WEB SEARCH

Google, the Web-search giant, operates an accessible search site attuned to
the needs of visually impaired users. The service prioritizes its list of Web sites based on simplicity and how well they work with
screen-reading software. Google’s accessible search strategies aim to
help visually impaired readers in several ways, including accessible email, maps with textual directions, a calendar with a speech-friendly user interface, and, of course, searching the Web. Audio alternatives are available for all services that use Google accounts. Google invites users to participate in a user community—sharing tips and identifying what does and does not work well in its accessible services.

The community is found at: groups.google.com/group/accessible.
The Google Accessible Search site is found
at: labs.google.com/accessible.


Lifeglow

Jan. - Feb. 2009 Vol. 26, No. 1

Doubleday Large Print Book Club

Doubleday Large Print Book Club
 
Get 4 books for 99¢ with membership to Doubleday Large Print®. Enjoy the latest bestsellers, suspense, romance, memoirs, cookbooks, and more. in easy to read large print. Our books feature larger, 16-point type, extra spacing between lines and words, and special ink for a more comfortable reading experience. Join today with this fabulous introductory offer and enjoy our new policy of no automatic shipments, ever! 

http://www.doubledaylargeprint.com/pages/nm/nmhomepage.jsp?YSID=1323&YTID=BP1_01_a2365_H105&PID=695518&AID=10422207&SID=

The incandescent light bulb phase out does not mandate CFLs as a replacement

Last night, I cried out at my TV as I watched the NBC Nightly News story on the upcoming incandescent light bulb phase out. The very first line delivered by the reporter was inaccurate and misleading and I knew it. 
“At 131 years old, Thomas Edison’s bright idea may be due for a makeover,” said NBC’s Chief Environmental Affairs Correspondent Anne Thompson, “but the government-mandated transition from the incandescent to the compact fluorescent – the CFL – isn’t winning many style points.”
“That’s not true,” I hollered at the TV, sending my cat flying off the sofa. You would think I was watching the Superbowl instead of the nightly news by the way I was shouting at my flatscreen.
It’s really not true! The federally-mandated phase out of inefficient incandescent light bulbs does not in any way specify that consumers must only buy mercury-laden CFLs. The new energy efficiency standards, set to start in 2012, say we can replace our energy-wasting incandescent bulbs with any lighting technology that is roughly 30 percent more efficient than traditional incandescent light bulbs.
That means we could light our homes and businesses with CFLs, but it also means we can choose energy-efficient LED lighting. It even means we could turn to slightly more efficient incandescents that use halogen technology (although this borderline defeats the purpose of the standards, since halogens just barely make the energy-efficiency cut).



  How Did They Ignore LEDS?
Disappointingly, last night’s NBC Nightly News story didn’t even mention LEDs. Although, if you visit the show’s website, you’ll see a clip that never made it on-air showing LED lighting as an option. But even that clip contained misinformation, because it wrongly stated that LEDs and CFLs are both 75 percent more efficient than incandescent lighting. Cree LED lights, like the CR6 LED downlight, are nearly 85 percent more efficient than incandescent lighting.  And while 10 percent might not seem like much, if you have 10 to 20 downlights—or more—it adds up!

  Phase Out Opposition is Puzzling
Unfortunately, as we draw closer to the first step of the incandescent phase out, which begins in 2012, more misinformation about the energy efficiency standards will probably penetrate the media. It doesn’t help that Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) is leading an effort to repeal the energy-efficiency standards. Supporters of reversing the phase out say the government shouldn’t mandate what type of lights we can use. They also say the incandescent phase out is costing the U.S. jobs after recent closings of traditional light bulb factories.
But what naysayers don’t mention is that we’ve created jobs by investing in new technologies, not old wasteful ones. So while incandescents and CFLs are almost entirely made outside the U.S., Cree was adding jobs and expanding manufacturing in North Carolina. In fact, we’ve added nearly 2,000 U.S. jobs focused on energy-efficient lighting in the past 10 years.

In September, we announced at a press conference that Cree has added more than 600 jobs since early 2009, surpassing our 2012 hiring goals set in fall 2009.

