# * * Sunglasses Replace the Bag as the Must-Have Luxury Item

Sunglasses at the top rung of the price ladder are in step with trends, changing shapes and colors seasonally to reflect the whims of buyers. This summer, a heightened enthusiasm for aviator and wraparound frames and vintage Jackie O styles is contributing to their status as the luxury accent of the ho...

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Ridiculous Headline of the day!

Hybrid Cars Pose Risk to Blind, Visually Impaired!In continuing coverage from a previous edition of First Look, HealthDay reported, "Because they can be nearly silent, hybrid cars pose a serious threat of injury and death to blind and visually impaired people," according to the American Council of the Blind (ACB). Really, there is no winning in this world. I know, I'm an optometrist, I love helping people see better/feel better. But this was taking it a bit far - my opinion!The council's executive director, Melanie Brunson, explained, "Traditionally, people who are blind or visually impaired learn to rely on their hearing and tactile cues to provide them with information about their environment, which they can use to navigate safely across streets and through...parking lots. In so doing, the...

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Contact Lens + Surgery

You have heard of contact lenses. You have heard of surgery to correct for glasses like Lasik. Here is a new procedure where a contact lens is implanted surgically into the front part of the eye called Cornea."It can take someone who is 22,000- someone who is so unbelievably nearsighted one day- next day drive without glasses," said eye surgeon Dr. Roy Rubinfeld.The hour long procedure is most effective in patients between ages 25 and 45 and meant to be permanent. Cornea surgeon, Dr. Marwa Adi, says permanent contact lens should deliver optically "as long as the eye stays health...

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Illinois mandates vision screening

I'm sure everyone is heard of Matthews Optometrist Jim Black. A licensed optometrist, Black went into politics late in life, but eventually became one of the state's most powerful politicians. After serving two terms in the N.C. House of Representatives in the early 1980s, Black lost three campaigns in a row. In 1990, he was re-elected and soon moved into leadership. He served as speaker of the house a record-tying four terms, including a historic co-speakership with Republican Rep. Richard Morgan.He started a program to help children get screened for vision problems prior to entering the school system. The vision care program began as a mandate on parents to have their children seen by an optometrist before they entered kindergarten. The requirement caused an uproar after Black wrote it into...

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Want to be a Pilot? Read this in Braille

The U.K.'s Daily Mail reports that a job "advertisement for an air traffic controller is being offered in Braille," even though "20/20 vision is a requirement for the job." Officials at the "St. Mary's airport on the Isles of Scilly say they are simply adhering to equal opportunity guidelines." The job listing "states that as well as having excellent vision, the applicant needs to be highly qualified to fulfill the demanding role of guiding aircraft safely into the hilltop airport, which is often fogbound.The controller of Radio Scilly, Keri Jones, said that "the note had attracted widespread ridicule." But, Bill Alker, of the Royal National Institute for the Blind, applauded the move, saying, "We welcome the Isles of Scilly's Council for their good practice, and would hope more employers...

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U think you can dance?

Just watch this dance, choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan, "Hollywood's Bollywood choreographer,". He is the founder and artistic director of NDM Dance Productions and Studios in Los Angel...

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Smart contact lens feels the pressure of glaucoma

New Scientist reported, "A contact lens with a built-in pressure sensor that could help monitor" certain eye conditions was recently designed by scientists at the University of California-Davis. Using polydimethylsiloxane, "an elastic, transparent, and gas-permeable organic polymer," the researchers produced "a tiny pressure sensor, which they bent into the shape of a contact lens. Such a device could measure the stress on the cornea surface, and the fluid pressure within the eye to monitor glaucoma and ocular hypertension." Researcher Tingrui Pan explained that in glaucoma patients, rising pressure within the eye changes its shape, "which would deform the contact lens sensor." A prototype model "has an opaque sensor that would impair vision,...

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High Tech Contacts

Researchers @ the University of Washington have reported a system that would generate graphic displays directly to eyes.Illinois ABC affiliate WHOI-TV reported that researchers "are trying to find ways to incorporate complex technology into" contact lenses. One "device under development, referred to as a 'bionic lens,' or 'e-lens,' integrates a miniature electronic circuit and LED lights between layers of polyethylene terephthalate. It's powered through radiofrequency energy transmitted to an antennae incorporated into the lens." This would allow "[c]omputer images [to] be sent to the circuit, enabling the wearer to see virtual displays." It would also allow "a wearer to play games, or surf the" Internet, "without the need for a display monitor."The...

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Snooze Guide

I can't believe that a topic like snoozing would provoke a blog post, but take a look @ this captivating graphic in the Boston Globe:It’s full of tips such as when you’re most likely benefit from a nap, how long to doze off, as well as what you can do to improve your environment for good siesta.So, quit reading this post, and hit ...

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