11/11/2008 9:36:00 AM
Cooma Lions Club have sponsored six additional Navigator devices to the value of $600 to ensure members of the community with Macular Degeneration have access to audio books.
Last Thursday Lions Club president Chris Reeks presented the Australian made devices to Cooma-Monaro Shire's library committee members, mayor Vin Good, Cr Tony Kaltoum, library manager Lyn Goucher and librarian Michelle McDonald.
In September 2007 the Monaro Regional Library and Information Service joined forces with the Macular Degeneration Foundation to provide Navigator devices to people with Macular Degeneration.
The Navigator is an easy to use, hand held portable device, which uses new audio technology to read books aloud.
The Library Service launched the project with five Navigator devices. The success of this project was overwhelming and the library applied to the MD Foundation for a further five devices in February 2008. With more and more residents applying for this service, Cooma Library approached the Cooma Lions Club for sponsorship of an additional six Navigator devices.
If you have been diagnosed with Macular Degeneration and are having difficulty reading, then you are eligible to submit an expression of interest form to the Macular Degeneration Foundation. Forms are available from the Cooma Library.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Rows of walkers strode behind runners sprinting on a narrow concrete path at Comanche Lookout Park on Saturday.
Bonnie Truax and Janice Wolfe led the walkers along the two-mile course, cutting through thick trees and brush at the 16000 block of Nacogdoches Road. Some walkers tapped white canes along the trail. Some linked arms with family members.
Truax supported herself using a white cane with a hard plastic balled-tip. Wolfe, 85, leaned on a pink umbrella as the path rose on one of the highest points in the city.
The women and 148 other participants came out to support the second White Cane Safety Day 5K Fun Run and Walk, which raises awareness about people who are visually impaired. The white cane is a symbol of blindness, and people who use it legally have the right of way when crossing streets and roadways.
“This is important, it's a chance to see what people who are visually impaired can achieve,” Wolfe said. “The disability act has made improvements and allowed accessibility for people from all phases of life to get around in society and live independently.”
Wolfe reads newspaper stories on Owl Radio as a volunteer. Truax created the station in 2002 after she was diagnosed with macular degeneration.
Truax also is founder and president of the San Antonio Low Vision club, a fun run sponsors. Texas Public Radio and the Express-News co-sponsor Owl Radio broadcasts, which go out 24 hours a day to listeners in San Antonio and the Hill Country.
Many listeners know that Wolfe reads world event stories at 7:30 a.m. every Thursday and prerecords art and entertainment briefs broadcast on Saturdays. But they may not know she is legally blind.
Wolfe has macular degeneration in both eyes. She has 20/400 vision in her right eye caused by a black circle that blots out the world except for periphery sight.
Her left eye is 20/40 and holding steady. She uses a strong powered light to read text and doesn't miss a line.
She was drawn to the service by her late husband's commitment to the Lion's Club and its mission to help the visually impaired.
“People are really listening,” Truax said. “It means so much to them and they depend on it.”
Truax said many visually impaired people tend to stay home, and Owl Radio has encouraged many listeners to get out more.
Wolfe's readings also take listeners near and far. They transport them to the opera to hear Bizet's “Carmen.” They spirit them to the Louvre Museum in Paris. And sometimes they guide them to the latest exhibit at the Witte Museum. And the vehicle for each artistic trip is Wolfe's voice.
Truax supported herself using a white cane with a hard plastic balled-tip. Wolfe, 85, leaned on a pink umbrella as the path rose on one of the highest points in the city.
The women and 148 other participants came out to support the second White Cane Safety Day 5K Fun Run and Walk, which raises awareness about people who are visually impaired. The white cane is a symbol of blindness, and people who use it legally have the right of way when crossing streets and roadways.
“This is important, it's a chance to see what people who are visually impaired can achieve,” Wolfe said. “The disability act has made improvements and allowed accessibility for people from all phases of life to get around in society and live independently.”
Wolfe reads newspaper stories on Owl Radio as a volunteer. Truax created the station in 2002 after she was diagnosed with macular degeneration.
Truax also is founder and president of the San Antonio Low Vision club, a fun run sponsors. Texas Public Radio and the Express-News co-sponsor Owl Radio broadcasts, which go out 24 hours a day to listeners in San Antonio and the Hill Country.
