision (due to age-related macular degeneration, cataracts,glaucoma or other eye diseases that are related to aging) can increase font size or graphics by enlarging them with a pinch of the fingers or scroll of the mouse, the result is often blurry and still difficult to see.

If a person is blind and using a screen reader, what they hear may not match what is written or displayed. A picture without underlying descriptive text is worthless. And when a blind person is using a screen reader to read a web site, they will often tab from link to link to scan your article, skipping over your text, to get a sense of what the options are. “Click here” says doesn’t tell the reader anything.

Here are 5 essential elements of accessible web design.

5 elements of accessible web design

12/15/15

Susan DeRemerSusan DeRenmer, CFRE
Vice President of Development
Discovery Eye Foundation

I See You

8/12/14

This is the second article from Kooshay Malek, a blind therapist in Los Angeles. Her first article, The Habit of Seeing, discussed losing her vision and her choice of becoming a marriage and family therapist. Here she discusses at how she uses her vision loss to help her patients.

When I started as a therapist, I was really concerned about my blindness. I had faced prejudice in other jobs. With my first few clients, I gave them this whole spiel at the beginning, explaining about being blind and about why I wear dark glasses.Therapy cloud - blind therapist My supervisor said not to work so hard to explain. He thought it was a nonissue: “If you were blonde and blue-eyed, would you be describing that over the phone to them?” he asked. He was right. It didn’t faze most people. In the 11 years I’ve been practicing, only a few people had a problem with it. To this day, once in a while, it may come out organically that I’m blind. Most of the time, I don’t tell them beforehand.

I think I pick up on certain nuances sighted therapists may miss. I sense shifts in energy in the room. I have very strong attunements: I notice the slightest change in tone of voice — or even in their silences — and I know something’s going on. If necessary, we talk about my blindness, and we process my blindness in the session. I don’t leave it as an elephant in the room. The main concern of everybody who comes to therapy, whether they are seeing a blind person or not, is, “Am I going to be heard and understood?” In this case, they may wonder if my blindness will affect whether I can hear and understand them. I say: “Well, we’ll have to wait and see. If there is something you think I can’t understand, would you be able to tell me?” That makes them self-sufficient in asking for help or expressing a need. Many patients tell me they find it so much easier to talk to me, because I don’t have my eye on them, so to speak, like a microscope. They find it close to the traditional psychoanalyst’s couch, where the therapist would sit behind them and not look at their face. They find out I see them better than anyone else in their life. That’s the reward of it. Especially with clients who have self-image and self-esteem issues. I get to see who is inside, not who is outside, and that’s powerful by itself. People open up more easily. My blindness is a really quiet, subtle intervention in the room at all times. It’s always present. It’s a gift I carry in there with me, and I use it.

Kooshay Malek - seeingKooshay Malek
Marriage and Family Therapist
Los Angeles, CA

The Habit of Seeing

7/22/14

We often take our vision for granted – and if you lose it, your life is turned upside down. I met Kooshay Malek at a Pacific Palisades Lions Club meeting and was amazed by her story. She has agreed to share with you how she “gave up seeing.” This three-part series will explore losing her vision, how it affected her career choice and how she expresses her creative nature.
kooshay malek
My eyes are what brought me to the US. I was 16 when my father and I came here from Tehran, Iran, for eye treatment. My case was an unusual case: We still, to this day, don’t have a name for it, but it’s retinal tumors of some sort. My case had been through Europe, Russia, Israel, to different conferences, and they sent me to the US as a final recourse. During that time, in 1982, it was the Iran-Iraq war, and the airports were not open. My dad and I had to get special permits to get out for medical reasons. Then to get American visas, we were stuck in Frankfurt for a couple of months waiting. It was a very challenging time. Long story short, we got to Boston, and I started receiving treatments on my left eye. It didn’t respond well, and I became totally blind on the left side. Meanwhile, I could still see 20/20 on my right side. We moved to LA, where we had friends for support, and my mother and sister joined us. I was 18 when my right eye started going bad, and I started going to UCLA/Jules Stein for treatment. I went blind in that eye when I was 22.

My father passed away two years after I lost my sight. I finished college and went through independence training at Foundation for the Junior Blind in LA. I eventually decided to go back to school to get a master’s degree in psychology, because I realized I’m a good listener and I’m always wanting to help people, so I thought it would be a good way to channel that. And as a blind person, I didn’t think I had too many career choices.

I’ve been licensed as a marriage and family therapist for the past five years. I have a part-time practice, I do volunteer work at the clinic where I did my internship, and I help train up-and-coming therapists. I think one of the reasons I was so drawn to this field is the fact that when I became totally blind while I was in college, I was able to receive free counseling through school. But once I got out, I was looking for support groups and the camaraderie I had found during independence training — being around other blind people and helping each other emotionally. I couldn’t find anything like that. The only support groups I found were for seniors, so I just found a low-fee therapist to get some support. I’d lost my dad, lost my eyes, lost my country. I was dealing with so many losses. I think that’s why I’m so passionate about doing volunteer work in this area. I tried to pull together a support group for some blind clients, but it didn’t work out, partially due to transportation and location and the same stuff blind people always run into, but I do offer low- or no-fee counseling to them. I also have good relationships with some rehab counselors who refer people to me. I think therapy is an important part of rehabilitation; you have to approach this holistically.

I’ve always been very proactive and resourceful. I’ve often thought, “If only there were a 12-step program for blind people.” I’ve always been able to relate to people in these types of programs: They have to give up a habit that’s no longer working for them, and they have to put their lives back together, step by step, day by day, one day at a time. I really related to that: I had to give up the habit of seeing.

Kooshay Malek - seeingKooshay Malek
Marriage and Family Therapist
Los Angeles, CA