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Post by Ms. Kathy on May 31, 2005 6:32:43 GMT -6
I guess I'll be putting something else in my coffee from now on! Aspartame Triggers Impotence and Blindness, For Immediate ReleasePosted by DrBettyMartini on Sunday May 29, 2005 at 12:38 pm MST [ Send Story to Friend ] Date: Fri, 27 May 2005 19:09:08 -0400 To: Bettym19@mindspring.com From: "Dr. Betty Martini,D.Hum." <Bettym19@mindspring.com> Subject: Aspartame Triggers Impotence and Blindness: FDA looking at Blindness Reports by Impotence-Drug Users For Immediate Release Cc: "DHATTAN-CFSAN.FDA.GOV" <DHATTAN@CFSAN.FDA.GOV>, "RXH-CFSAN.FDA.GOV" <RXH@CFSAN.FDA.GOV>, "inforeply-cdc.gov" <inforeply@cdc.gov>,Jaffe Lyle D <LJAFFE@OC.FDA.GOV> ABC Reports today the FDA is looking into blindness-ED Drug Link. abcnews.go.com/Health/print?id=797444FDA doesn't have far to look. Change in sexual function is listed on the FDA report of 92 symptoms by aspartame. Vision loss and blindness is so commonly triggered by aspartame its #6 on the list. www.dorway.comYou don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand when you put a drug on the market (masquerading as an additive) that liberates free methyl alcohol it inevitably affects vision. In aspartame the methanol converts to formaldehyde and formic acid in the retina of the eye and destroys the optic nerve. Remember how many thousands went blind and died during prohibition because of the use of wood alcohol/methanol. So many went blind on aspartame and had seizures that in l986 the Community Nutrition Institute in l986 petitioned the FDA to ban aspartame. The FDA, handmaiden of the drug/chemical industry, refused. www.dorway.com/betty/blindns.txtFocus RP Magazine published the article: What's Blinding the World? exposing aspartame's blinding effect. Aspartame also triggers optic neuritis and macular degeneration, among other eye problems. www.dorway.com/blinding.txtThe late Dr. Morgan Raiford, ophthalmologist, specialist in methanol toxicity and owner of the Atlanta Eye Hospital wrote many papers exposing aspartame's effect on the eyes: This letter is to Shannon Roth who went blind in one eye from aspartame: www.dorway.com/raiford.txtDr. Raiford also wrote this paper on aspartame's effect on the eyes: "May 20, 1987: FACTS ABOUT ASPARTAME "The above product is also manufactured as NutraSweet. This pharmological spin-off is a highly profitable item, with a growing market. These products are used as a sweetener, some 200 times as sweet as regular cane sugar. "This product has some highly toxic reactions in the human visual pathway and we are beginning to observe the tragic damage to the OPTIC NERVE, such as blindness, partial to total OPTIC NERVE ATROPHY. Once this destructive process has developed there is no return of visual restoration. We are beginning to see and observe another toxic reaction which affects the central nervous system which is related to PHENYLALANINE LEVELS IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. These observations are more vague, however, it stimulates the damaging to the brain and central nervous system, having the manifestations as PKU NEURO DAMAGE. Over 3000 cases have been reported and the FDA to date has ignored this existence. HUMAN VISUAL PATHWAY DAMAGE " The human visual pathway admits ninety percent of our intellectual input to the brain and central nervous. All of the learning processes are centered during ones life time. The mechanism of this tragic damage to the human visual system from this product is and has been known for over a decade that visual loss takes place. When this drug enters the digestive tract, largely the upper portion, this ASPARTAME molecule spins off a by product known as METHANOL or METHYL-ALCOHOL. This product enters the blood stream and when these portions reach the highly metabolic region of the OPTIC NERVE AND RETINA, PARTIAL ATROPHY CAN AND DOES TAKE PLACE. The vision cannot do without oxygen and nutrition for more than ninety seconds without revealing some damage. Total loss of vision is present and there is no return. In the very early stages in which is referred to as the "wet stager", treatment can be given and will reserve the destructive pathology to the OPTIC NERVE and RETINA. This must be in the mind of the physician and he must understand the chemical ongoing process. The writer has seen many cases where the patient was allowed to go to the degrees of blindness, as this diagnosis of OPTIC NEURITIS was rendered, as the term IDIOPATHIC NEURITIS OF OPTIC NERVE was given, usually steroids until systemic gross body and facial moon developed. This therapy has demonstrated