Many listeners know that Wolfe reads world event stories at 7:30 a.m. every Thursday and prerecords art and entertainment briefs broadcast on Saturdays. But they may not know she is legally blind.
Wolfe has macular degeneration in both eyes. She has 20/400 vision in her right eye caused by a black circle that blots out the world except for periphery sight.
Her left eye is 20/40 and holding steady. She uses a strong powered light to read text and doesn't miss a line.
She was drawn to the service by her late husband's commitment to the Lion's Club and its mission to help the visually impaired.
“People are really listening,” Truax said. “It means so much to them and they depend on it.”
Truax said many visually impaired people tend to stay home, and Owl Radio has encouraged many listeners to get out more.
Wolfe's readings also take listeners near and far. They transport them to the opera to hear Bizet's “Carmen.” They spirit them to the Louvre Museum in Paris. And sometimes they guide them to the latest exhibit at the Witte Museum. And the vehicle for each artistic trip is Wolfe's voice.
Charities hold blind gardening awards
14 November 2008
Two charities have awarded an 82-year-old woman with a prize for Blind Gardener of the Year at a ceremony in London.
Jean Harrington, who was diagnosed with macular degeneration seven years ago, was rewarded for her interest in vegetable growing, recycling and composting.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Thrive organised the competition for anyone who is blind or partially sighted.
Jean said if she hears about a good idea she often tries it out - such as using copper strips around her plant pots to keep the slugs away.
"My advice is if something does not work out, it might be nature's fault, not yours - and by trying again, you will probably succeed," she added.
The charities also rewarded Elliott Roberts in the under 18s category for his independence and individuality.
Blind and partially sighted people will have access to better skills and expertise when the RNIB and Action for Blind People combine next year.
Two charities have awarded an 82-year-old woman with a prize for Blind Gardener of the Year at a ceremony in London.
Jean Harrington, who was diagnosed with macular degeneration seven years ago, was rewarded for her interest in vegetable growing, recycling and composting.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Thrive organised the competition for anyone who is blind or partially sighted.
Jean said if she hears about a good idea she often tries it out - such as using copper strips around her plant pots to keep the slugs away.
"My advice is if something does not work out, it might be nature's fault, not yours - and by trying again, you will probably succeed," she added.
The charities also rewarded Elliott Roberts in the under 18s category for his independence and individuality.
Blind and partially sighted people will have access to better skills and expertise when the RNIB and Action for Blind People combine next year.
Study Shows Lutein and Zeaxanthin Protect Against Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Friday, November 21, 2008
by David Gutierrez(NaturalNews) Researchers from Ohio State University may have discovered a mechanism by which proteins known as xanthophylls help prevent against age-related vision loss, they reported in a study published in the Journal of Lipid Research.
"Our research to understand this mechanism might provide a greater appreciation for how one could intervene to possibly slow macular degeneration," said senior study author Earl Harrison.
Age-related macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of age-related vision loss and affects approximately 10 million people in the United States. The deterioration of the macula, a tissue located in the center of the retina, causes vision in the center of the eye to blur, which lead to functional blindness. The condition cannot be reversed once it develops; it can only be slowed.
Prior research has suggested that the xanthophyll proteins lutein and zeaxanthin may protect against the eight-related macular degeneration by filtering out potentially harmful light from the blue end of the spectrum and also protecting the eye against damage from oxidation. The two proteins have been observed to concentrate in the macula, forming a yellow spot.
In the current study, researchers tested the hypothesis that the xanthophylls are transported to the macula by proteins known as scavenger receptor class B, type 1 (SR-B1). They treated pigment cells from the lining of the human retina with lutein, zeaxanthin and the related compounds beta-carotene, finding that the cells absorbed more xanthophylls than they did beta-carotene.
The researchers then blocked the action of SR-B1 by one of two methods. Both of the methods led to a decrease in xanthophyll of distortion of 41 to 87 percent.
Lutein and zeaxanthin cannot be synthesized by the body, but must be consumed in foods such as green, leafy vegetables, peas, summer squash, or yellow and orange fruits and vegetables (including carrots, papaya and peaches).
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