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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: blindness

blindness stories: 34 news summaries

21 - 34 of 34 Stories | << Prev 1 2

 First Braille Coin Unveiled 

Silver dollar celebrates 200th birthday of creator of blind alphabet

(Newser) - The US Mint unveiled the first coin bearing readable Braille letters yesterday. The silver dollar features the letters "Brl," code for Braille, and honors the 200th birthday of the eponymous creator of the alphabet for the blind, the AP reports. "This is going to put Braille in... More »

US Money Discriminates Against Blind, Court Rules

Treasury must make changes in paper currency, appellate body says

(Newser) - A federal appellate court agreed today with a lower court’s ruling that the US must change its paper money to accommodate the blind, who are unable to tell the current, single-size bills apart, the Washington Post reports. The court ruled that the bills violate the Federal Rehabilitation Act, rejecting... More »

 UK Docs Implant
 Bionic Eyes 

Surgery aims to restore partial vision in blind men

(Newser) - British doctors have given two blind men bionic eyesight and say they will soon enjoy partial vision, the Telegraph reports. Using US technology, the surgeons inserted electrodes in the men's retinas last week. Studded on a metal plate, the conductors will be connected to a small eyeglass camera that enables... More »

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surgery eye care blindness foreign doctors eyes

Blind Paterson Feeling His Way as NY Governor

Much of Albany familiar, but layout of new digs takes getting used to

(Newser) - It takes a lot of extra sweat for New York's legally blind governor to act like a person with 20/20, the New York Times reports. David Paterson spends hours each night listening to recorded staff briefings—and memorizing speeches, since he can't read a teleprompter. And though the veteran politician... More »

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New York disability Eliot Spitzer blindness governor David Paterson

 Raunchy Narratives Open
 Web Porn to Blind 

Volunteers investing 'time and effort,' boasts spokesman

(Newser) - Looking for volunteer opportunities? The nonprofit Porn for the Blind is making free porn preview sites accessible to the blind, Wired reports. "We imagine that visually impaired people benefit from this service in many of the same ways that non-visually impaired people benefit from the hard-core pornography that's being... More »

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equality pornography sex disability blindness nonprofit volunteer

 Cataract Risk 
 Linked to Climate Change 

Rising UV levels will hit developing countries hardest

(Newser) - As climate change drives ozone depletion and increases the level of ultraviolet rays reaching Earth's surface, humans' eyesight will be suffering more and more, AFP reports. UV rays are one of the leading causes of cataracts, which in turn cause 50% of avoidable blindness worldwide. The trend is likely to... More »

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public health blindness cataracts eyes ozone layer ultraviolet rays opthalmologists

New Keller Photo Surfaces

It may be the first image of her with teacher Anne Sullivan

(Newser) - A rare photo of a young Helen Keller accompanied by teacher Anne Sullivan in 1888 has surfaced among a family collection donated to the New England Historic Genealogical Society. The photo, which was tucked away in an album, may be the first taken of the two and the only to... More »

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discoveries photography New England blindness archive Cape Cod deaf people Helen Keller

Cell Phone
Can Read
to the Blind

4-ounce, $2K talking device is smallest reader ever made

(Newser) - A new cell phone can read aloud to people with impaired vision—and at 4 ounces, it's the smallest such device ever made, NPR reports. The $2,000 phone can help with the myriad daily tasks that seeing people take for granted, like identifying a $20 bill. "All you... More »

Visually Impaired May Soon Watch TV

Scientists use algorithm to boost contrast for frequencies still visible

(Newser) - Macular degeneration, the disease which causes most age-related sight loss, can make it impossible for patients who suffer even only mild sight loss to watch TV. But help is on the way for these people, Technology Review reports, as Harvard researchers have developed an image-processing algorithm which allows the sight-impaired... More »

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television blindness macular degeneration Harvard sight impaired

Cat Out of the Bag: Kitty's DNA Decoded

Deciphering feline genome could help with HIV, blindness research

(Newser) - A 4-year-old Abyssinian cat named Cinnamon has become the first of her species to have its DNA sequenced, the BBC reports. Cats now join dogs, chimps, rats, mice, cows and people as mammals with decoded genomes. Cinnamon’s sequence could shed light on hundreds of human illnesses; cats can suffer... More »

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AIDS DNA blindness genome cat

Spinach, Eggs Fight Blindness

Nutrients help ward off age-related vision loss

(Newser) - Nutrients found in spinach and eggs help stave off age-related blindness, a new study shows. Macular degeneration, the most common cause of vision loss in the elderly, was 35% less likely to develop in people who consumed the most eggs, spinach, and other leafy greens, which are rich in lutein... More »

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eggs spinach blindness macular degeneration carotenoids

Still Crazy After All These Years

A new documentary catches up with the twisted romance of Burt and Linda Pugach

(Newser) - Burt and Linda Pugach are having their third 15 minutes. The first was in 1959, when Burt hired a thug to throw lye in Linda's face after she broke up with him. The second, in 1974, was when, Linda, now blind, agreed to marry Burt, just released from jail. And... More »

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prison marriage Burton Pugach Linda Pugach blindness Crazy Love

Stem Cell Cure for Blindness in Sight

Fix for macular degeneration could be available in 5 years

(Newser) - A pioneering stem cell technique developed by British scientists and backed by an anonymous American benefactor could soon cure blindness in millions of people suffering from macular degeneration, the Daily Mail reports. The procedure involves injecting lab-grown embryonic stem cells into the back of an affected eye to repair the... More »

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surgery stem cells blindness macular degeneration eyes

Eye-Care Recall Reverberates
on Wall Street

Product problem seen influencing bids for Bausch & Lomb

(Newser) - In the wake of reports linking its Complete MoisturePlus contact lens solution to a rare eye infection that can lead to blindness, Advanced Medical Optics has recalled the product. Competitor Bausch & Lomb's stock price dropped on the news, since the recall may put AMO's plans to enter the bidding... More »

21 - 34 of 34 Stories | << Prev 1 2