the total lack of understanding of the basic lack of BIO-CHEMICAL PHYSIOLOGY AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL. "The variability or onset of the OPTIC NERVE ATROPHY is of a type that one must first think of this pathology, and it requires a certain amount of listening to the patient. The quantity of symptoms vary with each patient. "Over the past year the writer has observed the fact that any portion of the central nervous system can and is affected. Since the chemical PHENYLALANINE is mixed up with some metabolic mess, we have seen symptoms of varying hue in the extremities, sensations of dullness of the intellect, visual shadows, evidence of word structure reversing and some hearing impairment is noted by the individual. This can and will in time cause problems in learning. The medical community must alert itself that we have a problem that has surfaced due to the factor of the drug industry. Parents must be alerted to the side reactions of this toxic product and its reactions." Sincerely, Morgan B. Raiford, M.D. D.Sc (Med) OPHTHALMOLOGY (continued next post) |
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Post by Ms. Kathy on May 31, 2005 6:33:39 GMT -6
(continued rom last post) Dr. Raiford's analysis was written in l987 and the cases of aspartame disease continue to multiply. Joyce Wilson, who went blind and died on aspartame in l990 had over 10,000 cases on her hotline. During congressional hearings it was admitted that the FDA was so flooded with aspartame complaints they were referring them to the AIDS Hotline to get rid of them. Mission Possible Intl has operations in 50 states and over 25 countries taking these complaints. FDA not only does nothing about it but serves above the law. I wrote a Citizens Petition for ban 3 years ago. The law requires 180 days to answer but they refuse. Their only letter said they had more important priorities. So people go blind and die from a global aspartame disease plague. The medical text is Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic, www.sunsentpress.com or 1 800 827 7991. Over 1000 pages of symptoms, diseases and drug interactions triggered by this deadly poison. Aspartame is marketed as NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, Canderel, E951, etc. It features an extensive chapter on aspartame and vision! Aspartame also damages the hypothalamus of the brain and mitochondria and triggers male sexual dysfunction. It is being used by 70% of the population. It also ruins female response. We are spammed daily by ads for Viagra and Cialis because NutraSweet kills passion and performance. Dr. James Bowen explains how aspartame triggers male sexual dysfunction: www.dorway.com/lostsex.txtThe ABC article stresses that risk factors include diabetes and heart disease. Aspartame no doubt has caused an epidemic of diabetes because it can precipitate it as discussed in Dr. Roberts medical text. It also aggravates and simulates diabetic retinopathy and neuropathy. It causes diabetics to go into convulsions and interacts with insulin. And who do the manufacturers and the professional organizations like the American Diabetes Assn funded by the manufacturers push aspartame on but diabetics. And the ADA knows without a shadow of a doubt how aspartame is destroying diabetics. We give out information at the ADA walks, sponsored in part by Equal. Aspartame also is escalating Alzheimers (Memory loss #9 on the FDA report of 92 documented symptoms) and reports say 65% of diabetics develop now Alzheimers. Defense Against Alzheimers Disease by H. J. Roberts MD, www.sunsentpress.comAspartame also triggers an irregular heart rhythm and interacts with all cardiac Rx. It damages the cardiac conduction system causing sudden death. Russell Blaylock, M.D., author of Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills about aspartame (www.russellblaylockmd.com) wrote an Athlete Alert on Sudden Cardiac Death. There are several articles about this on www.wnho.net click on aspartame. Dr. Blaylock's report: www.wnho.net/aspartame_msg_scd.htm This report also goes into MSG which has a synergistic and additive effect with aspartame and is another an excitotoxin. The entire family can be destroyed by aspartame. It is an endocrine disrupting drug which stimulates prolactin. It changes the menses and triggers infertility. A Japanese Study some years ago also showed that aspartame triggers infertility in the male. It destroys the sex life of husband and wife. If a woman gets off of aspartame and gets pregnant, it's an abortifacient and many times she will lose the baby before she knows she is pregnant. If she carries it