San Diego Center for the Blind

Distinguishing between personal care products may get a little easier for people who are blind or visually impaired. Domino Printing Science has teamed up with Procter and Gamble to develop a tactile solution for product labelling that will help differentiate between personal care products during use. Let's hope more brands take notice! #SDCB #Blind #VisuallyImpaired #Accessibility

Are you a big coffee drinker? If you have a genetic predisposition to higher eye pressure, you might want to cut back on your caffeine intake. A new study found that consuming large amounts of caffeine daily may increase the risk of glaucoma, especially if you have a strong family history of glaucoma. While blindness caused by glaucoma is irreversible, cutting down on caffeine may help preserve your vision according to this study! #SDCB #Blind #Glaucoma

Your eyes may be a window into the health of your brain. A recent study found that older adults who had retinopathy were at an increased risk of having a stroke and possible symptoms of dementia. The eye disease may give insight into what’s happening in the blood vessels of the brain. If you are living with retinopathy, it’s important to get control of the risk factors! #SDCB #ScientificDiscoveries #VisuallyImpaired

Have a safe & happy 4th of July! #4thOfJuly2021 #HappyIndependenceDay

Did you know that the San Diego Center for the Blind teaches kitchen skills via Zoom for individuals who are blind or visually impaired? We’re adapting our services to those who depend on us and can’t wait for normalcy. Our Independent Living Skills program is totally accessible, including counseling and live online training in all areas of vision rehabilitation! To learn more, give us a call at 619-583-1542 or visit: https://sdcb.org/ #SDCB #Blind #VisuallyImpaired

While current treatments for age-related macular degeneration can only slow the progression of certain forms of this disease, preventive strategies are of crucial importance, including diet. Researchers have just identified a blood biomarker that can predict retinal levels of omega-3 fatty acids (a risk factor of AMD). At early stages, this biomarker would be able to identify people at risk from developing AMD so they could receive dietary support. #SDCB #VisionLoss #AMD #ScientificBreakthrough

The white cane is getting an upgrade! The WeWALK smart cane has been developed to not only detect obstacles, but can also give users information about the places they’re passing and help keep the user safe and informed. They are also working with companies like Microsoft to add more features to help provide a fully autonomous journey for individuals who are blind. If you or someone you know has used the WeWALK cane, let us know your impressions of it. #SDCB #Blind #AssistiveTech

While wet age-related macular degeneration can result in loss of central vision if left untreated, early diagnosis and treatments can help slow and even prevent vision loss. And researchers continue to search for new treatments for wet AMD that are easier than receiving regular eye injections. Here are some of the latest developments in treating wet AMD that could become a reality in the near future. #SDCB #VisuallyImpaired #ScientificBreakthroughs

Wet age-related macular degeneration is a severe disease that quickly causes eye damage and severe vision loss. But understanding the condition and knowing how to spot symptoms are the first steps to treating it. Here are some things you should know about the disease, including signs, symptoms, risk factors and its impact on everyday vision. #SDCB #Blind #VisuallyImpaired #WetAMD

These days, there are more and more apps being developed that can help make daily life easier for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, and two of the most popular ones are Be My Eyes and Seeing AI. If you’re not yet familiar with these apps, here’s an overview of how they work and how they can benefit someone who is visually impaired. #SDCB #AssistiveTech #Blind #VisuallyImpaired

Nas Campanella may be the first Australian TV reporter who is blind, but she hopes she won’t be the last. With very minor adjustments, someone who is blind really can be a TV reporter. Being independent and determined has helped her reach her dream and now she wants to use her position to demystify the world of disability. Things will only change as people continue to learn about how people with disability live, learn and work. #SDCB #Blind #VisuallyImpaired #LivingIndependently

