TODAY'S RESEARCH, TOMORROW'S PRACTICE®: LONG-TERM DEPRIVATION AND PERCEPTION

We all spend our days trying to improve our patients’ vision. So imagine offering one of those patients restored vision after he had spent nearly a lifetime without sight. And imagine that he hesitates before saying yes! Mike May was such a patient. Mike is a phenomenal individual and one of the key speakers at this year’s Plenary Session at Academy 2009 Orlando, November 11-14, 2009. Mike was blinded at age three when a chemical explosion destroyed his left eye and badly scarred the cornea of his right eye. Despite the handicap resulting from the accident, Mike went on to achieve extraordinary feats. He could ride a bicycle through his neighborhood as if he were sighted, he holds the world downhill speed skiing record for blind individuals, and he created a mobility device for the blind using GPS. These are but a few of his many accomplishments. Corneal grafts had been tried on three occasions, but sadly none took. After resigning himself to the fact that he would always be blind, new technology held the key to restore his sight. That technology was a corneal stem cell transplant. Mike was comfortable with his life. He was a role model for everyone. Wouldn’t it be great, though, if he could see the faces of his wife and children? Wouldn’t you want that opportunity if you were in his position? Why then, would Mike even hesitate? To learn the answer, you need to attend this year’s Plenary Session! If you can’t wait that long, then first read his life’s story in the book entitled Crashing Through by Robert Kurson. Please join us for an experience I don’t think you will forget. Some of you who provide low vision services to your patients may already know that Mike is a gifted speaker. It will be wonderful to have him tell his story and for us to learn about the science of what the implications are after so many years of sight deprivation. We will have the opportunity to hear Ione Fine, PhD, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington, who conducted extensive psychophysical testing on Mike after his surgery to explain why that process is so difficult. I look forward to what Mike May and Dr. Ione Fine have prepared for us, and I want to remind you that like all the programs at the Academy meeting, you will earn CE and, in this case, enjoy a great lunch. Why would you want to miss this event? Be sure to check the box for Plenary Lunch when registering! Mark Eger, OD, FAAO President [To Top]