 
Also, this is not about the government mandating what we can and cannot consume. It is about setting national efficiency standards that save money for energy users, protect customers from out-of-date technologies that are overly expensive to operate, boost innovation and protect the environment.

On the Bright Side
Fortunately, it appears that most Americans are down with making the switch to energy-efficient lighting. A new USA TODAY/Gallup poll reports that nearly three out of four U.S. adults – or 71 percent –say they have replaced traditional light bulbs in their home in recent years with CFLs or LEDs. Additionally, 84 percent say they’re “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the alternatives, according to the survey of 1,016 U.S. adults taken Feb. 15 to 16.
Many businesses, cities and universities are taking the lead on switching to energy-efficient LED lighting. You can see some of these LED lighting revolutionaries here.
For a complete rundown on what the new energy-efficiency standards mean for lighting, I highly recommend you read this informative, easy-to-understand document from the National Resources Defense Council. That way, I won’t be the only one yelling at the TV (or newspaper or computer or radio or mobile device) the next time a misleading news about the phase out  is reported.

1. http://www.creeledrevolution.com/blog/2011/02/22/the-incandescent-light-bulb-phase-out-does-not-mandate-cfls-as-a-replacement/

VISION CENTER

For seniors: Vision center to provide clearer outlook

Written by Liz Skalka
Wednesday, 20 April 2011 09:30




Steve Glaser and Paul Diana, longtime members of the Easton Lions Club, which is co-sponsoring the Easton Senior Center’s low vision program, stand by a high-definition monitor at the town clerk’s office. Similar monitors will be installed at the senior center for the program.

Those with low vision — impaired sight that cannot be fully treated with corrective lenses — have a resource at the Easton Senior Center to help them see the world in a much clearer light.

In partnership with the Easton Lions Club, the senior center has launched a new low vision program aimed at helping people who suffer from this degree of poor vision.

The program, set to officially start in May, has been paid for entirely with help from the Lions Club, as well as grants.

“When you get to a certain age there are very few people who don’t wear glasses or have a need to magnify what they’re reading,” said Val Buckley, senior center director, of the need for such a program.

In Fairfield County alone there are 350,000 people who are visually impaired, according to Ms. Buckley.

The low vision center is headquartered in a large room at the Easton Senior Center and offers different items that may be used or loaned, some of which require a doctor’s referral.

The room stores several Optelec readers to help those with low vision view different kinds of materials, Ms. Buckley explained. The senior center has been loaning out its five readers for several years. They were acquired through donations and are valued at about $2,500 each.

“For those who have problems with visual acuity, it’s phenomenal,” Ms. Buckley said. “It improves vision so incredibly … they can start to read again and connect with the outside world.”

The readers magnify the texts of newspapers and checkbooks, for example, so they can be read by anyone.

Many visual aids, such as television magnifiers, exist to help people stay involved in the world around them. “People become lonely because they can’t be aware of what’s on television,” Ms. Buckley said.
Technology

But the newest pieces of technology that will soon be available through the program are special high-definition, low-energy computer monitors. The senior center is expecting to receive seven of these in coming weeks.

Ms. Buckley said the idea for the monitors came about though a collaboration with her husband, town clerk Derek Buckley, who is also receiving seven monitors for his office at no direct cost to Easton taxpayers.

The larger monitors may help residents easily search for land and title records, which are available digitally through the town clerk’s office.

Many seniors are interested in accessing information about their homes available through the town, Ms. Buckley said.

Ms. Buckley hopes the monitors and readers and the collection of large-print books and games, books on tape, and Braille items, along with continued support from the Lions Club, will help the low vision program become a regional resource funded entirely through donations. Achieving this could one day help the senior center secure additional funding for more types of programming for residents, she said.
Centers

Few low vision centers exist in the area. Danbury Hospital and Yale-New Haven Hospital both have one. Ms. Buckley said her goal is to one day have a hospital sponsor the senior center’s low vision program.

A total of $40,000 is needed to fund the overall concept for the program, though, which includes additional monitors. So far about $27,000 has been secured, Ms. Buckley said.