aspartame is a teratogen and triggers birth defects and mental retardation. If a live child is born it may have heinously damaged the DNA for generations to come. Children all over the world are suffering from ADD and ADHD and behavioral problems triggered by this deadly chemical poison. You may ask how could the FDA approve aspartame. Don't fail to get a copy of the aspartame documentary Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World, www.docworkers.com See and hear James Turner, Atty, who with Dr. John Olney, tried to prevent approval of this neurotoxin. He explains how Don Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, at the time CEO of Searle, called in his markers to get it approved after the FDA for 16 years refused to allow it on the market. Aspartame approval was by political clout and not science. Ask the FDA why a neurotoxic drug that liberates free methyl alcohol is on the market, since methanol is classified as a narcotic. Aspartame causes chronic methanol poisoning which affects the dopamine system of the brain and produces addiction. Pilots are having grand mal seizures in the thingypits of commercial airliners. Five American Pilots who were using aspartame have died including one in flight drinking a diet pop. The FAA says they can't do a thing because it was approved by the FDA. Remember the saying "your life is in the hands of the pilot"! Read this report by Dr. Blaylock and decide whether you want your pilot going blind, having a grand mal seizure, suffering brain fog or dying: www.dorway.com/betty/blaypilo.txtThe FDA knows in original studies aspartame triggered brain tumors. The molecule breaks down to Amytopiperazine, a brain tumor agent. We are now taking case histories of those with aspartame brain tumors in New York, New Jersey, Madison County, Illinois and Mississippi for litigation. We are, indeed, living in a poisoned world. The plague of aspartame disease is global, and FDA turns a blind eye and a deaf ear. We need everyone's help to alert the public and make the FDA and the manufacturers responsible for this heinous crime of mass poisoning, genocide. With so much of the population on aspartame no doubt this is the reason for the epidemic of impotence. And while they are on aspartame they use drugs to combat impotence from this poison, and go blind. Dr. Betty Martini, Founder, Mission Possible Intl, 9270 River Club Parkway, Duluth, Georgia 30097 770 242-2599 www.wnho.net and www.dorway.com Aspartame Toxicity Center, www.holisticmed.com/aspartame24 page booklets on aspartame for distribution can be obtained from the Idaho Observer (www.idaho-observer.com) called the Artificially Sweetened Times. CD of Congressional hearings, Board of Inquiry Report revoking petition for aspartame, and Dr. John Olney's testimony to the Board of Inquiry can be obtained from Bob Flint, Mission Possible Maine, greatfalls@gwi.net Source: www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=21667 |
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Post by Ms. Kathy on Jun 4, 2005 22:02:07 GMT -6
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Post by Ms. Kathy on Jul 12, 2005 14:24:22 GMT -6
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Post by Ms. Kathy on Aug 5, 2005 5:28:25 GMT -6
Eye Drops Might Cause Blindness www.chinaview.cn 2005-08-04 09:37:47 Article Link: news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-08/04/content_3307363.htm BEIJING, Aug. 4 -- Frequent use of eye-drops could damage eyes and might even cause complete loss of vision, the Hong Kong Association of Private Eye Surgeons (HKAPES) warned. HKAPES said most eye-drops contained preservatives that were harmful to eyes. If they were used frequently - over six times a day - preservatives' residues could accumulate and cause chronic irritation and even infection of the cornea and permanent loss of vision. A survey, conducted by the University of Hong Kong, found that most people were ignorant of the risk. Nearly 70 percent of the 518 polled (aged between 20 and 50) knew preservatives in eye-drops were harmful but had no idea that they were contained in most eye-drops. HKAPES President John Chang said preservatives, especially detergent, could lead to blurred vision and lengthen the period of recovery after an eye surgery. Contact-lens users could also be at risk because the lenses act as a reservoir for the chemicals. Only a few of the respondents (17 percent) used eye-drops after consulting an ophthalmologist. Most preferred buying it in pharmacies. "When buying eye-drops, people should consider the composition, dosage and the side-effects," Chan said. People are advised to visit an ophthalmologist every other year, according to HKAPES. (Source: Shenzhen Daily/Agencies)
