September Newsletter 311
Free glasses to boost literacy skills among poor pupils
Latest figures released by the Department for Education show 30 per cent of children who need glasses have not been to an optician, hampering their ability to read and write.
For those children living in disadvantaged areas, they are even less likely to get, or wear, the glasses they need, the department said.
By expanding its ‘Glasses in Classes’ scheme to five new disadvantaged areas in England, under the Opportunity Area programme, up to 9,000 pupils in around 225 schools could be reached, it added.
Under the scheme, eligible children will get one pair of glasses for home and one for school.
They will be supported by a vision co-ordinator, most likely to be a teaching assistant, to attend follow-up eye tests and wear their prescription glasses regularly.
https://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/article/free-glasses-to-boost-literacy-skills-among-poor-pupils
How can packaging become more accessible for people who are blind or partially sighted
Outline about the problems of shopping when you can’t easily see what you are buying. A range of potential ways to help is considered.
My loved one is losing their sight what can I do
Options to help when a family member is faced with the problem of sight loss.
Hairy Bikers’ Dave Myers devastated by eye diagnosis
Chef finds that what he thought was a hangover was actually glaucoma.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/hairy-bikers-dave-myers-devastated-25067190
Smart glasses that could slow down sight loss
Scientists have developed glasses with ‘rings’ in the lenses to halt or slow the progress of myopia, or short-sightedness, where distant objects appear blurred. The concentric rings are designed to focus light onto the retina, making images clearer, and by doing so, slow the rate at which the eyeball changes shape — a hallmark feature of myopia. In a Chinese study, 167 children who wore the glasses for 12 hours daily saw an up to 70 per cent slowing in the progression of their myopia after two years.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-10010313/Smart-glasses-slow-sight-loss.html
Sensing the world: How to travel when you’re blind
Hints and tips about enhancing the travel experience if you have sight loss.
Brain fingerprinting: Microelectronics and medical imaging bring us closer to achieving mind reading and banishing blindness
Retinal prostheses, brain-controlled robots, and similar devices have the potential to improve the lives of the people who receive them, but these technologies will certainly bring negative consequences that we cannot clearly foresee. Even if we can never fully anticipate the impact of employing these technologies, it is important to try.
A partially sighted person’s perspective on books, how to make reading more accessible
A discussion about the different options available to read for people who are sight impaired.
6 glaucoma tests: how doctors diagnose the eye condition
A list and description of the 6 tests used to diagnose this dangerous condition.