Derek Buckley assisted with applying for a $9,000 grant from the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). Also, the senior center has been awarded $3,000 from the United Illuminating Co. for its installation of the monitors, which are considered to be environmentally friendly.

The Easton Lions Club has supported the Easton Senior Center in various ways throughout the years, said Steve Glaser, Easton Lions Club membership chair.

For this project, the Lions Club, a civic organization that often supports causes related to eyesight, helped purchase the computer monitors and also helped spruce up the low vision room. Mr. Glaser said the program is still in an early stage.

“We certainly hope that the center grows,” he said. “We hope that the people in need in the area get to know about it and partake in it. To some extent it’s aimed at people who may not have insurance to cover things but they still need the help. Some of the things she (Val Buckley) will be providing will be free of charge.”

SIGHT RESTORED AFTER 55 YEARS

Man has sight restored after 55 years

Published on Wednesday 20 July 2011 21:43

After 55 years, a man who was blind in one eye has had his sight restored, The Daily Telegraph reported. The man was left completely blind in his right eye after being struck by a stone when he was eight.
The 63-year-old man’s unique case was explained in a journal article that detailed his loss of vision due to retinal detachment, where the light-sensitive retina peels off the back of the eye. The man then developed neovascular glaucoma (where abnormal new blood vessels begin growing inside the eye), which caused increased pressure in the eye, while clotted blood also collected in the chamber at the front of the eye. The man was not able to perceive any light in this eye. The case report described how after the blood was removed and the pressure in his damaged eye was reduced, the man was able to perceive some light for the first time in decades. This and the healthy colour of his retina prompted his doctors to attempt to reattach his retina.
After two operations, the man was able to count fingers from a distance of five metres. The authors of the case report said: “to the best of our knowledge, there has been no previous similar report of visual recovery in a patient with long standing traumatic retinal detachment”. As this was a case report of one person, it is unclear whether similar outcomes could be achieved in other people with long-standing retinal detachment. Nevertheless, this report highlights that attempted reattachment may be an option even in people with long-standing retinal detachment.

Where did the story come from?

The medical procedures were carried out by researchers from the Einhorn Clinical Research Center, New York. The study was published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports.
BBC News and The Daily Telegraph reported the research well.

What kind of research was this?

This was a case report of a 63-year-old man who had lost vision in his right eye 55 years before, after he was struck in the eye with a stone. The trauma caused him to go blind in that eye (he could not perceive light) due to the detachment of his retina, the light-sensitive layer lining the back of the eyeball. Although the initial injury occurred decades earlier, the man came to the attention of doctors at the age of 63, after he went to the doctor with pain and clotted blood filling the entire anterior chamber at the front of his eye (the part between the coloured iris and the clear cornea that covers the front of the eye). This collection of blood is called a total hyphema.
The patient had increased pressure in the eyeball which, after the anterior eye chamber was washed out and treatment given to control the pressure, was found to be due to neovascular glaucoma, a form of glaucoma involving the growth of new blood vessels inside the eye. This had developed as a consequence of the retinal detachment. The doctors then used a drug to treat this blood vessel growth. The patient regained some ability to perceive light and the doctors carried out a procedure to reattach his retina. Following this operation, the patient recovered some ability to see in his right eye.

What did the research involve?

As this was a case report, the research paper described in detail the medical history of a man who regained some functional vision after a long period of blindness in one eye caused by a detached retina.
When the man went to his doctor, as well as pain and redness in his eye, he also had diabetes and high pressure in his eye (60mmHg, compared to 16-21mmHg seen in most people’s eyes).
The man initially underwent a procedure to lower the pressure in his eye, and the anterior chamber of the eye was washed out. When the doctors carried out these procedures, they diagnosed that the raised pressure was due to neovascular glaucoma. The loss of oxygenated blood supply to the retina when it detached had caused abnormal new blood vessels to grow in the anterior chamber at the front of the eye in an attempt to try to restore the blood supply. The doctors administered injections of a drug called bevacizumab into the eye to stop the growth of new blood vessels.
Over eight weeks, the pressure in the man’s right eye began to come down and the man could perceive some light in his damaged eye. As the man had responded well to treatment, the doctors performed a procedure to see if reattaching his retina would improve his vision further.

