CCB ARCHIVAL SITE!
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Future Vision
The Future Vision program is designed to create a registry program to identify all blind and visually impaired children at the prenatal stage, at birth or as soon as possible thereafter. It is hard to believe that in Canada, right now, this is information that does not exist, or at best, is highly fragmented.
CO-ORDINATION
A nation-wide protocol will be developed which will delineate circumstances under which prenatal, post-natal and early childhood data will be gathered with respect to infants’ eye conditions, the extent of and likelihood for vision loss, and methodologies for gathering such data. Such an information system will require the co-ordination of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Social and Family workers, hospitals and research centres across Canada.
BENEFITS
1. - The earlier the detection, the more likely the possibility to cure or reduce the impact of vision loss on children.
2. - If treatment is not successful or available, then the opportunity is available to access programs for affected children and their families to adapt to the disability with training, peer support and other positive reinforcement.
3. - The existence of such a database will ensure that fewer visually impaired and blind infants will fall through cracks in the network of services available to them.
4. - The existence of such a database will assist as a foundation for research into causes of infant blindness and vision impairment and their management, and into the strengthening of development and learning programs for affected infants and their families.
For more information, please Contact Us or contact Mike Potvin
Related Information
Significant Vision Impairment, or "Low Vision"
Some 90 percent of folks who can benefit from "vision" services, including vision impaired children, are not totally blind. Those who live with significant vision impairment, or "low vision", are those of us whose impairment can not be overcome by the usual corrective lenses, and whose low vision significantly effects how they live their day-to-day lives. All such folks can benefit from medical, rehabilitative and other vision services meant to enhance quality of day-to-day lives. This link will take you to the "Low Vision" page of the Lighthouse International website, which presents well and concisely information on significant vision impairment.
Please visit Low Visionfor more information.
Aniridia
Aniridia is a genetic eye condition, present at birth, which refers to a lack of, or under-development of the iris. It almost always occurs in both eyes, and is due to a mal-function in the PAX6 gene which causes the eyes to not complete their prenatal development.
Please visit Aniridiafor more information.
Anophthalmia
"Anophthalmia" refers to the absence of globe and ocular tissue from the eye socket; this usually occurs at birth. "Microphthalmia" refers to a greatly reduced volume of such tissue. Often the terms are used interchangeably. There is significant research currently being done to understand better the causes of these rare disorders which, when they occur in both eyes, result in blindness. For now, most treatment efforts are directed at aesthetics - reforming and/or maintaining the shape of the eye socket, and, when the child is ready, providing prosthetic eyes.
Please visit Anophthalmia for more information.
Juvenile Macular Degeneration
Did you know that there are types of macular degeneration that damage the eyes of infants and young children? Juvenile Macular Degeneration (JMD) is a class of disorders which, just like age-related macular degeneration, cause mal-functioning in the macula. The best known from this class of disorders is Stargardt's disease which, like its cousin disorders associated with the "Mac degen" incurred by so many folks in older years, results in a progressive loss or blurring of central vision.
Please visit Juvenile Macular Degenerationfor more information.
Amblyopia
Amblyopia, often referred to as "lazy eye", results from under-use of one eye during early childhood. It presents itself afterwards as reduced vision (not amenable to corrective lenses) in the under-used eye. The under-use can be due to Strabismus - crossed eyes - or to one eye simply being used more than the other for focussing. If caught early enough, though, the resulting "weakness" can be treated - either through the use of an eye patch (ONLY AS PRESCRIBED BY AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST), and/or via other prescribed exercises.
Please visit Amblyopiafor more information.
Albinism
Albinism is a group of genetic conditions that causes a lack of pigment. It can effect only the eyes, or both the eyes and skin. The lack of pigment effects pre-natal and post-natal development of the eyes in a way that results in reduced vision, which presents itself as poor depth perception and/or difficulties in picking out details. Help in dealing with these effects can almost always be found in the use of simple assistive devices.
Please visit Albinismfor more information.
Retinopathy of Prematurity
The following web page is intended for parents of young children living with Retinopathy Of Prematurity; however, almost all of the suggestions on this page are relevant for parents of children who are blind or who have very little vision, no matter what the cause. All parents have the right and responsibility to be brave and nourishing, and to rejoice in the lives that are our childrens'.
Please visit Retinopathy of Prematurity for more information.
Leber Congenital Amaurosis
Leber Congenital Amaurosis is a term which refers to a group of prenatal retinal disorders, which are caused by genetic defects, and which result in severe vision impairment from the time of birth. The Foundation Fighting Blindness has taken a particular interest in funding research in this area.
Please visit Leber Congenital Amaurosisfor more information.
Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (ONH)
Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (ONH) is a lifelong condition which results from the in utero failure of the optic nerve to develop fully. Although, in a small number of cases, it has been linked to maternal diabetes, alcohol abuse during pregnancy, epilepsy drug use during pregnancy, and young motherhood (under 20 years), the vast majority of cases have no known cause, and it is inappropriate to assume that a child's ONH is due to maternal alcohol or drug use during pregnancy.
Please visitOptic Nerve Hypoplasia (ONH) for more information.
Retinoblastoma (RB)
About twenty-five young children each year are found to have Retinoblastoma (RB). RB is a rare form of cancer that attacks the eyes of young children; it attacks one eye of some, and both eyes of others. Although on very rare occasions it can seem to occur at random, it is, by in large, an inherited disorder.
For more information on Retinoblastoma, please check out the following websites:
The Canadian Retinoblastoma Society
or Retinoblastoma Information
The Canadian Retinoblastoma Society, under the leadership of Dr. Brenda Gally of Toronto, and Peggy Grohnsdale of Saskatoon (herself the parent of a child Retinoblastoma survivor), is a world leader for treatment and research regarding RB. Its mission is that, in time, no child in Canada will lose vision or an eye to Retinoblastoma.
Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI)
Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) is the most common diagnosis among children in Canada and the U.S. with vision impairments. Between one-quarter and one-third of visually impaired children have CVI among the diagnosed causes of their impairments. CVI is often incurred in conjunction with other disorders, some of which - like Retinopathy of Premateurity - are causes of vision loss, and some of which - like Cerrebral Palsey - are not.
Children with CVI often have a good deal of working vision, but brain injuries/disfunctions disable them from interpreting visual stimuli. A common description of the effects of CVI is that it is like looking through swiss cheese.
Please visit Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) for more information.