PurposeTo evaluate the changes in visual impairment (VI) due to age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) during the past 40 years and the impact of novel therapies at population level.MethodsIn this ...nationwide register‐based study, we assessed the incidence, prevalence, severity, and onset age of VI due to AMD based on the Finnish Register of Visual Impairment data from 1980 to 2019. Our data included 30 016 visually impaired persons with AMD as the main diagnosis for VI. The number of persons treated with intravitreal injections in Finland was obtained from hospital data kept by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.ResultsBetween the 1980s and the 2010s, the incidence of reported VI doubled; however, this increase has stagnated in the 2010s. Since 2012, the prevalence of reported VI has decreased. The number of patients treated with intravitreal injections showed a 40‐fold increase during 2005–2019. The severity of reported VI has decreased whereas the mean age at the onset of reported VI has increased during the 40 years. The age‐adjusted incidence and prevalence of reported VI were significantly higher in females in comparison to males in all decades.ConclusionIncrease in the incidence and prevalence of VI due to AMD in the past decades has stagnated and shifted to older age in the 2010s when therapies for exudative class became commonly available. Furthermore, the prognosis of VI has improved during the past 40 years. These positive trends are likely contributable to improved diagnostic tools, earlier diagnoses, and new therapy options.
Two exploring hands, two eyes that can only imagine. If there is something truly universal in this world, that everyone should be granted access to, that is art in all its forms. Yet, the ...accessibility of art to people with visual impairment has been for a long time mostly intended as the elimination of architectural barriers; however, it is necessary to work on the sensory, experiential and cognitive aspects, in order to allow blind people to truly access and enjoy artworks, paving the way to the right – for everyone - to live the aesthetic experience. In an inclusive perspective, the book proposes a methodological-didactic approach for all for the ‘translation’ of perspective-based paintings into a language which can be accessed by visually impaired users. Communicating such works to a non-sighted audience does not only mean to render them into a tactically explorable three-dimensional form: Renaissance perspective-based paintings embody different values, symbolic messages and meanings which are strictly linked to the application of perspective and whose acknowledgment does not pass through the eyes but through understanding and intellect. The proposed methodological approach works on two fronts: firstly, the search for the figurative equivalent of perspective space; secondly, the research on the aesthetic equivalent, which includes the former and completes it, allowing access to the actual aesthetic experience. Therefore, an augmented and inclusive communication of the artwork must include a well-structured didactic apparatus in order to convey not only the visual qualities of the work translated into tactile form but also all the meanings connected to it, including the possible multisensory stimuli it can evoke. Such kind of representational and communication strategies are beneficial to a generic audience as well, providing the opportunity to experience an alternative way to ‘enter’ the work of art. In particular, the multisensory experience fully reflects the most authentic spirit of inclusion as it adds ‘feeling’ to the artistic experience, so that sighted people find out they can ‘see more’, and better. Research methodology is based on the traditional methods of descriptive geometry (reverse perspective, accelerated solid perspective) and Information and Communication Technologies (3D modeling, 3D printing) and it was applied to two case studies, The Feast of Herod in the versions by Benozzo Gozzoli and Filippo Lippi.
Epidemiology of blindness in children Solebo, Ameenat Lola; Teoh, Lucinda; Rahi, Jugnoo
Archives of disease in childhood,
09/2017, Volume:
102, Issue:
9
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
An estimated 1.4 million of the world's children are blind. A blind child is more likely to live in socioeconomic deprivation, to be more frequently hospitalised during childhood and to die in ...childhood than a child not living with blindness. This update of a previous review on childhood visual impairment focuses on emerging therapies for children with severe visual disability (severe visual impairment and blindness or SVI/BL).For children in higher income countries, cerebral visual impairment and optic nerve anomalies remain the most common causes of SVI/BL, while retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and cataract are now the most common avoidable causes. The constellation of causes of childhood blindness in lower income settings is shifting from infective and nutritional corneal opacities and congenital anomalies to more resemble the patterns seen in higher income settings. Improvements in maternal and neonatal health and investment in and maintenance of national ophthalmic care infrastructure are the key to reducing the burden of avoidable blindness. New therapeutic targets are emerging for childhood visual disorders, although the safety and efficacy of novel therapies for diseases such as ROP or retinal dystrophies are not yet clear. Population-based epidemiological research, particularly on cerebral visual impairment and optic nerve hypoplasia, is needed in order to improve understanding of risk factors and to inform and support the development of novel therapies for disorders currently considered 'untreatable'.