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Post by Ms. Kathy on Oct 11, 2005 16:39:57 GMT -6
Yearly Mass Antibiotic Treatment Could Eliminate Leading Cause of BlindnessLibraries Medical News Keywords CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS ANTIBIOTIC EYE INFECTION BACTERIUM Contact Information Source: www.newswise.com/articles/view/515101/Available for logged-in reporters only Description Giving communities with high levels of Chlamydia trachomatis yearly mass antibiotic treatment over a few years could be sufficient to eliminate eye infection caused by the bacterium, suggests an article. Newswise — Giving communities with high levels of Chlamydia trachomatis yearly mass antibiotic treatment over a few years could be sufficient to eliminate eye infection caused by the bacterium, suggests an article in this week’s issue of The Lancet. Chlamydia trachomatiscauses trachoma, an infection of the eyes that may result in blindness after repeated re-infection. Trachoma is the world’s leading cause of blindness. Previous studies have suggested that eye infection with C. trachomatiscould be eliminated after one mass treatment with antibiotics. However, Sheila West (The Johns Hopkins School University, Baltimore, MD, USA) and colleagues found that in an area of Tanzania with high levels of the bacterium, mass treatment significantly reduced the prevalence of infection in the community but infection re-emerged after 1-year. Professor West states: “The findings of our community based study show that antibiotic coverage as high as 86% decreases, but does not eliminate, ocular infection with C.trachomatisover 18 months. Trachoma and infectious load began to rise 12 months after treatment, suggesting that yearly mass treatment for this community would be effective.” Please remember to cite The Lancet.
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Post by Ms. Kathy on Nov 15, 2005 16:46:58 GMT -6
Technology Helps Blind Read Digital assistant could help many gain more independence. By Ivonne D'Amato. idamato@centredaily.comSTATE COLLEGE - Laura Wolk, a 19-year-old freshman at Swarthmore College, is blind, so for every class she attends, she has to get any handouts in advance and make sure someone is available to read them to her so she doesn't fall behind. On Friday, she got her hands on a new piece of technology that could make her life, in and out of the classroom, a lot easier. She was attending the state convention of the National Federation for the Blind, which began Friday at the Atherton Hotel and continues through Sunday. She had the opportunity to try the NFB Kurzweil Reader. Among exhibits on technology to assist the blind, and in between seminars on topics ranging from guide dogs to yoga, the Kurzweil Reader was the most talked-about item of the day. Developed by Kurzweil Technologies in conjunction with the federation, it is a personal digital assistant connected to a digital camera that takes a picture of any object - a sheet of paper, page in a book or a box of cereal - and reads it out loud. It's only a prototype, but testing is slated to begin in the spring, said Lynn Heitz, vice president of the NFB of Pennsylvania. The units will have a price tag of about $3,000. The reader will allow blind users to go grocery shopping and hear what is written on labels, or to read printed class material with a headset. "The reader creates another level of independence," said Heitz who, as a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, has a large amount of reading for which she needs assistance. The Kurzweil Reader, she said, would allow her to read books and reports on her own time. Wolk was also this year's recipient of a $1,000 NFB scholarship. For more information on the National Federation of the Blind visit www.nfbp.org or call (215) 988-0888. Source URL: www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/13148569.htm
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Post by Ms. Kathy on Dec 29, 2005 9:09:16 GMT -6
