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| Fall 1999 - Winter 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TEN RESEARCH GRANTS FUNDED BY ISPB FOR 1999 +The ISPB Board of Directors is pleased to announce the awarding of ten research grants to four Illinois institutions for 1999, totaling nearly $30,000. First established in 1916, the grants continue to help fund exploratory research studies in vision, especially as they relate to the prevention of blindness. Recently, the ISPB received word from two past grant recipients expressing their appreciation for our support and enabling them, through to this support, to secure funding for two major long-term research projects through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital ——————–
Loyola University Medical Center————
RUSH University ————————————–
University of Illinois at Chicago —————–
In addition to the above grants, the ISPB is continuing to support the following programs: Vision for Humanity of Central Illinois. The program provides vision examinations and eyeglasses for the economically disadvantaged men, women and children in central Illinois. The ISPB grant pays for the lens grinding expenses by a local laboratory. AND Chicago Hearing Society (CHS). The ISPB grant supports the Hearing and Vision Screening Program of the CHS. The program was established to detect, at an early age, hearing and vision problems in children ages three to five years old and to intervene when a child has been identified with a hearing or vision problem. n
November Is National Diabetes MonthThe Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness (ISPB) has, once again, joined the National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP), along with 39 other participating organizations, to emphasize the importance of maintaining health vision during National Diabetes Month. “We are urging all people with diabetes to get a dilated eye examination at least once a year,” states James A. McKechnie, Jr., ISPB’s executive director. Factual information at the National level shows that diabetic eye disease can cause as many as 25,000 new cases of blindness each year and people who have diabetes are 25 times more likely to become blind than those without diabetes. “One of the most frightening things about diabetic eye disease is that there are no early warning signs and no symptoms,” said Dr. Carl Kupfer, director of the National Eye Institute, of the National Institutes of Health. He goes on to say that “people with diabetic eye disease do not realize that their eyesight is slowly deteriorating. And because there are no symptoms and vision seems to be normal, people with diabetes might not make it a health priority to visit an eye care professional.” Nearly half of the nation’s estimated 16 million people with diabetes will develop some degree of diabetic retinopathy, the most common form of diabetic eye disease. Other eye problems that can develop in people with diabetes include cataract and glaucoma. Dr. Kupfer states: “The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely it is that they will develop diabetic retinopathy. However, studies have shown that people with diabetes who keep their blood sugar levels as normal as es possible slow the onset and progression of diabetic retinopathy and lessen the need for laser surgery. This may also help reduce other complications from the disease, such as kidney disease, stroke and nerve damage.” The ISPB is also partnering with the Illinois Diabetes Advisory Coalition of the Illinois Department of Human Services to disseminate the National Diabetes Education Program Campaign Slogan: This program is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. In Illinois, approximately 495,000 adults have diagnosed diabetes, with an additional 3 million people at increased risk of undiagnosed diabetes because of the risk factors of age, obesity and sedentary lifestyle. The cost of diabetes in Illinois is staggering. The direct cost (medical care) and indirect cost (low productivity and premature mortality) of diabetes in Illinois totaled about $7.0 billion in 1996. The NEI brochure, Don’t Lose Sight of Diabetic Eye Disease, is available through the ISPB office. If you would like a copy of the IDHS report, The Burden of Diabetes in Illinois, please call (217) 782-2166.
Fetal Transplant for Macular Degeneration UpdateOn January 29, 1997, the first fetal transplant for age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) in the United States was completed on an eighty-year-old woman— in the advanced stages of the disease — at The University of Chicago, Department of Ophthalmology. Dr. J. Terry Ernest, Chairman of the University’s ophthalmology department has recently stated that the “surgery proved what it set out to prove — that the fetal cells would be accepted by the body and would continue to grow.” However, Dr. Ernest has not been able to document improvement in the vision of the woman or the other subjects who had had this procedure. Recruitment of ARMD subjects is underway at the University. “We’re preparing to do [fetal transplants] in patients who do have useful vision left and perhaps they can be helped,” Dr. Ernest said. If you are interested in learning more about the program, please call (773) 702-8888 (Source: [Chicago] Daily Southtown, Aug. 23, 1999). Original story reported in The Visionary, Spring-Summer 1997 from Chicago Tribune, Jan. 31, 1997).
Four New Presenters for EYE SPY ProgramThe ISPB, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Triton College Continuing Education Center for Health Professionals (CECHP) of River Grove are proud to announce four new presenters to the EYE SPY program for 4th graders. They are: Nila Tegeler and Mardell Flack from Effingham; Dee Ann Schippert and Debra Longest from Watseka. Becky McDannald from Jacksonville also attended for recertification. The workshop, held in Springfield on April 29, 1999, was conducted by Paul Anthony, O.D., Springfield; Michael Weigus, ISPB health education coordinator; James A. McKechnie, Jr., ISPB executive director; and Gail Tanner, IDPH administrator of the Vision and Hearing Program. The ISPB gives special thanks to all nurses/presenters of the EYE SPY program, who have given of their time spreading the word to 4th graders on eye safety and the prevention of blindness. We appreciate their continued support and interest in this worthwhile program. Nurses interested in training for the EYE SPY program, please contact
TAKE THIS EYE-Q TEST:See how much you know about Macular Degeneration Eye Disease DO YOU KNOW . . . that Macular Degeneration eye disease is a
leading
— by Margaret Moore, Editor, Focal Point, Winter 1999, Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Allentown, Penn. Reprinted by permission.
