Two graduating Stanford students have invented an eyewear accessory to address a common problem experienced by builders and artists the world over. Atticus Anderson and Blake Crowe have utilized their knowledge of mechanical engineering and product design to create the Grip Clip, “piece of soft plastic that can slide onto your glasses and hold a pencil, pen, or other similarly sized object.”

If you’ve ever built something by hand, you know how important a simple tool like a pencil can be. When you need to take down a note or draw a mark on the material you’re working with, it’s nice to have your pencil within arm’s reach. The Grip Clip can conveniently secure pens, pencils, Stylus pens, laser pointers, and more right onto your glasses or protective eyewear.

Right now, the Grip Clip is still in the prototype stage, which is why the two designers have taken their project to Kickstarter. They are hoping to raise $6,000 to purchase a machined mold in order to produce the Grip Clips at a high volume. As of the time of this post, the project already has over $4,000 with 22 days to go, so the two inventors are almost there.

If you want to help bring the Grip Clip to the masses, click here.

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Over the course of four years and more than 240 hours of footage, British filmmaker, Ian McDonald has put together the first feature length documentary on Blind Chess, titled Algorithms.

The film documents the little know world of Blind Chess in India, following a group of talented young chess players from different parts of India through competitive tournaments, exploring their lives and what the game means to them. One player in particular, Charudatta Jadhav, is a pioneer in Blind Chess, as he hopes to situate India in the top five countries for competitive Blind Chess.

The film premiered at the International Film Festival of India in 2012, but, in order to format the film for big-screen projectors and further distribute it to festivals around the world, the filmmakers have turned to Kickstarter for help. They are hoping to raise £10,000, and, as of the time of this post, they have already received £2,970 with 24 days to go in their campaign.

If you want to help this film succeed, click here, or visit the film’s official website to learn more about it.

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As mobile devices and the apps that go with them become more and more sophisticated, smartphones and tablets have quickly been adopted as valuable tools for the blind. We’ve written before about apps for the visually impaired, but here are a couple more recent ones you may not have heard of yet:

AccessNote, launched in late January by the American Foundation for the Blind, is the first note taking app engineered for people with vision loss, designed to serve as a “low cost alternative to traditional note takers.” Where blind students and professionals previously had to bring their note taker to classes or meetings, AccessNote allows them to easily take notes with just their iOS device.

Traditional note takers can cost hundreds of dollars, while AccessNote is available in the App Store for $19.99, complete with search features, cursor tracking, and other handy tools.

An app developer called the Sendero Group is also trying its hand at an assistance app for the blind with a People Finder app. While still in the prototype stage, the app aims to help the visually impaired find people around them through sound and vibration.

If a visually impaired person wants to find a friend in a crowded place, the app uses Bluetooth technology to find that friend (both parties need to have the app installed). When the two friends are within 50 feet of each other, the app lets users know if they are “near” or “cold.” The Sendero Group is currently testing the app and seeking further funding, but this is definitely something to look out for in the future.

Contact Noble Vision Group

3D Printing: Creating Your Own Medicine

We always love to hear about the latest developments in 3D printing. Whether the technology is printing consumer goods, food, or body parts, 3D printing will change the world in the coming decades.

In one of the latest TED Talks to be released online, Lee Cronin, a professor of chemistry, nanoscience, and chemical complexity at the University of Glasgow, discusses his prototype of a 3D printer for molecules and the potential it may hold.

He poses the question, “Can we ‘app’ chemistry?” In essence, Cronin wants to change the way we discover and distribute prescription drugs by creating an “Embedded Chemical-Biological Network,” where 3D printers would create new drugs using a universal set of chemical “inks.” This would allow users to create their own personalized medicine tailored to the molecules in their body.

Cronin suggests that one day, we might all have a 3D printer at home, allowing us to bypass the pharmacist and print our own medicine. How this would be regulated by the FDA is a whole other conversation…  

You may not have heard, but there’s a pretty big football game coming up this Sunday. The American tradition that is the Superbowl, however, is much more than just football—it’s about spending time with friends and family, offering your opinion on the commercials and halftime show, and, maybe most importantly, the food. 

