Jun 29, 2017
Top 10 Science-y Summer Tips
So far this year, the pace of vision research has been sizzling! To celebrate the arrival of sizzling weather, we asked Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC) staff to share their favourite FBC science stories from the archives. Kick back, relax, and enjoy our top 10 list of vision health tips, science stories, and sight-saving science breakthroughs.
The summer is here. Sit back and let FBC guide you through it!
10. Get wet swimming, not wet-AMD. If you have dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), you can make sure it isn’t progressing into wet-AMD with our helpful Amsler Grid.
9. Catch a glimpse of a zebrafish on a snorkel safari. Grab your goggles and fins and explore the depths for a school of zebrafish. These little guys may hold the secret to treating blinding eye diseases.
8. Take a screen vacation. Drop your smartphone and pick up a good, old-fashioned book. Your eyes could use a break!
7. The summer forecast might be 25-30˚C, but our forecast is 20/20. Learn more about our largest-ever scientific grant, which will help a winning research team take their work into the clinic. This is Restore Vision 20/20.
6. Crispy burn from sun exposure? Bad. CRISPR? Good. Re-apply your sunblock regularly, or kick back in the shade and read more about CRISPR, a revolutionary gene editing technique that is really heating up the race to restore sight!
5. School’s out but there’s still one more test to take! The semester may be over but there’s still one more exam to complete: your genetic testing! Learn more about genetic testing and enrolling in our FBC Patient Registry.
4. Sit back and enjoy this sci-fi summer blockbuster. Emerging artificial vision technologies mean the future is now. Read about the bionic eye and other devices that are restoring some sight to users with visual impairments.
3. What does ice cream have in common with eyes? Cones! While you’re enjoying a cool summer treat, read all about Dr. Gilbert Bernier’s efforts to turn stem cells into cone photoreceptors (the eye’s light-sensing cells) and transplant them into the human eye to restore vision.
2. Will you develop wet age-related macular degeneration? The answer may be just beneath that summer six-pack. A game-changing study by FBC-funded scientist, Dr. Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha, uncovered that bacteria in your intestines may play an important role in determining if you will develop wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
1. Support science all summer! Our funded scientists don’t take breaks because we’re in a race to restore sight! Help us keep them working all summer long with a donation in support of vision research:
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