1999 ISPB LECTURESHIP— Chicago Ophthalmological Society The Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness was pleased to present the 12th ISPB Lecturer Award to Marian Macsai, M.D., at the Chicago Ophthalmological Society’s 51st Annual Clinical Conference, Chicago, May 21, 1999. Her presentation was entitled “Surgical Reconstruction of the Traumatic Anterior Segment.” At the time of the award Dr. Macsai was professor of ophthalmology, surgical director of the Ambulatory Care Center and on the clinical faculty at West Virginia University School of Medicine at Morgantown. We are honored to report that Dr. Macsai and family have recently moved to the Chicago area. She has accepted the positions of chief of the division of ophthalmology at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare and professor of ophthalmology at Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago. The ISPB Award is made possible by an ISPB grant to the Chicago Ophthalmological Society.
Night Lights for Young Children — Yes, No or Maybe?Who would have thought that a night light may have an effect on the eyes of infants and toddlers up to the age of 2! And its use may cause nearsightedness (myopia)! The controversial study, published in a recent issue of the journal, Nature, raises the possibility that too much light prompts the eyes to grow excessively and skews their natural focus during the first two years of life at a time when the eyes develop most rapidly. “Just as the body needs to rest, this suggests that the eyes need a period of darkness,” said Dr. Graham Quinn, an ophthalmologist and the study’s lead author at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The researchers there asked parents of 479 children who had been patients at the doctors’ eye clinic to “recall” the lighting conditions of their children’s bedrooms between birth and age 2. The results were as follows: (a) 172 of the children slept in darkness, with 10 percent developing nearsightedness; (b) 232 slept with a night light, with 34 percent becoming nearsighted; (c) 75 slept with a lamp on, with 55 percent developing myopia. “I don’t think a retrospective study based on a questionnaire is valid,” said Dr. Robert Cykiert, an ophthalmologist at the New York University School of Medicine. “They’re grasping at straws.” The study caused a stir among eye specialists, being dismissed as “premature and incomplete” by failing to take into account risk factors, such as heredity and external lighting conditions (streetlights, and so forth). The study, Dr. Quinn acknowledged, doesn’t conclusively demonstrate that constant light causes myopia, but he does urge parents to provide infants with a dark bedroom — within reason. “We don’t want parents to overreact….We don’t want them to think that they have to change a diaper in the dark or drop the baby because they can’t see what they’re doing.” Some researchers say parents should wait for the results of follow-up research. One researcher believes that a more reliable approach would be to conduct controlled experiments in the illuminated and darkened bedrooms of children, and then check their vision several years later (Source: Joseph B. Verrengia, Science Writer, Associated Press, May 14, 1999).
“Safety” and “Suitability” In Purchasing ToysSafety and suitability are the “key” words for purchasing toys. The ISPB hopes the following list and guides will help you in your selection of a toy for your child and/or to give as a gift: Dr. Phillip Kaufman’s 1999 List of Toys That Will Cause Eye Damage. To obtain a copy send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to TOY LIST, Dr. Phillip L. Kaufman, 1395 Main Street, Crete, IL 60417. Guide to Toys for Children Who are Blind or Visually Impaired, 1999-2000 (available Nov. 1999) by The American Federation for the Blind (AFB) and The American Toy Institute, Inc. — Call AFB at 1+800+232-5463. Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids, by The National Parent Network on Disabilities in conjunction with Toys “R” Us — Call 1+800+732-3298.
Chicago Places and Programs To Check OutIf you are blind or visually impaired you may be interested in checking out the following places: Chicago Historical Society, 1601 N. Clark Street — (312) 642-4600. Touchable or tactile exhibits are listed in Braille. Please call for more information. The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s Center for Health and Fitness, 710 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, 3rd floor — call Katie Basile at (312) 908-4292. Gym availability with various pieces of exercise equipment, such as weights, treadmills and stationary bicycles available for use by people who are blind or visually impaired. There is no charge to use the equipment, but you must fill out a form verifying your visual disability. There are staff members on hand to assist you. For more information, please call the above number. Chicago Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. Free recreation activities throughout the year are offered for people with disabilities. Most activities take place from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon. For more information, please call Joe Albritton at (312) 744-4602. If you live outside of Chicago, contact your local Mayor’s Office for a referral. n
“Get Ready, Get Set, Go” — Prevention of Blindness?Are you wondering what this well-known slogan could possibly have to do with the prevention of blindness? Well . . . GET READY with a calendar and pencil, GET SET to make that appointment call for your child or yourself and GO to that scheduled appointment with your eye care professional.