Adults With Lazy Eye Can Improve.12/20/05. New treatment offers promise for previously untreatable amblyopia cases. Seven subjects in a recent exercise improved their overall visual acuity as much as 216 percent, researchers say. By Carl Marziali. Young adults with amblyopia, or lazy eye, can improve substantially and retain their gains under a new treatment developed by researchers at USC and three Chinese universities. A lazy eye in children appears normal but cannot see properly, even with corrective lenses. If untreated, the eye will not develop normally, resulting in permanent loss of vision. Amblyopia has been considered incurable in individuals older than eight. The new study, published online this week by Vision Research, documented a 70 percent improvement in eye chart performance in 19-year-old subjects. The average one-year retention rate was 90 percent. The researchers trained the subjects in detection of a small "gabor" (pronounced ga-bor), a set of three contrasting dark and light ovals that neurophysiologists have identified as a basic unit of visual perception. Surprisingly, improvement in this abstract exercise generalized to a marked improvement in standard vision tests. The seven subjects improved their overall visual acuity 25 to 216 percent, with an average of 70 percent. Another 10 subjects in a slightly different training program showed an average improvement of 46 percent. Eight subjects in a control group showed no improvement. "Detecting simple visual patterns turned out to be quite useful for improving visual acuity for amblyopia patients, typically measured by eye chart reading," said co-author Zhong-Lin Lu, professor of psychology in the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and co-director of the Dornsife Neuroscience Imaging Center. "You train on one of these gabors, you can generalize this to a whole bunch of different gabors, and also generalize this to an eye chart. That makes it [the training] useful," Lu said. Normal subjects who received the same training did not show a general improvement in vision. A possible reason may be that a little stimulus goes a long way toward awakening the amblyopic eye, Lu said. Amblyopia is sometimes due to a misaligned eye that can be reoriented surgically. But in many cases the eye is perfectly healthy, said Lu, who added, "The problem is actually in the brain. This is a neural deficit." Next, the researchers plan to test their method on patients at a clinic in China. Other plans include developing a home training program. "It could become a clinical procedure," Lu said. In addition to USC, the paper's co-authors come from the University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui Medical University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Funding for the research came from the Chinese government, with Lu as the primary investigator under the largest grant, from the Chinese National Natural Science Foundation. Source URL: www.usc.edu/uscnews/stories/11935.html
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Post by Ms. Kathy on Aug 1, 2006 23:50:48 GMT -6
Uganda: Orbis Gives Uganda First Corneal Transplant Operation OperationSource: allafrica.com/stories/200608010078.html The Monitor (Kampala) August 1, 2006 Posted to the web August 1, 2006 Jascent Namuyiga Kampala Many people in Uganda have problems with their sight. The number of eye patients that flock hospitals, clinics and dispensaries all over the country are testimony to this. Despite the fact that eye diseases like Paediatric glaucoma, retinal trachoma and Corneal infections are very high, there are many factors leading to their spread. Inadequate intake of Vitamin A, poor sanitation and hygiene are the leading cause of the majority of eye defects specifically in children. The eye diseases are on an increase because most people do not know how they are spread. Many are also unable to get appropriate treatment because they are located in rural areas where there are no health services and eye specialists are hard to come by. Many others are poor and cannot afford to go to hospitals or abroad for eye operations. Statistics Statistics from the Ministry of Health indicate that eye diseases are among the top 10 causes of disease prevalence in some districts like Masaka and Mpigi, representing 2.3 percent. There are approximately between 280,000-420,000 blind people in Uganda. The Minister of state for health general duties, Dr.Richard Nduhura says, "Although 75percent of all blindness is either preventable and treatable, prevention is necessary." ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital came into the country on July 16 to cater specifically for the patients with corneal problems. ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital in partnership with the Ministry of Health, National Prevention of Blindness Committee is here to carry out the first ever-corneal transplant in Uganda in order to create public awareness on preventable blindness such as corneal infections. ORBIS, composed of US international volunteer doctors and eye specialists will also train 400 Ugandan Ophthalmologists through hands-on training, lectures, surgical demonstrations and wet-lab sessions on the jet. The Corneal transplant is going to be done onboard a DC-10 jet aircraft with state-of-the-art laser operation theatre and recovery rooms in addition to a classroom and audio-visual studio at Entebbe International Airport. ORBIS has conducted treatment and such training programmes including hospital-based trainings in more than 84 countries since 1982. Effectiveness The corneal transplant has not yet been carried out in Uganda due to the fact that there are no eye banks where the corneal can be kept and donors who can volunteer to give out their corneal to eye patients. Five patients have gone through this operation including a 13-year-old girl from the eastern Uganda. Nduhura said that the law on corneal transplant and donation has to be amended in Parliament so that there is a legal framework which one should follow while giving out their corneal so that people do not just give out their body parts anyhow. Relevant Links East Africa Health and Medicine International Organizations and Africa Uganda Aid and Assistance The corneal is got specifically from the dead who sign a contract with ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital before their death donating their eyes on death. The corneal(s) are stored in the corneal bank for only 12 hours. Corneal transplant has been successful in countries like Bangladesh, China, India, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
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Post by Ms. Kathy on Aug 2, 2006 0:52:37 GMT -6
Sarasotan to have sight-restoring surgerySource: The Herald Tribune www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060726/NEWS/60726032By PATTY ALLEN-JONES patty.allen-jones@heraldtribune.com After 34 years of near-blindness, Sarasota resident Debi Short Bailey’s vision could be restored this week. Bailey, 54, traveled Wednesday to Indianapolis where Dr. Francis Price will implant an artificial iris — the part of the eye that determines color and controls light levels — in her left eye. The surgery is part of an ongoing clinical trial for this particular brand that will be implanted Friday. The manufacturer is seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Bailey can barely see out of her left eye. Images are blurred. She is forced to stay home with the blinds closed and dim lighting because she’s very sensitive to light. She hasn’t worked in two years, and when she does go outside, she must wear dark shades and a hat. She’s hoping the surgery — which will also include a cornea transplant — will allow her to see faces of family and friends, count her gray hairs and enjoy sunsets at the beach. “It’s exciting and terrifying all at once,” Bailey said. “Maybe I’ll be able to really see well.” Her eyes were damaged in 1972, when several sticks of dynamite wrapped in a package the size of a shoebox and addressed to her father exploded when he opened it. Bailey and her dad were standing in a parking lot in Los Angeles. The ex-husband of a woman her father had befriended was later convicted of sending the package. Her father died instantly. The shrapnel destroyed Bailey’s right eye, she lost 50 percent of her hearing, the iris was blown off her left eye, and she suffered massive internal injuries and second- and third-degree burns. Her injuries were nearly fatal. Vision in Bailey’s left eye improved slightly before she was released from the hospital, but she was still classified as legally blind. She was thankful to be alive. Bailey got married in 1982, had two children and worked with the elderly and adults with disabilities. Her husband died 10 years ago of cancer. She tried a special contact lens in 1980 that allowed her to focus on distant objects, but it was costly and fragile. She had an artificial lens transplant in 1980, but the cornea is now deteriorating and will lead to total blindness. She heard about the artificial iris implant about two years ago. After some research she contacted Price in January and was examined by him in March. “It’s just the excitement and anticipation of it all,” Bailey said. “I can’t believe this is happening.” The Lions Club is paying part of her medical expenses not covered by Medicaid. Air Tran airlines donated two round-trip tickets, and donations from the community are helping pay for hotel and food costs. Bailey is expected back home Monday. She will receive follow-up care in Sarasota before going back to Indianapolis in three months. “The waiting has been scaring me,” she said. “It certainly challenges your faith, but I’m going to keep believing and hoping. So many people are praying and hoping this all works.”
