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The British Journal of Ophthalmology May 2012From the most recent data the magnitude of visual impairment and its causes in 2010 have been estimated, globally and by WHO region. The definitions of visual impairment... (Review)
Review
AIM
From the most recent data the magnitude of visual impairment and its causes in 2010 have been estimated, globally and by WHO region. The definitions of visual impairment are the current definitions of presenting vision in the International Classification of Diseases version 10.
METHODS
A systematic review was conducted of published and unpublished surveys from 2000 to the present. For countries without data on visual impairment, estimates were based on newly developed imputation methods that took into account country economic status as proxy.
RESULTS
Surveys from 39 countries satisfied the inclusion criteria for this study. Globally, the number of people of all ages visually impaired is estimated to be 285 million, of whom 39 million are blind, with uncertainties of 10-20%. People 50 years and older represent 65% and 82% of visually impaired and blind, respectively. The major causes of visual impairment are uncorrected refractive errors (43%) followed by cataract (33%); the first cause of blindness is cataract (51%).
CONCLUSION
This study indicates that visual impairment in 2010 is a major health issue that is unequally distributed among the WHO regions; the preventable causes are as high as 80% of the total global burden.
Topics: Blindness; Global Health; Humans; Vision, Low; Visually Impaired Persons
PubMed: 22133988
DOI: 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2011-300539 -
European Journal of Ophthalmology Jan 2018The performing arts mirror the human condition. This study sought to analyze the reasons for inclusion of visually impaired characters in opera, the cause of the... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
The performing arts mirror the human condition. This study sought to analyze the reasons for inclusion of visually impaired characters in opera, the cause of the blindness or near blindness, and the dramatic purpose of the blindness in the storyline.
METHODS
We reviewed operas from the 18 century to 2010 and included all characters with ocular problems. We classified the cause of each character's ocular problem (organic, nonorganic, and other) in relation to the thematic setting of the opera: biblical and mythical, blind beggars or blind musicians, historical (real or fictional characters), and contemporary or futuristic.
RESULTS
Cases of blindness in 55 characters (2 as a choir) from 38 operas were detected over 3 centuries of repertoire: 11 had trauma-related visual impairment, 5 had congenital blindness, 18 had visual impairment of unknown cause, 9 had psychogenic or malingering blindness, and 12 were symbolic or miracle-related. One opera featured an ophthalmologist curing a patient.
CONCLUSIONS
The research illustrates that visual impairment was frequently used as an artistic device to enhance the intent and situate an opera in its time.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Art; Blindness; Humans; Vision, Low; Visually Impaired Persons
PubMed: 29148028
DOI: 10.5301/ejo.5001071 -
Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology Apr 2017
Topics: Blindness; Disability Evaluation; Global Health; Humans; Prevalence; Quality-Adjusted Life Years; Visually Impaired Persons
PubMed: 27862844
DOI: 10.1111/ceo.12874 -
American Journal of Ophthalmology Aug 2010
Topics: Artificial Organs; Blindness; China; Cornea; Corneal Diseases; Corneal Transplantation; Developing Countries; Global Health; Graft Survival; Humans; Incidence; Prostheses and Implants; Prosthesis Implantation; Transplantation, Homologous; Visually Impaired Persons
PubMed: 20670747
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajo.2010.04.021 -
Annual International Conference of the... Jul 2020Street crossing can be a significant challenge for visually impaired people, limiting their mobility especially in urban environments. To date, there are few solutions...
Street crossing can be a significant challenge for visually impaired people, limiting their mobility especially in urban environments. To date, there are few solutions for this significant problem. Current approaches for guiding blind pedestrians in crosswalks have mainly focused on detection of crosswalks and crosswalk signals. Few studies have taken into consideration the mobility of a visually impaired person while street crossing. We programmed a commercially available, wearable goggle system to detect crosswalk signals, to plan a path across the street, and to provide verbal guiding cues with real-time semantic features to keep the user on the correct path. During verification testing, we found crosswalk signal detections were typically reliable but depended on hyper-parameters to reduce false positive errors in the crosswalk signs in a small number of cases. Testing with visually impaired subjects resulted in successful guidance at an outdoor crosswalk.
Topics: Blindness; Cues; Eye Protective Devices; Humans; Pedestrians; Visually Impaired Persons
PubMed: 33018716
DOI: 10.1109/EMBC44109.2020.9176623 -
Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology.... Oct 2010
Topics: Blindness; Canada; Educational Status; Humans; Income; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Vision, Ocular; Visually Impaired Persons
PubMed: 20856271
DOI: 10.3129/i10-084 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Nov 2020Is vision a necessary building block for the foundations of mathematical cognition? A straightforward model to test the causal role visual experience plays in the... (Review)
Review
Is vision a necessary building block for the foundations of mathematical cognition? A straightforward model to test the causal role visual experience plays in the development of numerical abilities is to study people born without sight. In this review we will demonstrate that congenitally blind people can develop numerical abilities that equal or even surpass those of sighted individuals, despite representing numbers using a qualitatively different representational format. We will also show that numerical thinking in blind people maps onto regions typically involved in visuo-spatial processing in the sighted, highlighting how intrinsic computational biases may constrain the reorganization of numerical networks in case of early visual deprivation. More generally, we will illustrate how the study of arithmetic abilities in congenitally blind people represents a compelling model to understand how sensory experience scaffolds the development of higher-level cognitive representations.
Topics: Blindness; Cognition; Humans; Visually Impaired Persons
PubMed: 32711006
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.022 -
Ophthalmology Sep 2012
Topics: Blindness; Epidemiologic Methods; Epidemiologic Studies; Humans; Vision, Low; Visually Impaired Persons
PubMed: 22944496
DOI: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2012.05.036 -
Survey of Ophthalmology 2013There are around 285 million visually impaired people worldwide, and around 370,000 people are registered as blind or partially sighted in the UK. Ongoing advances in... (Review)
Review
There are around 285 million visually impaired people worldwide, and around 370,000 people are registered as blind or partially sighted in the UK. Ongoing advances in information technology (IT) are increasing the scope for IT-based mobile assistive technologies to facilitate the independence, safety, and improved quality of life of the visually impaired. Research is being directed at making mobile phones and other handheld devices accessible via our haptic (touch) and audio sensory channels. We review research and innovation within the field of mobile assistive technology for the visually impaired and, in so doing, highlight the need for successful collaboration between clinical expertise, computer science, and domain users to realize fully the potential benefits of such technologies. We initially reflect on research that has been conducted to make mobile phones more accessible to people with vision loss. We then discuss innovative assistive applications designed for the visually impaired that are either delivered via mainstream devices and can be used while in motion (e.g., mobile phones) or are embedded within an environment that may be in motion (e.g., public transport) or within which the user may be in motion (e.g., smart homes).
Topics: Blindness; Humans; Mobile Applications; Sensory Aids; User-Computer Interface; Vision, Low; Visually Impaired Persons
PubMed: 24054999
DOI: 10.1016/j.survophthal.2012.10.004 -
IEEE Transactions on Haptics 2015
Topics: Blindness; Equipment Design; Humans; Self-Help Devices; Sensory Aids; Touch; User-Computer Interface; Vision, Low; Visually Impaired Persons
PubMed: 26649374
DOI: 10.1109/toh.2015.2476735