Meet Dr. Dennis O. Clegg. He is professor and principal investigator at the University of California, Santa Barbara's (UCSB) Clegg Lab. Dr. Clegg's research focuses on neural development and regeneration with studies of extracellular matrix and integrin function in the developing eye. His current emphasis is in stem cell research, with a focus on developing
Meet February’s Champions Award recipient, Kristin Macdonald. Kristin’s dream was to work in Hollywood as an actress and television host, but her plans were altered after she was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). Consequently, she decided to work behind the scenes in entertainment. RP is a rare degenerative condition that causes blindness over time. Kristin
February is Low Vision Awareness Month. Vision loss is a growing, urgent problem in this country. According to NIH estimates, 4.2 million Americans above the age of 40 are visually impaired, and that number is on the rise, potentially reaching 7.2 million by 2030. But we are not standing idly by—we are searching for answers. Meet
As a child, I once tripped and fell while carrying a long thin bamboo rod. When I hit the ground, the stick penetrated my right eye. I put my hand up to my face and it came back full of blood. The hospital put a piratical patch on the injured eye. In a few days
When you first speak to Rosie Barrero, it is difficult to believe she is blind. Her eyes follow you as you speak—but she is guided by hearing, not sight. As she puts it, “I cannot go outside the house by myself.” As a child, Rosie lost night vision, and was called “nearsighted” by a school nurse.
Meet Kris Boesen, one of the five previously paralyzed patients who saw increased mobility after participating in University of Southern California and Asterias Biotherapeutics’ human clinical trial.