What were the basic results?

After the surgery, the man’s vision improved so that he could count fingers held up five metres from him. He received two types of anti-glaucoma medication and the pressure in his right eye came down to around 12-17mmHg. Over the next year, his eye pressure remained stable.
One year after treatment, he was found to have areas of scarring on his retina and some retinal detachment. Further procedures were carried out to restore the attachment of the retina.
The man’s visual improvements in the damaged eye appeared to be sustained, and he was still able to count fingers at 5 metres.

How did the researchers interpret the results?

The researchers said that with modern surgical techniques, a greater than 90% success rate can be expected following repair of a typical retinal detachment. However, they pointed out that the amount of vision regained may vary. They said that the most important predictor of visual recovery after retinal detachment repair is a patient’s quality of sight before surgery. They also said that a shorter duration of detachment and younger age are important in visual recovery. The researchers said “to the best of our knowledge, there has been no previous similar report of visual recovery in a patient with long standing traumatic retinal detachment”.

Conclusion

This unusual case report described the restoration of some vision in a man who had not been able to perceive light in his right eye for 55 years after traumatic retinal detachment in that eye when he was child.
This report suggests that it may be possible to reattach the retina and allow a person to regain vision after a longer period of detachment than previously thought. While it does suggest that there may be an opportunity to treat problems that were once considered inoperable, the researchers point out that this man’s retina had remained healthy despite being detached for a long time. They also believe that the patient was able to regain vision because of the location of retinal detachment. As this was a case report of the treatment of just one person with specific circumstances, it is not possible to say whether other people with long-standing traumatic or non-traumatic retinal detachment would have similarly positive results.
Nevertheless, a case report such as this is useful as it shows that reattaching a retina after a long period of retinal detachment could be a therapeutic option. Further research is needed to determine the overall success rate.

POOR REFEREES AND UMPIRES

Soccer and baseball season has begun. Someone once asked my husband why I didn't yell during a soccer game and his reply was "she yells enough at home". I've never been one to yell at sporting events but I do cheer for the team and my sons. Some spectators can get out of hand. Last night I heard a never comment I have to share. Ref you need glasses is always said but I heard someone add you need bifocals. This was yelled several times. For someone who has worn bifocals and trifocals over the years this was funny to me. Refs and umpires are always getting harassed. The good ones are those who just focus on the players and the game.

Lutein and Retina Detachment

Lutein and Retina Detachment

Overview

The retina covers the inside of the back section of your eye. This tissue consists of light-sensitive cells that play a crucial part in the visual process. If the retina pulls away from the back of the eye, either from injury or an eye condition, this can result in serious, and sometimes permanent, vision loss. Nutrients such as lutein cannot prevent or treat a detachment, but lutein might offer other benefits for your retina.

Symptoms 

A detached retina will often cause a sudden change in vision. You might notice that you have a curtain or dark veil that covers all or part of the vision in your eye. Instead of complete vision loss, you might notice many new floaters, and these black spots might obstruct your vision.

Lutein

Lutein, an antioxidant nutrient, often accompanies zeaxanthin, a similar antioxidant. The retina holds large quantities of these two nutrients. Studies have found that lutein helps reduce the risk of certain eye diseases such as macular degeneration, but, as of 2011, no study has shown a specific connection to retinal detachments. However, in a 2009 study, researchers evaluated the effects of lutein in people with inflamed retinal tissue. The findings showed that the presence of lutein in the tissue might help protect the retinal nerves from damage during periods of inflammation.


Although this study does not relate directly to a detachment, a retinal detachment might result from inflammation, and, in theory, retinal nerves that have benefited from the protective effects of lutein might aid in healing and restoration of vision after surgical repair of the detachment.