Introduction: Understanding depression in view of the characteristics of disability would be important for establishing strategies for mental health among people with visual impairment. This study ...was conducted to assess the mental health of people with visual impairments and examine the factors associated with depressive mood. Methods: The data were obtained from the 2016 Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled in Korea. The group difference in explanatory variables according to depressive mood was examined by the chi-square. To assess the effect of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, health-related behavior, stresses, discrimination, and social relationships on depressive mood, a binary logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: The prevalence of depressive mood was higher in people with visual impairments compared to the general population. The demographic characteristics of people with visual impairments differed from the general population in terms of economic conditions and marital status. Not only stress in daily life but also stress due to disability was found to contribute to a depressive mood. Satisfaction with relationships with friends and family was associated with a lower likelihood of depressive mood. Discussion: This study demonstrates that people with visual impairments are likely to be more susceptible to depression than the general population. The association of depressive mood with not only stress in daily life but also stress due to their visual impairment suggests that disability, aside from the inconvenience due to it, can have a negative effect on mental health. The association of friends and family relationship suggests the importance of their supportive role. Implications for Practitioners: The specific characteristics of people with visual impairments in relation to mental health need to be considered and reflected in designing mental health support for the population.
Physical activity and sports can be considered important sources of motivation for people with visual impairments; however limited attention has been given to blind peoples' involvement in sports and ...to the intra-personal variables such as self-esteem and motivation that affect their sport participation. The purpose of the present study was a) to explore the relationship between self-esteem and intrinsic motivation in blind athletes, and b) to assess the levels of self-esteem and intrinsic motivation and identify differences in intrinsic motivation and self-esteem as a function of gender and sport type (individual-team sports). Participants were 78 (27 females) Greek blind athletes (30.29 ± 1.18 years of age) competing in team (N = 44) and individual (N = 34) sports. Participants completed the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory questionnaire (IMI) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) questionnaire. The findings revealed that high values on self-esteem could predict blind athletes' perceived competence (p = .001) and strengthen their intrinsic motivation while enabling them to regulate pressure and tension (p < .05). However, female athletes appeared to be more pressured than males (p < .05), and interestingly, team sport athletes scored higher in intrinsic motivation than individual sports athletes (p < .05). The findings provide useful insights regarding the role of self-esteem in blind athletes' motivational profiles and draw attention to the role of perceived competence in blind athletes' sporting experiences, emphasizing that team sport context may serve as a fertile ground for enhancing intrinsic motivation.
•The study addresses the lack of research examining the role of self-esteem in motivational profiles of blind athletes•Participants completed measures assessing intrinsic motivation and self-esteem.•High values on self-esteem could predict athletes’ perceived competence, thus strengthening their intrinsic motivation.•Team sport context may serve as an advantageous ground for enhancing intrinsic motivation
Introduction
Cerebral visual impairment (CVI) results from damage to cerebral visual processing structures. It is the most common cause of pediatric visual impairment in developed countries and ...rising in prevalence in developing nations. There is currently limited understanding on how neurologic, developmental, and ophthalmic factors predict outcome for pediatric CVI.
Method
A retrospective manual chart review of pediatric CVI patients seen at the tertiary pediatric hospital neurology and neuro-ophthalmology service between 2010 and 2019 was conducted. Patients were stratified into severity groups (based on a custom CVI grading score), and followed over time to identify outcome predictors. Collected baseline characteristics included perinatal, genetic, developmental, and neurologic history, along with neuroimaging and fundoscopic findings on examination. Longitudinal data collected included age, seizure control, and type of therapy received. Linear mixed-effect models were used for longitudinal CVI grade outcome analysis.
Results
A total of 249 individuals spanning 779 patient visits were identified. Mean age at diagnosis was 18.8 ± 16.8 months (2–108 months). About 64.3% were born at term age. Perinatal history revealed hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in 16.5%, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in 11.6%, and seizures in 21.7%. At presentation, 60.3% had a diagnosis of cerebral palsy and 84.7% had developmental delay. Among all subjects, 78.6% had epilepsy; 33.8% had an epileptic encephalopathy, with spasms/hypsarrhythmia being most common. Abnormal neuroimaging was present in 93.8%. Genetic anomalies were present in 26.9%. Baseline visual examination revealed no blink-to-light (BTL) in 24.5%; only BTL in 34.5%, fixation/tracking in 26.5%, and optokinetic drum follow in 14.4%. Longitudinal data analysis showed that perinatal history of HIE, a positive epilepsy history, using multiple (≥3) epilepsy medications, cerebral palsy, and abnormal fundoscopic findings were all negatively associated with CVI grade change over time. After controlling for significant confounders, receiving any type of therapy early childhood intervention (ECI), physical and occupational therapy (PT/OT), refractive error correction or glasses was significantly associated with longitudinal improvement in CVI grade compared to patients who did not receive any therapy, with glasses yielding the largest benefit.
Conclusion
This study offers extensive insights into neurologic, developmental and ophthalmologic features in patients with moderate to severe CVI. In concordance with previous findings, aspects of perinatal history and epilepsy/seizure control may help inform severity and prognosis in the general neurology or ophthalmology clinic. Conversely, these aspects, as well as genetic and specific epilepsy traits may alert vision health care providers in the clinic to pursue visual evaluation in at-risk individuals. Longitudinal follow-up of CVI patients showed that interventional therapies demonstrated vision function improvement greater than no therapy and maturational development.
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