Unfortunately, there is a tendency for some adults to put off their own eyes examinations for one reason or another. And, to make matters worse, the eye care of their infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-aged children is not usually “No. 1” on the list of health priorities.
Good eyesight should not be taken for grantedAccording to a recently released national survey of 502 parents, almost half of the children under the age of twelve have never been seen by an eye care professional. The ISPB finds these results alarming! Today, a newborn is typically checked at birth for a host of conditions, including eye disorders. If a child is at risk by being born either prematurely or having genetic predisposition to certain eye diseases, a second exam most likely will be scheduled around the age of six months and another before the age of three. The earlier an eye condition is diagnosed the more likely a child’s vision can be treated. Even if a child has been fortunate in having no apparent eye problems by the age of five or six, an eye examination still should be scheduled before starting school. If an eye correction is needed, this is the time to take care of it. Each year the media, eye care professionals and organizations continue to place emphasis on the importance of individual eye exams and the need for vision screening in schools. Here are some headlines from various Illinois newspapers that make the point: “Untreated eye conditions can lead to children not making the grade at school” ([Dixon] The Telegraph, Jan. 26, 1999; “Eye examinations top back-to-school lists” (Lake Villa Record, Aug. 20, 1999); and, more recently, “For some, success in classes tied to eyeglasses” (Chicago Tribune, Sunday, Sept. 12, 1999). The Tribune article reveals that, under the leadership of Paul Vallas, CEO, Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago school system is focusing on the importance of good eyesight in students. The statistics show that one in three 8th graders in inner-city public schools who flunked, also failed a vision screening. This has been attributed in part to infrequent screenings in the schools and lack of response from parents regarding notification of their child’s poor vision. This fall the Chicago schools have expanded a $3 million vision and hearing screening initiative to include nearly 75 percent of its students by the end of this academic year. This program will pay for an eye exam, plus a free pair of glasses, if needed. The ISPB applauds the Chicago school system’s continuing effort to help children excel in school, especially the expansion of the vision and hearing initiative to reach more and more students. It is important to note that the ISPB was instrumental, decades ago, in legislating vision screening guidelines for all Illinois children. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) still uses these guidelines through its vision screening program, statewide. Many Illinois optometrists assist with this very important IDPH program. Through the vigilance of parents, school systems, organizations and public health departments, eye exams and vision screening of children are and will continue to be excellent diagnostic tools in assessing a child’s vision at an early age. Illinois Department of Public Service (IDPS)
Research and Procedures — UpdatesAge-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD)
Vitreous Hemorrhage
Glaucoma
Remembrances (as of September 30, 1999)
In Memory of:
In Honor of:Elsie Andrews, Louis Arteaga, A. Charles Balch, Carl Berquist, Marie Blaha, Rose Boerner, Thomas
Caden, Pauline Chiacopulos, Joseph Clark, Hazel Dawson, Anna Eliopoulos,
Mary Ela, Lucille Fiedler, John E. Galvin, John P. Gillen, Edward Heil, Sr., Frank Henke, Jr.,
Robert Jennings, Virginia Johnson, Harriet Kaster, Theresa Kill, Eleanor Malolepszy, Virginia Meisl, August J. Mroczek,
Stella Nickolaou, Maria Perakis, Joan Pierri, Charles Scalia, Josephine Schultz, Ruth Termunde, Thomas Whalen, Ann Yerkes, Jack V.
Zolp Alan J. Altheimer, Ruth Eisenberg, Tammy Fingersh, Michael Rolfe Barbara Grano, Diane Katz,Lorraine Lewis, Carol Peters Sylvia Clark, Ruth Gordon, Alponse Grelyak, Dr. Mark Guinan, Edward
Hora, Andrew Ignace, Dr. Thomas Kirk, Willliam Kurzeja, Marietta Lanzarotta,
Adeline Loutris, Harry McGinnis, William McNulty, Walter Nykiel,
Frances, Toczek, S. Marguerite Zyert
There is a great world out there to be explored. Quick TipsChampaign/Wine Bottles. When opening a champagne/wine bottle, wrap the cork in a towel and grip it tightly. As you remove the cork, point it away from yourself and those around you. Don’t shake the bottle. Microwave Popcorn Bags. Do not look into a super hot bag of popcorn just removed from the micro- wave. The steam can scorch the surface of the eye. Umbrellas. If the spokes of an umbrella are bent and/or the waterproof material has pulled away from the spokes, please buy a new umbrella. You could poke your eye or someone else’s eye out causing serious damage to the retina or other parts of the eye.
Car Batteries. Wear polycarbonate eyeware when jumpstarting a car. An exploding battery can spray acid into the eyes. If you would like information on jumpstarting a car, please contact the ISPB office. Home Ovens or General Cleaning. Again, wear polycarbonate eyeware when cleaning an oven or when using other strong chemicals for general cleaning. The Visionary , published as a service of the Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness,is available upon request. The information contained in this issue, taken from sources considered to be accurate, does not replace the need for professional eye care consultations and treatments. |
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