Superbowl Sunday is usually a time when healthy eating takes a back seat for most Americans, but there are a few eye-healthy recipes that fit right in with your typical game day fare. We’re not asking you to forego the nachos and hot wings, but there are a few items you can bring to the table that you and your couch mates can feel good about eating. No one wants to be the guy or girl who shows up to the Superbowl party with kale chips and granola bars, but with these recipes, your friends might not even know they’re eating healthy.

Spinach Guacamole

Both spinach and avocados are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect your eyes and fight against age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Here’s how you make a delicious spinach guacamole:

Ingredients:

- 2-3 avocados, peeled, pitted, and chopped rough

- 1 ½ cups of fresh baby spinach leaves

- ½ bunch of cilantro, chopped

- 1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped (optional)

- 1 lime, juiced

- Salt to taste

- 1-2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

- 1 onion, diced

- Tabasco hot sauce to taste

Toss the avocados, spinach leaves, cilantro, jalapeños, salt, and lime juice in a food processor until roughly blended. Place the mixture in a bowl and stir in the diced onions and tomatoes. Add hot sauce to taste. (Our own take on a recipe from The Chubby Cook)

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet potatoes are one of the healthiest veggies you can eat. They’re packed full of antioxidants, fiber, as well as beta carotene and vitamin A, to help maintain healthy vision and fight against AMD.

Ingredients:

- 3 large sweet potatoes cut into wedges

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tsp cumin

- A dash of cayenne pepper

- ¼ tsp paprika

- ½ tsp salt or seasoned salt

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss all ingredients until the sweet potatoes are thoroughly seasoned and coated in oil. Place potatoes on a baking sheet on a single layer for 30 minutes, or until done. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or try them with our eye-healthy spinach guacamole. (via http://vegetarian.about.com) 

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Joshua Goldenberg of Simi Valley, California was born blind with a rare condition called Bilateral Microphthalmia. Despite his visual impairment, Joshua has become an independent, inquisitive 8-year-old. He’s accomplished a lot for such a young age–he’s been on TV more than once, he’s met the Dallas Cowboys, and, most importantly, he’s doing big things to help empower others like him. 

In 2011, while grocery shopping with his mother, Christie, he asked her a question that she didn’t quite know how to answer—“Why isn’t there Braille on the shelves so I can go shopping too?” 

In most grocery stores, employee assistance is the only resource available to the visually impaired. Given the fact that her son refuses to let his visual impairment stop him from doing much of anything, Christie thought about Joshua’s question and decided to do something about it.

The Goldenbergs approached the management staff at their local Trader Joe’s to see if they were willing to let them place Braille labels on select items. Trader Joe’s approved the idea, so Joshua got busy printing labels on his Braille typewriter. This was a momentary success, even receiving some coverage on the local news, but Trader Joe’s would later remove the labels for undisclosed reasons. 

The Goldenbergs tried the same approach with the Whole Foods in Thousand Oaks, which not only allowed the labels, but also helped the family raise awareness about the project, which eventually gained the attention of the National Braille Press (NBP) in Boston.

The NBP invited Joshua and his family out to Boston where they honored him with the “Hands On Award.” The NBP also teamed up with the Whole Foods in Newtonville to implement the same Braille labeling initiative. Three months later, Whole Foods Santa Barbara adopted the initiative, while other Whole Foods locations are currently preparing to add the Braille labeling system in their stores.

The Goldenbergs have now recruited the help of family and friends to form their own non-profit foundation, The Joshua Project. They hope to further empower the visually impaired by spreading Braille labeling as well audible scanners to grocery stores across the country.   

If you want to help The Joshua Project, you can donate, volunteer, or raise awareness by simply printing out this flyer and handing it to the manager at your local grocery store.

16 years ago, when ballet student Fernanda Bianchini was just 15 years old, she received an invitation from one of the nuns at Padre Chico Institute for the Blind in São Paulo, Brazil to teach a group of visually impaired girls how to dance ballet. Since ballet is such a technical dance form that has a lot to do with line of sight, Bianchini’s own instructors did not think it would be possible to teach the art form to the blind.

Despite these doubts, Bianchini has been able to develop her own teaching techniques for the blind based on touch and body perception. She has now founded her own program, The Fernanda Bianchini Association for the Blind.

After reading about Bianchini’s program five years ago, USC film student and Brazilian native, Alexandre Peralta was fascinated by the students’ ability and determination—he knew he had to film their story.

