LambdaVision Implant and ISS Experiments, Preliminary Victory In Gaining Equal Access To Higher Education On Dec. 30 Show

Dr. Jordan Greco and Dr. Nicole Wagner (LambdaVision, Inc. - Farmington, CT)

Chris Danielsen (National Federation of the Blind - Baltimore, MD)

Dr. Nicole Wagner and Dr. Jordan Greco of LambdaVision, Inc. in Farmington, Connecticut discuss the company's protein-based retinal implant and why the implant is involved in experiments on the International Space Station.

Then, Chris Danielsen of the National Federation of the Blind details a preliminary victory for students with visual impairment to seek remedies for discrimination by colleges and universities.

12/30/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Plant Compound Offers Possible Help For Uveal Melanoma and Smart Implantable Drainage Device On December 23 Show

Dr. Kendall Blumer (Washington University in St. Louis)

Dr. Michael Onken (Washington University in St. Louis)

Dr. Hyowon Lee (Purdue University - West Lafayette, IN)

Dr. Kendall Blumer and Dr. Michael Onken of Washington University in St. Louis discuss a plant compound that offers potential to help treat uveal melanoma.

Dr. Hyowon Hugh Lee of Purdue University details a smart implantable glaucoma drainage tube that can clear itself of harmful materials.

12/23/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Aira Network and Blocking Secondary Cataracts On December 9 Show

Aira (La Jolla, CA)

Dr. Melinda Duncan (University of Delaware - Newark, DE)

Jonathan Mosen talks about Aira, which is a network that connects those who are blind or visually impaired to trained professional agents at a remote location for hands-free assistance at the touch of a button.

Then, the University of Delaware's Dr. Melinda Duncan discusses a study into how secondary cataracts could be prevented.  Secondary cataracts can result from scar tissue following cataract surgery.

12/9/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Early Vision Development, Retinal Organoids, Calcified Nodules In Retina, Late Stage Progression In Macular Degeneration

Dr. Bob Johnston (Johns Hopkins University - Baltimore, MD)

Kiara Eldred (Johns Hopkins University - Baltimore, MD)

Dr. Christine Curcio (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

Dr. Bob Johnston and Kiara Eldred of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore explain how studying lab-grown retinal organoids has shed light on varying thyroid hormone levels have an effect on how different cone photoreceptors develop.

Then, the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Dr. Christine Curcio discusses a study that shows calcified nodules in the retina could be a sign of later progression of age-related macular degeneration.

11/25/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Dr. Roberto Manduchi and Dr. Greg Field On November 4 Show

Dr. Roberto Manduchi (University of California - Santa Cruz)

Dr. Greg Field (Duke University - Durham, NC)

Dr. Roberto Manduchi of the University of California - Santa Cruz Jack Baskin School of Engineering explains the development of an iPhone app that will support the development of both path backtracking and map-based wayfinding.

Then, Dr. Greg Field of Duke Department of Neurobiology discusses how the neurons of the retina reprogram themselves in low light to create a kind of night vision.

11/4/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Plastic Tactile 3-D Maps and Mediterranean Diet's Effect On Blindness On October 21 Show

Howard Kaplan (University of South Florida Advanced Visualization Center - Tampa, FL)

Dr. Emily Chew (National Eye Institute - Bethesda, MD)

Howard Kaplan of the University of South Florida's Advanced Visualization Center explains how 3-D plastic tactile maps are being created using software and a 3-D printer to help students with visual impairment navigate the Tampa campus.

Then, Dr. Emily Chew of the National Eye Institute goes over a study that shows how following a Mediterranean diet can lower the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.

10/21/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Dr. Byron Lam of Miami and Dr. John Laurent of UAB on October 14 Show

Dr. Byron Lam (Bascom Palmer Eye Institute - Miami, FL)

Dr. John Laurent (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

Dr. Byron Lam of the University of Miami's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute talks about the first American patients to undergo the Nightstar gene therapy clinical trial for X-linked retinitis pigmentosa.

Then, Dr. John Laurent of the University of Alabama at Birmingham College of Optometry. discusses scleral contact lenses, which are used to treat severely irregularly shaped corneas.

10/14/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)
 

Dr. William Beltran and Dr. Joshua Ehrlich On September 30 Show

Dr. William Beltran (University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine - Philadelphia)

Dr. Joshua Ehrlich (University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center - Ann Arbor)

Dr. William Beltran of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine talks about a study showing how knocking down and replacing a gene, called rhodopsin, can help treat dogs with retinitis pigmentosa. This treatment could possibly help humans in the future. 

Dr. Joshua Ehrlich of the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center explains the results of a study that shows that black and hispanic older adults do not take advantage of low vision devices as often as white older adults.

9/30/2018 Podcast (Click Link Below)                                             

Tom Perski and IrisVision VR Technology Headset On September 2 Show

IrisVision (Pleasanton, CA)

Tom Perski discusses IrisVision, which is a virtual reality headset system that uses a smartphone to present clear and magnified images to those with visual impairment.

9/2/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Dr. Dong Feng Chen and Dr. Julia Haller On August 26 Show

Dr. Dong Feng Chen (Schepens Eye Research Institute - Boston, MA)

Dr. Julia Haller (Wills Eye Hospital - Philadelphia, PA)

Dr. Dong Feng Chen of Boston's Schepens Eye Research Institute discusses a surprising study that suggests that glaucoma could be an autoimmune disorder.

