|
Message from the Director
Twenty Years - a time to celebrate the past and to look with confidence to the future. Twenty years ago, we started our first Self Help Support Group with six participants. We were a small grass-roots, kitchen-table organization. With funding from Elder Services of Cape Cod, we were able to open more support groups. Then, the Kelley Foundation awarded us start-up funds to open an office, and the United Way accepted our application to become a member agency. Local community groups graciously donated a variety of office equipment. Little by little, with the help of so many groups and individuals, we were able to grow from that kitchen-table organization to a full-functioning, full-time human service agency. There are so many who have supported our growth with funding and volunteer time. You all have helped us to improve the quality of life for many people who are learning to cope and function with the loss of sight. We wish to express our heartfelt appreciation to past and present Board members, Advisory Board members, support group coordinators and drivers, friendly visitors, transcribers, as well as to those individuals, agencies, and foundations who have made contributions. We have accomplished so much during the past 20 years, but there is still so much to be done - with your continued support, we will get it done.
Letters from our Friends Dear Sight Loss Group, Thanks to June Wenberg and her friendly staff I have looked forward to the support group meeting each month. I admire the cheerfulness of the group, and many friendships are made. Also, the volunteer drivers who give of their time. I, for one, am most grateful to be a member of SIGHT LOSS Services. - Myrne Riel, Barnstable Dear Friends, What a great opportunity to let everyone know how wonderful this program is. I have Glaucoma and Dry Eye. I am so grateful for the support group meetings and the mailings, which have new and helpful information. We are kept informed of any new treatments that are being discovered continually. June Wenberg also sent one of her people to my home to see if there was anything they could do to make life easier for me. The young lady marked my thermostat and the knobs on my stove and refrigerator. Such a big help as I did have difficulty in that area. I cannot fail to mention the person who leads our Chatham support group, Betty deLutz. She is helpful and follows up on every problem that arises and recommends doctors who are specialists in this field. Many thanks to SIGHT LOSS. -Jeannette Morris, Chatham I can truthfully say that I owe my peace of mind, as I came to terms with the fact that I have Macular Degeneration, to June Wenberg and SIGHT LOSS Services. When I was diagnosed by my doctor, his answers to my questions were treated with just two answers: "There is nothing you can do" and "well, at least you can drive." I was to return to see him in a year. I was terrified about the future and tried to decide where I could turn for help and information. The first thing I did was check the phone book for Cape sight loss services, and within minutes I was speaking with June. She can never know what relief I felt when she invited us to meet her the next morning. June spent over an hour with us, answering questions, informing us how Macular Degeneration affects the eye and what optic devices were being used by others with this condition. Best of all, which local doctor specializes in disease of the retina. For me, it has been crucial to keep up with new developments in retinal research, and I have found the SIGHT LOSS newsletter is a great resource for information. No more unanswered questions concerning my eyes. - Nancy Amerson, Brewster Dear Friends, It is a privilege to be a small part of the great things that SIGHT LOSS Services is doing for the sight-less. There is a beautiful bunch of participants and helpers in each support group - so willing to listen and share. - Ellen Call, Falmouth To whom it May Concern, The purpose of this letter is to acknowledge and thank everyone at SIGHT LOSS Services for the pleasure and satisfaction that Pat and I have experienced since becoming members. I was pronounced legally blind in 1987 and Pat and I became members that same year. Since then we have benefited from the many services that SLS provides. We enjoy attending the monthly support group meetings and find them to be educational, enlightening, and personal. It is very obvious that those who attend come away with their spirits uplifted. It is gratifying to participate in this endeavor. - Bob & Pat Ludwick, Brewster Dear June, Thank you and all for the support group meetings. They are such a source of enjoyment and companionship, and encouraging information. - Violet DeBruyn, Falmouth Dear June, When I first started attending the support group I was at the lowest point in my life, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I felt alone and isolated, but the caring ways of you and your staff helped to rebuild my self-esteem and made me feel useful again. The support group made such a difference in my life. By attending, I gained my spirit back. I began to realize that my blindness was not a barrier but a challenge to learn new ways to do old things. The group comes from such diverse populations, yet we could all identify with each other. Being a member has been an honor and a privilege. They gave back to me. I realized I had just lost my sight not my mind and my heart. I had lost sight of the fact that I had the ability to help others, to listen, to make a difference in their lives, and to make my own choices. The group encouraged me to seek employment and realize my talents to help others. Today, I work for Cape Organization for the Rights of the Disabled (CORD) as a vocational rehabilitation/independent living advocate. I love my job, I love the support group, and thanks to you, your staff, all the members, and even my volunteer driver, for never giving up on me and encouraging me to reach for the stars. I have only just begun to fulfill my dreams. I enjoy working with you now as a colleague. You continue to be a source of strength for me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you and your agency has done for me. You not only talk the talk but you walk the walk! - Margaret Mason, Centerville Dear June, Congratulations on twenty years of passionate service to those on Cape Cod who have experienced loss of their sight. CORD can attest to the many people SIGHT LOSS has assisted to adjust to their disability and remain in the mainstream of society. We have all benefited from your program's work - there are so many stories of which you can be proud. And it has never been forgotten by me that when CORD was starting out back in 1984, our first meetings were held in your office. We appreciated your backing so much when we were a small group trying to make our mark. Best wishes from all at CORD. We look forward to working with SIGHT LOSS Services for another twenty years! - Bill Henning, Director Cape Organization for the Rights of the Disabled Dear Friends, My vision problems began with a tumor in the left hemisphere of my brain, caused by a genetic illness called Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. I has surgery when I was a teenager to remove the tumor, however, my sight problems remained. I am legally blind from hemianopia, which means that I am blind to the right in both eyes. I cannot drive and need large print or tapes to read. Support groups like those at SIGHT LOSS Services and prayers are certainly needed. I would like to thank June Wenberg for starting SIGHT LOSS Services twenty years ago. I am also grateful to all the drivers and other staff members and volunteers for all they have done and continue to do. God watch over all of you. - Wendy McKay, Hyannis
