Connor McLeod is a very inspirational young boy. The 13-year-old from Sydney has taken on the Reserve Bank of Australia, and won. Connor’s crusade started when he was given money at Christmas time. He had to rely on his mum to tell him which notes were which, because Connor is legally blind. Connor lodged a […]
There is now an app available to help screen young children’s eyes for leukocoria, more commonly known as white pupil. A white pupil in a baby’s eye or the eye of a young child can be a sign of serious eye disease such as retinoblastoma or congenital cataract. Retinoblastoma is a childhood cancer affecting the […]
The weekly grocery shop is a relatively simple task for most sighted people, but have you ever wondered how difficult it may be to do the shopping if you had a visual impairment? The supermarket visit can be quite time-consuming and often challenging for individuals with a vision impairment, so the advent of supermarket online […]
Be My Eyes is an new app which connects blind or visually impaired children and adults with sighted volunteer helpers from around the world using live video chat. By downloading the Be My Eyes app you could start helping blind people see. How does the app work? A blind or visually impaired person requests assistance […]
Joy Ross says it was love at first touch. Ross, who is now blind, likes to tease that she met her husband, George, on a blind date. At the end of the night, he took her hands in his. She had little sight then and none now, but her journey into darkness started more than […]
Each year it is estimated that up to 5.7 million children worldwide suffer an eye injury. While many of these injuries are minor and the child makes a full recovery, vision loss or blindness occurs in 12–14 per cent of cases. With 90 per cent of eye injuries being preventable, it is important for all health care […]
We here at Sydney Ophthalmic Specialists are very proud of all our patients who tirelessly persevere with patching for a “lazy eye” or amblyopia. Please check out our Wall of Fame, complete with patching posters and artwork! If you are struggling to patch your child, please contact one of our orthoptists for invaluable advice.
Ben Felton talks about his attempt at break the record for the fastest speed for a motorcycle, despite the fact that he’s legally blind. An inspirational man, who doesn’t let his vision impairment stop him from riding over 200km/hour! https://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/watch/25383450/blind-ambition/
A previously unknown link between common viral infections and autoimmune disease has been discovered by WA scientists. A study undertaken by the University of WA and the Lions Eye Institute that focused on Sjogren’s syndrome found chronic viral infections can lead to autoimmune disease. Sjogren’s is the second most common autoimmune disease, which causes ‘dry […]
For more information about people with this rare condition living in Africa, please visit http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-04/struggle-to-protect-east-africans-living-with-albinism/5790348
While recovering from his vitrectomy, Professor Nathan Efron found his eye drop and ointment regimen to be a tedious episode during his personal journey of retinopexy, cryopexy, vitrectomy and IOL surgery. Although eye care practitioners undoubtedly take great care in considering the right combination, dosage and application frequency of topical eye medications they prescribe, I […]
For Ann Zawistoski, handling news that her 1-year-old daughter had vision difficulties proved much more complicated than simply buying a pair of glasses. “I felt this combination of being upset that there was something wrong with my child and a sense of guilt that I hadn’t known there was a problem,” says Ms. Zawistoski, an […]
Congenital cataracts can be devastating to the visual development of a young child. Clouding in the lens of an eye cause the vision to be obscured. Fortunately modern day surgery can restore at least partial sight in an unseeing child’s eye, particularly when operated on at a young age. Below is an excerpt of the […]
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterised by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision […]
The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) has launched its Orthoptics discipline today as the newest discipline area within the UTS: Graduate School of Health. A Master of Orthoptics program will be offered from Semester 1, 2015 with applications opening on 4 September 2014. Research degrees will be offered from Spring 2015. Now the only orthoptics […]
Don’t shower or swim in contact lenses. Acanthamoeba is a parasite that lives in water and can cause a rare but serious eye infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis. According to the CDC, 85 percent of Acanthamoeba eye infections occur in contact lens wearers, one of the main risks being exposure of lenses to water. To avoid this […]
The current detection of Alzheimer’s disease relies on brain imaging, typically in the later stages of the disease when there has already been significant damage. The initial results from a Perth study have indicated that signs of Alzheimer’s can be seen in an eye scan 20 years before there are other symptoms. Detection of these […]
The Human Rights Commission is investigating a complaint against the Reserve Bank of Australia over banknotes not having tactile markings. The complaint to the Human Rights Commission says that Australian banknotes discriminate against the 300,000 people living with visual impairment because they lack the tactile markings. Australian banknotes are printed in differing colours and sizes, […]
Congratulations Dr Frank Martin – Sydney ophthalmologist Dr Frank Martin awarded Michelle Beets Memorial Award. Sydney Ophthalmic Specialists very own Dr Frank Martin has been awarded the peer-nominated second annual Michelle Beets Memorial Award. This award provides $20,000 to buy medical equipment to improve and further the provision of care for children. This funding will […]
Have your eyes tested this JulEYE! The JulEYE campaign is about to kick off. The campaigns message is very clear: Have your eyes tested this JulEYE. It’s as simple as making an appointment and as serious as saving your eyesight. According to the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) Eye Foundation, one […]