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Post by Ms. Kathy on Aug 3, 2006 7:12:21 GMT -6
Flying Eye Hospital Trains, Treats Ugandans At No Cost Source: allafrica.com/stories/200608020342.htmlNew Vision (Kampala) NEWS August 1, 2006 Posted to the web August 2, 2006 By Thomas Pere Kampala ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital has just concluded free eye surgery and training of eye specialists in Uganda. The world's only flying eye hospital, which was invited by the ministry of health and the national prevention of Blindness Committee, arrived at Entebbe Airport on July 18. Orbis is a converted DC-10 aircraft that contains state-of-the-art eye surgical equipment, recovery rooms, a classroom and an audio and visual studio. The international medical team, which is composed of volunteer eye care professionals, has gone to more than 84 countries since 1982, treating eye diseases and training professionals. Celia Yeung, the public relations officer of ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital, said local doctors, nurses and technicians work alongside ORBIS' medical team in the operating, laser, sub-sterile and recovery rooms to exchange knowledge and improve their ability to preserve and restore sight. In the 48-seater classroom, doctors had lectures, discussions and live broadcasts of surgical procedures being performed in the flying eye hospital operating room. According to Yeung, 35, ophthalmologists were trained through hands-on training, lectures, live surgical demonstrations and wet-lab sessions aboard the flying eye hospital. Sixty nurses and 30 ophthalmic clinical officers were trained in ophthalmic nursing and general maintenance of ophthalmic equipment, with emphasis on handling and cleaning optical surfaces. The focus was on sub-specialty training in cataract, corneal diseases, paediatrics, glaucoma, oculoplastics, retinal diseases and ultrasound. Drew Boshell, the director ORBIS, said about 27 million people worldwide are unnecessarily blind. "A lot of blindness is because of lack of attention, right from childhood," he said. Ministry of health's Liliane Luwaga says there are approximately 280,000-420,000 blind people in Uganda with 75% of the infections related to injuries, or preventable diseases like trachoma. Boshell says the team did the first successful corneal transplant in Uganda and 40 to 50 demonstration surgeries. This saved the patients and doctors thousands of shillings they would have spent abroad. "Take preventive steps and seek immediate care when a disease is suspected. Parents should take their children for Vitamin A supplementation to avoid early childhood blindness. Proper sanitation and to prevent infectious diseases like trachoma should be practised and people should consult eye doctors rather than use traditional eye medicines," he added. Boshell called upon the Government to change the law, which prohibits transplanting.