We are incredibly honored and grateful to be chosen as a winner of this assistive technology grant from the Inspiration Foundation Cleanlogic! THANK YOU!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- From Cleanlogic:... "The winners have been announced! Congratulations to all the recipients of the Inspiration Foundation's Assistive Technology Grant: The Vision Institute of South Carolina, Inc., IN-SIGHT, NuVisions Center, Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired, Computers for the Blind, Community Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Community Services for Sight formerly Hazleton Blind Association, Balance for Blind Adults, Lighthouse of Pinellas, San Diego Center for the Blind, Earle Baum Center, Valley Center f/t Blind, Savannah Assoc. f/t Blind As part of our Brands with Braille mission, our founder Isaac Shapiro and his mother founded the Inspiration Foundation to help advance the lives of the blind and vision impaired by donating to nonprofits that need help building and improving their technology centers. Thank you VisionServe for partnering with us to help select 13 agencies that are in need of funding for their technology programs. We were able to donate a total of $15,000 to these companies in need! We hope to continue these efforts and envision a future as leaders and a unified resource in the field for advocacy, education, ethical management, professional growth, and enhanced services."

Smart cities and buildings are starting to emerge with the technology that enables individuals who are visually impaired to live more independently, whether indoors or in a public place. Smart city development is expected to increase steadily around the world over the next few years, which will help improve services and the quality of life for their residents, including those who are blind or visually impaired. #SDCB #AssistiveTech #Blind #VisuallyImpaired

Thanks to artificial intelligence, the classic eye test may become more accurate. Researchers have recently designed an AI algorithm that can more accurately diagnose vision problems than the classic vision tests currently used by doctors. The new test can reportedly reduce diagnostic error for eye exams by around 74% - it would be a good tool that doctors could potentially use to enhance the accuracy of a diagnosis. #SDCB #EyeExams #ArtificialIntelligence

Apple’s next iOS update 14.2 will have a handful of new features and functionality, including an update to the Magnifier app and a People Detection feature that helps people with vision problems detect people and objects near them. Here’s a quick overview on how the new features will work. #SDCB #AssistiveTech #Blind #VisuallyImpaired

Is your business’ online content accessible to anyone and everyone? Online search engines don’t magically make your images and videos accessible, but there are a few things you can easily incorporate into your content development to make sure everyone understands what’s on their screen. Here are some ways to make your content more accessible to people who are visually impaired. #SDCB #Accessibility #VisuallyImpaired

Researchers are using new techniques to make films more accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. The project uses enhanced sound techniques, first person narration and spatial audio to produce an alternative to traditional audio description, which relies on third-person narration. This research may lay the foundations for a new system of accessibility to film and TV! #SDCB #Accessibility #Blind #VisuallyImpaired

Just a friendly reminder don’t forget to set your clocks BACK 1 hour tonight before you go to bed. And have a safe and happy Halloween!

With healthy eye care habits, a lot of eye and vision problems can be prevented. There are little things you can do every day to help limit the risk of eye problems and maintain healthy vision. Here are a few factors that can affect your eyesight and how you can improve them. #SDCB #EyeCare #EyeHealth

Inspired by Star Wars’ use of the force, researchers have developed a JediGlove wearable device that can assist individuals who are visually impaired. The gloves use a sonar system that senses obstacles and measures the distance to an object and sends out micro-vibrations to the gloves to alert the user. The smart gloves could be a more ergonomic alternative to the white cane. #SDCB #AssistiveTech #Blind #VisuallyImpaired

Although trick or treating will be different this year, safety should still be a priority during Halloween. Here are 15 tips to pass on to your kids who are blind or visually impaired so they can still have a fun Halloween, but in a safe way. #SDCB #Blind #VisuallyImpaired

While Halloween is a fun and frightening night for both kids and adults, it can get complicated for kids who are visually impaired, have a physical disability or even food allergies. And while trick or treating will be a bit different this year, here are a few ways to keep all kids in mind this Halloween. #SDCB #Accessibility #Blind #VisuallyImpaired

Cataracts and glaucoma are two common eye disorders that can lead to vision loss, yet they are often mistaken for one another. Do you know the difference between the two? Here’s how the two conditions differ in terms of symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. #SDCB #Glaucoma #Cataracts

As we age, our vision changes it’s a normal part of aging. But some changes, if left untreated, can result in vision loss. That’s why it’s important to recognize what vision changes are normal as we age and what changes are not normal. #SDCB #EyeCare #VisionChanges