Meet Dr. Steve Rose
Steve is highly respected for his expertise and tireless commitment to finding treatments and cures for vision-robbing retinal diseases.
Archive for October, 2012
Rachel Weeks, who has Usher syndrome – a disease affecting both vision and hearing – is a dedicated triathlete. With guidance from her sister, Rebecca, she runs, swims and bikes her way through triathlons with only a 10-degree field of vision and 30 percent of her hearing. But once, as she prepared to plunge into the water with hundreds of competitors, a woman insisted on congratulating her for her efforts. At that particular moment, it served as a disorienting reminder of the challenges she faces.
The iPhone as Assistive Technology: The Good, The Bad and The Funny
Video Included:
When Richard Faubion got the iPhone 4S – the first to include the intelligence software known as the female-voiced Siri – St. Patrick’s Day was coming up. “So I asked Siri to find me an Irish pub,” he recalls. “She told me of 17 locations and provided Yelp reviews, addresses, how far they were. All this came instantly. The things it can find and do – it’s amazing.”
Richard – who has retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and is the Foundation’s Director of Development, West Region – is among a growing legion of visually impaired people turning to the iPhone for assistive technology. To better understand what sets the device apart from others, I spoke with Richard and two other FFB associates affected by retinal diseases to get the skinny on the iPhone, both pros and cons.
Nobel Prize Winners Have Big Impact on Emerging Retinal Treatments
Video Included:
For science geeks like me, the announcement of Nobel Prize for Medicine winners is always exciting news. But this year’s two recipients are especially near and dear to my heart, because their groundbreaking work is having an enormous impact on sight-saving retinal research.
Stem Cell Therapy Clinical Trial Begins With Initial Participant
I was very excited to learn that another clinical trial using stem cells for the potential treatment of a retinal disease — in this case, dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) — is now underway. StemCells, Inc. (got to love the company’s name) announced last week that its first patient was treated at the Retina Foundation of the Southwest in Dallas.
Read more
A $2 Million Bridge Over Troubled Waters
Video Included:
When most people think of Art Garfunkel, they not only think of him as half the folk-pop duo Simon & Garfunkel; they think of him as the singer of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which includes the lyrics “I’ll take your part/ when darkness comes/ and pain is all around.” Appropriately enough, you can now also think of Garfunkel as a major player in the fight against blindness.
Read more