Sources

Your body does not produce lutein, so you need to use diet or supplements to bring lutein into your body. Lutein-rich foods include dark green, leafy vegetables such as kale, collard greens and spinach. Other foods such as corn, broccoli and green beans also provide lutein, but do not have the rich lutein content of leafy greens.


If you do not follow a diet that gives you enough lutein, your doctor might recommend that you take a daily supplement. The amount of lutein you need will depend on your diet, health and the medications you use. Certain multivitamins contain lutein, and studies suggest lutein might help prevent eye diseases such as macular degeneration. Talk to your doctor about whether one of these multivitamins, often referred to as "eye vitamins," might benefit you.

Considerations

Contact your doctor at the first sign of a retinal detachment. If the vision changes occur on the weekend or late in the evening, go directly to the nearest emergency room. Waiting for treatment might reduce your chances of restoring vision.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/505238-lutein-and-retina-detachment/#ixzz1X80FvmUR

WALKING AND FALLING

After a fun day of celebrating my belated February 14th Birthday lunch with friends I fell in front of my house, got up and wobbled to the front door and asked my sweet husband to pick up my things including my glasses. A day in the life of someone with low vision.

COMPUTERS - WHAT A HEADACHE

For the past week my computers have gone back and forth to the computer shop. I renewed my McAfee Total Protection Virus Program but I couldn't download it on my laptop or desktop. McAfee worked on both remotely but couldn't "resolve" the problem. So I had the local shop "4 T's  Computers" look at them separately. I've had problems for several months but thought my McAfee was protecting my computer. The staff at the shop were very nice, easy to work with and affordable. They found out I had a tracking virus on my computer watching everything I do. After the repair I tried to upload my new version of McAfee, but I couldn't download it online. I called ZoomText to see if they could figure out what was wrong now. Lloyd said Internet Explorer 9 was installed which conflicts with ZoomText. I had Internet Explorer 8 on both computers. At this point my laptop was at the shop for repairs. I let them know what the issue was now. We swapped computers after the laptop was ready. Yesterday I worked most of the day to install the McAfee updates. I couldn't get my laptop working with my wireless that my son set up last year. I know the password and tried most of the day, resetting the password, wireless port and dsl...nothing. I could use the computer but it was slow. My son came home and within a minute fixed the laptop. Thank you son but I was told, "mom don't ever change the setting on your wireless", thanks son. My McAfee was updated after a week and many many people helping me. Thank you everyone.

LOW VISION CHEF

I found a great site to help others with low vision in the kitchen.

http://lowvisionchef.com/sabuforviloe.html

Need More Help Dial 630-553-6921 e-mail Brian@LowVisionChef.com

The LOW-VISION CHEF

Cooking while visually impaired, with a little help you can do it.

Whether you have vision loss from glaucoma, tunnel vision, retinal disease or like my wife Goldie, have lost your central vision from macular degeneration /RSD, and who is now legally blind. Vision problems add a challenge in the kitchen.

A Chef does not give up cooking, they adapt, so I have put together a line of products and tips she uses to keep active in the kitchen.

Our goal is to make your cooking easier, which will promote independent living and a healthy lifestyle.

Low Vision Chef sells products that help you adapt in the kitchen to the loss of vision:

She uses bright color, lighting, offset color, unique and broad head tools, along with our color combinations which act as a vision aid to the visually impaired cook.

This site was designed after watching my wife a career chef work threw learning to cook with low vision the past 9 years.

I took those vision aids of background colors, tools, lighting, and some tips, and put them in this site to help you get cookin again.

You should not let the vision impairment be a white flag in the kitchen, your family still needs fresh healthy food to eat.

Family gatherings and meal time enjoyment may offset the stress added by the loss of independence brought on by the visual impairment.

WE HOPE THIS SITE CAN PASS ON SOME NEW VISION FOR YOUR KITCHEN!

Our contact information
By email:Brian@LowVisionChef.com
LowVisionChef.com


By standard mail:B & G Effects, 68 Hunter Lane Bristol, IL 60512
You can get order help by phone:
630-553-6921
Fax-630-553-2913
(Monday-Friday, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. central time zone)
Or
lowvisionchef@yahoo.com