Newsletter no. 378

If you’ve delved into the worlds of Star Trek, The Terminator or William Gibson’s cyberpunk novel Neuromancer, you’ll know that enhanced, electronic vision is a staple of science fiction. Now, what was once futuristic fiction is becoming a reality. 

Researchers have developed bionic eyes that can restore some lost vision. These devices’ capabilities are currently basic, but they have been steadily improving in recent years. One day, they might even offer features that transcend the limits of natural human eyesight – for instance by manipulating images in a way the human eye cannot or by seeing beyond the spectrum of visible light.

To date, implants have focused on combatting problems with the retina, the light-sensing layer of cells inside the back of the eye. Akin to the film in the back of a camera, the retina allows us to see the outside world. When things go badly wrong with it, the result can be a total loss of vision.

Work to fix retinal blindness with implants began more than two decades ago. One of the first devices, developed by the German manufacturer Retina Implant AG, featured a light-sensing chip placed under a person’s damaged retina. This connected with their remaining healthy retinal cells, which then transmitted the chip’s vision signal from the eye to the occipital cortex, the brain region where vision is perceived.

Read more here: https://theconversation.com/how-bionic-eyes-are-becoming-a-reality-290270?utm_campaign=the-weekender-39973&utm_content=the-weekender-39973_uk%7C177%7C39973%7C67dd3f41&utm_medium=email&utm_source=braze&utm_term=How+bionic+eyes+are+becoming+a+reality

Darren Paskell is visually impaired and uses smart glasses at home. Sitting at his desk with some post in front of him, Darren puts on his glasses and says: “Hey Meta, read aloud all the text you can see on the letter.” Within seconds a female voice reads the words on the page. 

For the past 18 months, Darren, who is visually impaired, has used smart glasses for tasks including sorting through post and reading labels. “They’re really good for identifying different jars in the kitchen,” said Darren. “I’m in my 40s now and this is the first time that I’ve been in a position to wear something, talk to something and, with a single command, get the information that I’m looking for. This technology is absolutely life-changing for me.”

Darren, who works for the charity Guide Dogs, wears the glasses at home, but would like to use them more in public. He said: “It would be great to have an idea what’s happening on the street while I’m walking down it, or where are the queues if I’m looking to buy something.” However, a number of venues have restricted the use of the glasses, which have a tiny camera embedded in the frames.

The glasses are banned in courtrooms and some schools, as well as some pubs, restaurants, cinemas and theatres. This followed concerns about their use. It can be difficult to tell when the camera is on, and some women have reported being secretly recorded by the devices and then harassed.

Read the full article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmx2qlz7ney2o

An interesting piece of research has been published by ‘The Conversation’ regarding VI young people and their routes into employment.

The author of this piece writes: “Through my research I have had the fortune of following 80 young people with vision impairment over 11 years. I tracked their journey from school through to adulthood, speaking at regular intervals to establish what had happened since we last spoke, what had gone well and what could have been improved. The aim was to observe the different pathways they followed and their experiences of them. Despite achieving relatively well academically in comparison to other SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) groups, young people with vision impairment have persistently poor employment rates and are particularly vulnerable to becoming economically inactive. My colleagues and I wanted to understand why this was and identify possible solutions.”

The researchers reported that when they first started working with the young people, when they were aged 14 to 16, they were full of optimism for the future. They wanted to become social workers and teachers and psychologists. Yet by the end of the study, when they were aged between 25 and 27, many had never experienced paid employment and could not see a pathway into employment.

“Through the testimonies of the group, we learned of a range of barriers they faced, many of which were specific to their vision impairment. Becoming long term NEET due to a postcode lottery of services, this meant that support varied according to where they lived, and we found that many felt unprepared for adulthood and for navigating their lives as young adults with vision impairment. This included not being able to use assistive technology in a work context, and not having the skills needed to be able to travel independently. Sometimes they simply lacked the confidence to declare their disability and request adjustments.”

Read the full article here: https://theconversation.com/neet-with-a-disability-whats-holding-back-visually-impaired-young-people-who-want-to-work-291504

Disability campaigners and organisations have called on the Prime Minister to ban and remove England’s floating bus stops due to concerns the infrastructure poses a major safety hazard for blind, deaf and disabled commuters.

Floating bus stops – also known as bus stop bypasses – feature a dedicated cycle lane routed between the main pavement and the passenger waiting island. While designed to protect cyclists from main-road traffic, critics argue that the layout creates a daily hazard for vulnerable pedestrians attempting to board or leave buses.

The government said it was listening carefully to concerns raised by disability groups and local organisations. Whilst, campaigners argue that despite government guidance published in January, progress has been inadequate and existing stops continue to present a daily danger.

Read the full article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwkg5zxmzzdvo

financial pressures facing blind and partially sighted people across the UK, with rising living costs impacting not only household finances but also independence, wellbeing and social connection.

Key findings revealed:

• Only 13 per cent of those receiving disability benefits said their disability benefits completely covered the additional costs of sight loss.
• More than half of blind and partially sighted people (53 per cent) said rising energy costs had affected their wellbeing.
• 44 per cent said their financial situation had worsened in the previous three months, and the same proportion expected it to worsen over the next six months.

The research highlights how blind and partially sighted people continue to face additional and often unavoidable costs linked to sight loss, including transport, assistive technology, specialist equipment, practical support and higher energy use. These extra costs can amount to hundreds of pounds each month, making it harder to deal with wider increases in the cost of living. 

Rising transport costs can restrict access to work, healthcare, social activities and relationships, particularly where taxis or other accessible transport options are essential rather than optional. Taxis and other transport needs were the most commonly reported additional cost associated with sight loss, cited by 62 per cent of participants.

Read more here: https://www.rnib.org.uk/news/ongoing-cost-of-living-crisis-is-hitting-blind-and-partially-sighted-people-hard-new-rnib-research-reveals/

At this year’s Vis-Ability (Fight for Sight’s annual conference) in Westminster, leading voices from research, healthcare and politics came together to ask an important question: how can innovation in eye health improve outcomes for everyone – not just those who are easiest to reach? With advances in technology, a simple eye test can now tell us far more than our latest prescription. We know from research we have funded, that changes occur in the eye of patients’ years before their brain shows any sign of change.

Retinal imaging and AI are making it possible to analyse millions of images and spot differences in these images that are too subtle for humans to see, at a scale that would take humans years to achieve.

During the panel discussion From Sight to Insight: Innovating Eye Health for Everyone, Josef Huemer, a consultant ophthalmologist and research fellow explained why he believes the potential of retinal imaging goes well beyond diagnosing eye disease.

Read about what he says here: https://www.fightforsight.org.uk/news/news/charity-news/the-eye-as-a-window-into-your-wider-health-what-could-retinal-imaging-tell-us/