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ETS 50+ targets the elderly

By Ubergizmo

ETS 50+ targets the elderly

For those who are thinking of getting a cellphone for their aged parents, how about the ETS 50+ from Shanzai? This model was specially designed to cater to folks who are suffering from failing eyesight as well as poor dexterity, since this model comes with large buttons, huge fonts, rockers on the side that makes it a snap to access both radio and volume controls, alongside an emergency switch located on the back that allows you to make a call to a pre-defined number when activated.

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Stem cell therapy restores British man’s eyesight

By Vladislav Savov

Russell Turnbull, now 38, lost almost all the sight in his right eye after trying to break up a fight and being sprayed with ammonia 15 years ago. The result for him was what’s known as Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency, which caused him great pain, the need for therapeutic treatment, and economic dependency. Good news for Russell is that he can put all that behind him now, after becoming one of the first recipients of a new stem cell grafting procedure, whereby healthy tissue from his left eye was implanted into his right and — just like a video game medpack — restored his vision to normal. For the moment, this treatment is limited to patients with at least one healthy eye, but given the pluripotent nature of stem cells, it is hoped that tissue from elsewhere in the body could one day be used to regenerate damaged parts, such as the cornea in this case. You may find further enlightenment in the video after the break.

Continue reading Stem cell therapy restores British man’s eyesight

Stem cell therapy restores British man’s eyesight originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Artificial lens implant promises to give patients ‘HD vision’

By Donald Melanson
Implanted lenses may be old hat compared to newfangled sight restoration techniques involving radiation beams and teeth, but it looks like some eye surgeons in the UK have now come up with a few new tricks that promise to let patients see better than ever. The new process apparently starts out like a standard procedure for cataracts, but makes use of lenses made from light-sensitive silicone that can be fine tuned several times after the surgery, eventually giving the patient “HD vision” that’s said to be better than 20/20. The lenses can apparently even be adjusted for either bifocal or varifocal use, eliminating the need for some patients to wear glasses at all. Head on past the break for a video.

[Thanks, Esevila]

Continue reading Artificial lens implant promises to give patients ‘HD vision’

Artificial lens implant promises to give patients ‘HD vision’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Artificial lens implant promises to give patients ‘HD vision’

By Donald Melanson
Implanted lenses may be old hat compared to newfangled sight restoration techniques involving radiation beams and teeth, but it looks like some eye surgeons in the UK have now come up with a few new tricks that promise to let patients see better than ever. The new process apparently starts out like a standard procedure for cataracts, but makes use of lenses made from light-sensitive silicone that can be fine tuned several times after the surgery, eventually giving the patient “HD vision” that’s said to be better than 20/20. The lenses can apparently even be adjusted for either bifocal or varifocal use, eliminating the need for some patients to wear glasses at all. Head on past the break for a video.

[Thanks, Esevila]

Continue reading Artificial lens implant promises to give patients ‘HD vision’

Artificial lens implant promises to give patients ‘HD vision’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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British surgeons using radiation beams to halt macular degeneration

By Darren Murph

We’ve seen more eyesight restoration efforts than we could easily count, but rather than tooting their horn about some theoretical discovery, boffins at Kings College Hospital in London are actually putting their hard work to use on real, live human brings. The new process, which goes by the name brachytherapy, is a one-off treatment for macular degeneration. In essence, surgeons carefully light up a beam of radiation within the eye for just over three minutes, which kills harmful cells without damaging anything else. A trial is currently underway in order to restore eyesight in some 363 patients, and everything thus far leads us to believe that the process is both safe and effective. As for costs? The procedure currently runs £6,000 ($9,889), but that’s still not awful when you consider that existing treatments involving injections run £800 per month. Hop past the break for a video report.

Continue reading British surgeons using radiation beams to halt macular degeneration

British surgeons using radiation beams to halt macular degeneration originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: doctors implant tooth into eye, restore sight, creep everyone out

By Vladislav Savov

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/health/Video_doctors_implant_tooth_into_eye_restore_sight_creep’; Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis. It’s a real procedure that really does revive people’s ability to see, yet we get the feeling that people will be more, um, excited about how it’s done than why it’s done. The seemingly Mary Shelley-inspired doctors extract a tooth from a blind person and drill a hole through it, where a prosthetic lens is placed, and the resulting macabre construction is implanted into the blind person’s eye. The tooth is necessary as the body would reject an artificial base. It’s not at all pretty, and it cannot repair every type of blindness, but it’s still a major step forward. To hear from Sharron Thornton, the first American to have undergone the procedure, check the video after the break, but only if you can handle mildly graphic content — you’ve been warned.

[Via Daily Tech]

Continue reading Video: doctors implant tooth into eye, restore sight, creep everyone out

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Video: doctors implant tooth into eye, restore sight, creep everyone out originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BrainPort lets you see with your tongue, might actually make it to market

By Vladislav Savov

We first saw the crazy BrainPort in 2006, but the intervening time hasn’t been wasted by its developers, who’ve brought the quirky visual aid to the cusp of commercial viability. If you’ll recall, the device translates signals from a head-mounted camera to electrical pulses that lightly zap your tongue in response to visual stimuli — early results have shown people can regain a good bit of their spatial awareness and even read large writing. The next step is FDA approval, which is expected by year’s end, meaning that the BrainPort could arrive as early as 2010. There is a steep entry fee though, with prices expected to begin at $10,000, but the very fact you’ll be able to buy it is a milestone in our book. Edifying video after the break.

[Thanks, Toy]

Continue reading BrainPort lets you see with your tongue, might actually make it to market

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BrainPort lets you see with your tongue, might actually make it to market originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TruFocals make steampunk glasses a functional, expensive reality

By Vladislav Savov

Glasses with an adjustable focal length — sounds so simple, somebody must have already done it, right? Well, yes, but earlier efforts have looked more like diving goggles than something you could, you know, wear in public. The Harry Potter-esque TruFocals, on the other hand, are (only just) acceptable looking and operate via the golden slider you see above. By tweaking translucent fluids between a pair of lenses for each eye, it alters the distance at which the specs focus, sort of like having your very own zoom function. The price for such flexibility is $895, which inventor Stephen Kurtin considers a sterling bargain, and we’ve got video of him after the break explaining just how awesomely revolutionary his product is.

[Via CNET]

Continue reading TruFocals make steampunk glasses a functional, expensive reality

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TruFocals make steampunk glasses a functional, expensive reality originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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