Research Update
Cortical Implant Research
According to the Foundation Fighting Blindness, vision researchers are developing high-tech prosthetic devices that can be surgically implanted in the brain or the retina to partially restore lost vision to people who are blind. Although highly experimental, these devices might one day restore ambulatory vision, thereby giving people the freedom to walk without the assistance of a cane or guide dog. Experiments have been conducted concerning one prosthesis called the "Dobelle Eye," (after Dr. William Dobelle) consisting of a video camera and distance sensor wired via a computer to platinum electrodes implanted on the surface of the visual cortex of the brain. The visual cortex is the part of the brain that processes visual images. Because it interfaces directly with the brain, the Dobelle Eye is an example of a cortical implant. Before a cortical implant can be made available to patients, it must be further tested and refined in the lab and then evaluated in human clinical trials to insure its safety and effectiveness. One of the largest hurdles is the massive amount of electrical power needed to excite the neurons that process visual information deep within the visual cortex, risking seizures and other complications from surface stimulation of the visual cortex. Researchers are now developing smaller implants that require less power and thereby transmit safer electrical signals. An implant made of silicon rather than platinum is now being tested in animal models at the University of Utah. Nonetheless, Dr. Dobelle's research is encouraging, indicating that long-term implantation of electrodes in the brain appears not to evoke immune responses or cause discomfort and that the electrodes appear to still function after 20 years. Because cortical implants bypass the retina and relay images directly to the brain, it may be possible to restore vision to patients with vision loss from eye trauma and a wide variety of eye diseases, including retinal degenerative diseases. Photodynamic Therapy
According to Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston, a study has been initiated to determine the efficacy of Visudyne in photodynamic therapy for treating wet Macular Degeneration. In the study, patients receive Visudyne through an IV and then laser treatment is applied. The goal is to close the leaking blood vessels through the use of photosensitizing dye. The patients who are eligible for the study are those with neovascular membranes directly into the fovea. Part of the neovascular membrane must be well defined. It is hoped that Visudyne will be widely available this spring. Experimental Laser Treatment for Dry AMD Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh are leading clinical trials testing the safety and effectiveness of laser treatments in patients with dry Age-related Macular Degeneration. Dr. Gerald Chader of the Foundation Fighting Blindness says, "Millions of Americans are losing their central vision to dry macular degeneration and unfortunately there are no available sight-saving treatments. These preliminary trials will determine whether this experimental treatment can safely preserve vision." In the early stages of AMD, yellow-white deposits called "drusen" accumulate beneath the macula, the central portion of the retina. Over time, these deposits interfere with the function of photoreceptor cells in the macula, causing a gradual loss of central vision. A few small pilot studies have examined whether laser treatments of drusen deposits might safely slow the progression of AMD. Results suggest that high-intensity laser treatments may actually cause a faster progression from early AMD to the more severe wet form. Other pilot studies suggest that minimal treatment with a low-intensity laser may be a safe method of treatment. Careful monitoring helps protect the existing vision of the study participants while testing the safety and efficacy of this procedure. Stem Cells Research News from Canada Important new evidence that the most common form of blindness may yet be overcome by manipulating living cells was recently reported by a research team in Canada. Based on experiments using cells from a mouse, cow, and human eyes, Derek van der Kooy and six colleagues announced that the eye already contains the immature cells needed to repair or replace a damaged retina. Such stem cells were thought to exist only in the eyes of amphibians and fish. Van der Kooy's team induced these stem cells to grow in lab dishes and produce all of the various cells needed in the retina. Stems cells are important and interesting because they have the ability to grow and form various kinds of new tissues. In bone marrow stem cells produce a vast array of white blood cells for the immune system, as well as the oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Stem cells were also recently found in brain tissue. The stems cells the Canadian team found were hidden in a part of the eye called pigmented ciliary margin. Only one in 500 of the cells found there are stem cells, but they have the ability to grow very rapidly. "We were able to dissect out a small region of the adult eye, from the pigmented ciliary margin, put them in a dish, and they started to divide," van der Kooy explained. One cell can produce 1,500 new cells in just a week, diversifying to form the light-sensing cells needed for vision, plus nerve and other cells. The research was done at the University of Toronto and is aimed at restoring lost vision to those who suffer visual loss attributed to age-related Macular Degeneration, the most common form of blindness in the elderly, and diabetics who have blindness caused by destruction of the retina. There is now no way to restore retinal tissue, which is the light-sensing organ that sits at the back of the eye. It is not yet known whether these new stem cells can be coaxed to arrange themselves properly in the eye and make all of the right connections to the brain's optic nerve. Still, there are hints from other labs that implanted retinal cells can be induced to wire themselves up correctly. Work by neuroscientist Michael Young from Schepens Eye Research in Boston suggests that retinal cells do make some nerve connections when implanted. "We get them to connect to the nervous system," Young said, "But we don't know whether they are the right connections. We're testing the animals' behavior to see if a blind animal can see again or if there is improved vision. So far it looks promising." Young said his team has also been using neural stem cells in rats' eyes. "We've put them in, and they seem to wire up to the nervous system �One of the most promising things is that the cells have the capacity to become photoreceptors, which is the key to restoring vision." |
