NEW POSTS WILL RETURN

IN JANUARY 2016

 

DOES MARIJUANA CAUSE VISION IMPAIRMENT? DOES IT HELP TREAT GLAUCOMA PRESSURE?

Typical discussions of marijuana and vision usually concern pot’s ability to help people with glaucoma and related legal or political issues. Now, according to a report from UPI [link], frequent marijuana use may be linked (to a limited degree) to vision impairment.  

Preliminary results of research from France, published in the December 2016 issue of JAMA Ophthalmology, centers on the brain’s ability to receive incoming visual information. The study found that some frequent pot users experience a slight delay in the retina-to-brain nerve functioning. The researchers say the delay could indicate the presence of low vision.

The French study is based on research involving just 52 participants, 28 of whom were regular marijuana users. “Regular marijuana users” are folks who said they used marijuana at least seven times a week. The experts stressed that the findings are preliminary and further research is needed before conclusions should be made.

Scientists have known for some time that marijuana has an impact on nervous system communications. However, the current study did not necessarily prove that regular smokers do actually experience vision impairment. Most of the participants in the study did not complain of any vision issues before the study began.

Critics of the French study said it used an extremely small pool of patients, visual impairment symptoms of participants were not known prior to the study, and other lifestyle factors, such as diet and cigarette smoking, were not included in the research.

RESEARCH ABOUT MARIJUANA’S ABILITY TO LOWER GLAUCOMA PRESSURE IS MORE CONCLUSIVE

Legal recreational and medical use of marijuana has made it easier for people to “self medicate” their glaucoma treatment without consulting a doctor. This means marijuana participants are easier to find for research.

The notion that marijuana can be helpful in treating glaucoma dates to the 1970s. Studies conducted then showed that smoking marijuana lowered the internal eye pressure of people with glaucoma. Additional studies have concluded that the active ingredient in pot – THC – does make internal eye pressure lower. However, it only lowers internal eye pressure for a short period of time, typically three or four hours.

This short period of time is considered a drawback for the use of marijuana as a glaucoma treatment. Because glaucoma needs to be treated 24 hours a day, a person medicating with pot could become too impaired to drive or operate equipment.

WANT TO KNOW HOW IT FEELS? START WITH BLIND

Little Kenny Wonder

In late 2014 when I started my quest to understand my declining vision, I asked someone: Where should I start my training? 

Her response was:  

Start with blind and work backwards to your current low vision reality. If your vision continues to deteriorate you will be dealing with blindness sooner or later.

This was sobering advice, not something I wanted to hear, but I am glad I heard it. 

Around the same time, I started my training with a cane. I pretended I was blind.  I had a washcloth over my eyes. Then I ran into a wall!

Last Friday I had an Orientation and Mobility (“O & M”) training session with my coach John Higgins of Invision Services, Inc. I told John I want to blind for an hour to see how it feels. 

Being blind (in this case pretending to be blind) is terrifying. John told me that he offers blind training but few people ask for it. It is too scary. 

We started.  John gave me a blindfold (which I still have BTW).  I put it on blindfold and the world was totally dark. I walked a few minutes to get more comfortable with my cane. I was disoriented and unsure of myself. 

Then John taught. me the basics of coping:

First a safety measure: My arms and hands were extended to become bumpers on a car. 

Hopefully I could feel an object or barrier in front of me before I ran into it. That is what I am doing in the picture on the right.

Then John had me try a basic move: SQUARING OFF. I stood with my back against a known “landmark,” in this case a favorite chair. 

Next I imagine a landmark I want to go to. I want to walk in a straight line towards it. The destination is a desk on the other side of the room.  But when I got there I ran into it.

Lesson: Distances seem different when you are blind. Auditory cues and the sense of touch become dominant. I have lived in same place for over 18 years.  and thought I knew the layout like the back of my hand. 

But, I was wrong. Distances are different when you are blind.

I regained my composure and SQUARED OFF to begin walking to the kitchen.  I maneuvered through one familiar object after the other. I touched a sofa.  Then I touched a kitchen cabinet. I felt my way to stove.   

I SQUARED OFF at the stove and walked across the kitchen to my destination: The fridge.  Mission accomplished! Then I reversed the trip and got back to my chair. I did it on my own which is a great feeling.

The most important thing I learned from my being blind for an hour is concentration. At one point during the session my mind began to wander. 

BANG! I almost knocked over a lamp.It could have been worse.

I feel like a fish out of water.  This experience makes me thankful for the remaining vision I do have.

SALUTING LEADERS OF LOW VISION SERVICE

INVISION SERVICES, INC.

 

When a person has low vision, sometimes the choices seem overwhelming when looking for technology and training. Some providers are specialists, some are like a big box store and others are only in it for the money.

Today we are saluting a company with terrific people and a real sense of purpose: Invision Services, Inc. They sum it up in their company mission:

As we serve the needs of our clients, 

we serve each other’s growth.

I recommend Invision based on my own experience. A few weeks ago I published a post my cane training [link].

John Higgins

Invision Services [link] was founded by John Higgins in 1992. For more than two decades, Invision has enhanced and enriched the lives of visually impaired students and adults across the country.

Invision puts extra emphasis on serving folks in North Carolina. In 1985 Higgins became the first O&M Specialist to be hired by the North Carolina Public School System.  This assignment led Higgins to start Invision. Today, Higgins and his team at Invision have an Orientation & Mobility Specialist, a Teacher of the Visually Impaired, a Low Vision Specialist and a Certified Braillist.

Invision collaborates with schools to provide one-on-one instruction for their students. Evaluations, consultation, IEP development, material production, and direct instructional services help meet the needs of students.

Invision’s adult clients are referred by ophthalmologists, eye centers, social workers, and other sources, including family members. Adults can receive consultations, evaluations, and direct services customized to meet client’s unique daily living needs and goals.

NOW ON FACEBOOK

Invision’s public service extends to its Facebook page [link].

One of the things I like the most about Invision’s page is the “news ticker.” New posts appear frequently with information about job opportunities in the vision disability industry, the work of landmark programs such as the Perkins School for the Blind and other providers they recommend.