Four years later, he got the chance to take a film crew down to São Paulo to document the girls as they prepare for the school’s largest production to date, Sleeping Beauty at the Municipal Theatre of São Paulo. The film examines the students and teachers inside and outside of the school. The film “is not only about the beauty of dance; it is also about the beauty of perseverance.”    

However, the film, titled Looking at the Stars, is not yet finished and the filmmakers are asking for your help in order to complete it. They are seeking $16,000 through Kickstarter, which will fund the crew’s travel expenses, equipment rentals, transportation, music rights, and other production expenses. If you want to help this project reach completion, click here. 

Our friends at Zenni Optical created this detailed infographic full of great information explaining the process through which our eyes turn light into sight. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Presented By Zenni optical Prescription Eyeglasses

Since the mobile app market emerged just a few short years ago, there are now dozens of medical apps available to physicians. While there are lots of great medical apps out there, app developer Skyscape believes that many of them are too fragmented, lacking personalized information and a variety of functions.

Because of this, Skyscape concludes that thousands of medical-app-using doctors across the nation are suffering from the dangerous condition, Medical App Disorder, or MAD. Symptoms include drowsiness, severe mood disturbances, and feeling overwhelmed.

As a solution to MAD, the app developer recently launched Omnio, “the electronic black bag that holds all your favorite medical must-haves in one place, just one tap away.”

The free iPad app allows users to receive personalized news relevant to their respective fields. Physicians can use Omnio with patients by using the app’s comprehensive drug guide featuring a database of over 2,600 drugs, a symptom checker, a medical calculator suite, and more. There are also tons of resources available from trusted sources, both for free and for purchase. Omnio also offers various ways for physicians to organize all their in-app information while connecting with peers in order to collaborate and share ideas.

While Omnio may not be the only comprehensive personalized medical app on the market, it aims to be the most fluid and intuitive app of its kind. With some clever marketing and smart design, Omnio appears to be gaining some traction in the medical app market.

Have you tried Omnio? Let us know what you think in the comments section below…

A guest post from Vance Hobbes – Vance Hobbes is a freelance writer and former medical researcher. He writes about many facets of the medical field and works with CompHealth. When he’s not writing the day away, he spends his free time tending to his prizewinning garden and attending any Knicks game he can find.

Phone. Computer. Tablet. TV. Our eyes are working overtime these days with all the electronic equipment that invades our lives. You may think it’s harmless, but can all that screen-time really harm your vision?

Experts say if you are not careful, it can cause problems to your eyesight. The Vision Council conducted a survey in 2012, which concluded that more than a third of U.S. adults reported spending as much as six hours a day using some type of electronic device (computers, tablets, phones, etc.). Fourteen percent reported as much as twelve hours per day.

What worries eye care providers is a problem called Digital Eye Strain. It is caused from over-exposure to digital devices and can cause poor eye health in the future. Some of the symptoms for Eye Strain are blurred vision, dry eyes, eye redness, irritation in the eyes, fatigue, neck pain, and headaches. If you are experiencing these problems frequently, it may be time to reconsider the amount of time you spend in front of that computer screen.

The same study found that thirty-four percent American adults are in professions that require use of these devices. This proliferation of screen-exposure has made DES the most common computer-related injury; exceeding cases of carpal tunnel and tendonitis.

Don’t worry; you don’t have to quit your job to get some relief. Here are a few quick and easy steps to help you relieve the strain.

• Visit your Optometrist at least once a year, and let the doctor know how often you are using a computer. You may need glasses to keep your eyes from over-working.

• If possible reduce the amount of light in your work space. It should be half the normal brightness of a typical office.

• Adjust the brightness. It should be relatively the same as your surrounding work area. Your computer screen should not look like a light source.

• Most importantly, exercise your eyes. Remember the “20-20-20” rule. Every 20 minutes, focus on an object about 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Doing this will relax the focusing muscle in the eye.

One important thing to consider is educating children about the dangers of excessive digital device use. Some parents are conflicted on the over-use of devices. According to a 2012 Euro RSCG Worldwide survey, 76 percent of U.S. fathers said that children without internet access are at a disadvantage. However, the same percentage is concerned that too much use can hinder reading and writing development.

It doesn’t look like technological advances are slowing down any time soon. So remember to follow these easy steps to prevent your eyes from feeling fatigued.

Contact Noble Vision Group