Then, Dr. Julia Haller of Philadelphia's Wills Eye Hospital explains an early feasibility study involving the retinal implant, the Alpha AMS.

8/26/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)
 

Menus4All and Resolution of NFB Lawsuit Against Greyhound on August 12 Show

National Federation of the Blind (Baltimore, MD)

Helen Fernety and Stephanie Jones of Menus4All explain how the menu-reading, web-based app assists those with visual impairment make dining choices at restaurants. 

Then, Chris Danielsen of the National Federation of the Blind discusses the resolution of a lawsuit filed against Greyhound regarding the lack of accessibility of the bus company's website.

8/12/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Brad Baker of Mid-South Lions and Dr. Vadim Arshavsky On July 22 Show

Mid-South Lions (Memphis, TN)

Dr. Vadim Arshavsky (Duke University - Durham, NC)

Brad Baker, CEO of Mid-South Lions, discusses all of the many services that the organizations provides for those with visual impairment.

Duke University's Dr. Vadim Arshavsky explains how enhancing cells' abilities to process misfolded proteins can delay the onset of inherited blindness.

7/22/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Dr. Emily Taylor Graves and Mitch McCracken On July 8 Show

Dr. Emily Taylor Graves (University Of Tennessee Health Science Center - Memphis)

Mitch McCracken (That Memphis Music Radio Show)

Dr. Emily Taylor Graves of the University of Tennessee Health Science Hamilton Eye Institute discusses cataracts and the Ivan Marais Cataract-A-Thon.

Memphis area radio personality Mitch McCracken talks living with diabetes, his battle with diabetic retinopathy, and how that has affected his work on That Memphis Music Radio Show.

7/8/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Dr. David Calkins and Dr. Jason Meyer On July 1 Show

Dr. David Calkins (Vanderbilt Eye Institute - Nashville, TN)

Dr. Jason Meyer (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis)

Dr. David Calkins of Nashville's Vanderbilt Eye Institute discusses how the brain fights back to preserve vision during the early stages of glaucoma.

Dr. Jason Meyer of the Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis School of Science explains how different retinal ganglion cells have very different functions.

7/1/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Retinal Prosthesis with Photovoltaic Cells, Myopia Study, and App For Parents of Visually Impaired On June 3 Show

Dr. Daniel Palanker (Stanford University - Stanford, CA)

Dr. Marie Bodack (Southern College Of Optometry - Memphis, TN)

Karla Antonelli (Mississippi State University NRTC - Starkville, MS)

Stanford University's Dr. Daniel Palanker discusses a retinal prosthesis that uses photovoltaic cells in conjunction with a pair of goggles.

Southern College of Optometry's Dr. Marie Bodack talks about myopia and the CHAMP study, which evaluates the effectiveness of two different doses of an investigational eye drop in children.

Karla Antonelli of Mississippi State University's NRTC explains an app in development for youth with visual impairment and their parents.

6/4/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

National Federation Of The Blind Of Tennessee On May 20 Show

National Federation of the Blind of Tennessee

Christina Clift of the National Federation of the Blind of Tennessee discusses the organization's activities, programs, and legislative efforts.

May 20 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Macrophages and Employee Mentoring Program For The Blind on May 13 Show

Jonathan Lin (Washington University College of Medicine - St. Louis, MO)

Karla Antonelli (Mississippi State University NRTC on Blindness and Low Vision - Starkville, MS)

Jonathan Lin of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis explains how immune cells, known as macrophages, as they age, have a link to age-related macular degeneration.

Then, Karla Antonelli of the Mississippi State University National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision details the results of an employment mentoring project for college students who are blind.

5/13/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

U.S. Currency Reader Program and Tennessee Blind Veterans Association On May 6 Program

Len Olijar (U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing - Washington, D.C.)

Len Olijar of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing discussing the U.S. Currency Reader Program, which provides iBill talking banknote identifiers to eligible U.S. citizens and national residents.

Then, Calvin Poole talks about the activities and programs provided by the Tennessee region of the Blind Veterans Association.

5/6/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Myopia and NuEyes Smartglasses On March 4 Show

Dr. Andrew Pucker (University of Alabama at Birmingham - Birmingham, AL)

NuEyes (Newport Beach, CA)

Dr. Andrew Pucker of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry discusses myopia, its causes, its treatments, and the UAB Myopia Control Clinic.

Then, Regina Chatman details NuEyes, hands free electronic screen reading smartglasses for those with visual impairment. (Stephen Usery engineered the Chatman interview.)

3/4/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Dr. Vikki Weake and Dr. Curtis Brandt On Jan. 28 Show

Dr. Vikki Weake, Ph. D. (Purdue University - West Lafayette, IN)

Dr. Curtis Brandt (University of Wisconsin - Madison, WI)

Purdue University's Dr. Vikki Weake explains why blue light kills photoreceptors in fruit flies and what that could mean for research in human retinal diseases.

Dr. Curtis Brandt of the University of Wisconsin-Madison goes over experimental gene transfer techniques that could improve the treatment of glaucoma.

1/28/2018 Podcast (Click Image Below)