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Post by Ms. Kathy on Nov 13, 2006 9:00:00 GMT -6
Reward For Fight Against River Blindness( Medical news Today www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=56093010 Nov 2006 The Managing Director of the Centre for Eye Research Australia, Prof Hugh Taylor AC, has been awarded the 2006 Mectizan Award, in recognition of his contributions and sustained dedication to the fight against onchocerciasis. Prof Taylor is the first Australian recipient of the Award, announced at the Mectizan Expert Committee / Albendazole Coordination meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. The award was announced by the Mectizan Expert Committee on behalf of the Merck Mectizan Donation Program. Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, is the world's second leading infectious cause of blindness. It is estimated about 18 million people are effected, mostly in Africa and south-America. "I am grateful for this award in recognition of my contribution together with medical research partners in the field, in the past 30 years," Prof Taylor said. The Centre for Eye Research Australia works toward the elimination of preventable vision loss and blindness - researching the causes, treatment and prevention of eye diseases. The Mectizan Donation Program was established in 1988 to provide medical, technical and administrative oversight of the donation of Mectizan by Merck & Co., Inc. for the treatment of onchocerciasis. ### Contact: Stephen D'Arcy Research Australia
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Post by Ms. Kathy on Jan 10, 2007 10:45:18 GMT -6
I'm rather in agreement with this lady not requiring a handicapped parking space if she not mobility impaired. What do you say? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted on Sat, Jan. 06, 2007 St. Louis restores blind woman's handicap parking space Associated Press ST. LOUIS - Priscilla Garrett, 50 years old and blind since birth, has had her handicap parking place restored and received an apology from the mayor for the treatment she received from City Hall. Garrett relies on relatives to drive her to work at the downtown courthouse, where she is a clerk, and to appointments and errands. Having a reserved parking space on the street in front of her home lets her walk a short, familiar route to a waiting car without crossing the street. Garrett's husband, Earl, applied for the space more than a decade ago. He said that at the time he wrote in the application that she was blind. When he tried recently to get a renewal, the application was denied. "Blindness is not considered to be a mobility impairment," the commissioner of the city's Office on the Disabled wrote in a memo last month to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. The Board of Aldermen, apparently, did not agree. With no opposition, the board approved a measure Friday that qualifies blind residents for a reserved parking space on the street. "It's a plus for us, as well as all blind people," said Earl Garrett, who attended the board meeting. Mayor Francis Slay telephoned Priscilla Garrett at work Thursday. "He called and said that he apologized," she said. The mayor also assured Garrett he would sign the Board of Aldermen's legislation into law, she said. On his Web site, Slay bemoaned the decision to deny Garrett's renewal of her reserved space. "It's too bad," he wrote, "there's no way to legislate common sense." Garrett is recognized by state law as disabled, and has the handicap license plates to prove it. Blindness is specifically included in the Missouri law that lists who can be issued a placard to park in handicap spaces. The new city legislation adds blindness to the conditions for obtaining a reserved parking space - a list that already includes leg amputation, use of a wheelchair, Alzheimer's disease, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and spina bifida. Beverly Armstrong, executive director of the Missouri Council of the Blind, applauded the change in the local ordinance. Armstrong, who is blind, said she challenges anyone who doesn't think blindness is a "mobility impairment" to try getting around without sight. "See if your mobility is not impaired by being blindfolded," she said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, www.stltoday.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © 2007 AP Wire and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. www.belleville.com
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Post by Ms. Kathy on Jan 22, 2007 8:39:16 GMT -6
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Post by Ms. Kathy on Jan 22, 2007 8:42:04 GMT -6
20 million Nigerians suffer River blindness
• Sunday, Jan 21, 2007
The Minister of State for Health, Mrs Halima Alao, has said that more than 20 million Nigerians are at present taking Ivermectin, a therapeutic drug used for the treatment of river blindness.
Alao made this known in Abuja when the Director of African Programme on Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) paid her a courtesy visit.
Alao said that the disease was debilitating and destroyed the skin and eyes ultimately leading to low vision and blindness.
The minister noted that the situation would lead to socio-economic impact on the country such as poverty, school drop out, abandonment of fertile farmland, depression and reduced breast feeding.
According to the minister, Nigeria is the only country among the 19 African countries benefiting from APOC that has shown more commitment to the eradication of river blindness.
She said that it was to that end that Nigeria donated 100,000 dollars to APOC to support the programme.
Alao said that the disease was preventable, stating that it could be eradicated through venom control to kill all the black flies.
She added that Nigeria was prepared to carry on with the programme, stating that it had already inaugurated a steering committee on Non Tropical Disease Control.
The minister further said that the Ministry of Health at all levels was partnering with NGOs to ensure that the drugs were distributed free of charge to the affected communities.
She commended APOC and development partners such as Carter Centre, UNICEF, CBM, Sight Saver International, HKI, IFESH, Marck and others for their support to the programme.
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