July Newsletter No. 270
Canada: “Vision mates” support the visually impaired by helping with a range of tasks
The vision mate program is managed by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). The program matches volunteers with people who are visually impaired and want help with a passion they can no longer do, such as reading or going to the gym.
https://www.capebretonpost.com/news/local/vision-mates-gives-back-sight-to-passions-for-people-with-visual-impairments-329946/
Eye, robot – nine ways artificial intelligence is changing eye
A profile of nine technologies that are shaping the provision of eye care.
https://www.aop.org.uk/ot/science-and-vision/technology/2019/07/01/eye-robot
Ireland – visually impaired students hope technology can make college possible
A partnership between the National Council for the Blind and Maynooth University aims to encourage young people experiencing sight loss to progress to third level education. Students with visual impairments are under-represented in third level education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Twenty students are participating in the camp which introduces them to new technologies to assist them in their studies and beyond.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/visually-impaired-students-hope-technology-can-help-make-college-possible-1.3954307
Sight restored in pioneering surgery
“Doctors have restored sight to the blind by sending video images directly to the brain. In a world-first that offers hope to millions of patients, five men and one woman have regained vision after years of ‘living in the dark’. They had electrode chips planted in the visual cortex at the back of their skulls that picked up images from a tiny video camera mounted in a pair of glasses. Their eyes were bypassed completely”.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7242519/A-cure-blindness-Father-lost-sight-aged-nine-six-patients-vision-restored.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/blindness-cure-brain-implant-vision-camera-technology-experiment-a9003386