Visions Newsletter (pdf) - The Francis I. Proctor Foundation for ...

Patient Point of ViewFamily Inspires Fundfor ChildrenAugie Wintroub-Hansen is abrave boy. At the age of five, hedeals with an eye movement disorderthat resulted in the developmentof amblyopia. Augie and his familyappreciate his care from UCSFpediatric ophthalmologists. Treatmentincludes specialized glasses and patchingto correct Augie’s refractive error.During the course of treatment, Augie’sfamily recognized how expensive thespecialized glasses can be. Frames andspectacles once a year cost around $250.More specialized glasses, like thosetinted for patients with severe lightare raising support to pay for thesecostly aids to sight. The family has along association with UCSF – Augie’sgrandfather Bruce Wintroub is the chairof the Department of Dermatology andVice Dean of the School of Medicine.The family urges early screening fortreatable eye disease in infancy andchildhood, which can have far-reachingimplications for vision, quality of life,and schooling. Without correctionof substantial refractive errors,a child’s development can bepermanently impacted.We started The Augie Fund to helpmake sure that all children have thevision resources they need to thrive.”sensitivity from corneal problems orglaucoma, are at least double that price.The Augie Fund Will Help OthersIt occurred to the Wintroub-Hansensthat there are many families withinadequate insurance who struggle topay for specialized glasses essential totheir child’s development. The familydecided to meet the challenge of thisneed and established The Augie Fundthrough That Man May See. They– Anne Wintroub“Healthy vision is so importantfor early learning and children’sdevelopment, and we started The AugieFund to help make sure that all childrenhave the vision resources they needto thrive,” says Augie’s mother AnneWintroub. “We value UCSF’s care ofAugie so much, and we appreciate ThatMan May See for helping us give backto other vision-challenged children andtheir families.”Augie Wintroub-Hansen with his grandmother MaryaWintroub (left) and mother Anne Wintroub (right)With the help of The AugieFund and with zero red tape forstruggling families, UCSF’s pediatricophthalmologists assist in dispensingspecialized glasses to families withhardship, just as if they were coveredby insurance. These important gifts willforever make a difference in the lives ofthe babies and children who benefit.What Is Amblyopia?Affecting two percent of the population,amblyopia is a common condition usuallytreated with spectacles. With amblyopia,the eyes are structurally normal exceptfor one or both being defocused,misaligned, or otherwise disadvantaged.The brain responds by learning to seewith the better eye and reducing visionfrom the disadvantaged eye.To join the Wintroub-Hansens or learnmore about The Augie Fund for vulnerablefamilies, contact That Man May See at415.476.4016, tmms@vision.ucsf.edu,or www.thatmanmaysee.org. •FDA Approves DeviceContinued from page 1the company that developed the ArgusII Retinal Prosthesis System over a 20-year period. Jacque Duncan, MD, whoholds the Steven G. Kramer, MD, PhD,Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology,served as UCSF clinic director for thecombined phase 1/2 clinical trial of thedevice. Robert Bhisitkul, MD, PhD,assisted in the surgeries to implant theArgus chip into the retinas of trial subjects.Restoring VisionEarly studies of the device showedpositive outcomes, leading to expandedclinical trials. Many participants wereable to read large letters on a computerscreen and see high-contrast images suchas a curb or the white lines of acrosswalk. For the final clinical trial, tenleading eye institutes around the worldindependently monitored groups ofsubjects for periods of at least one year.In some cases follow up has continuedto five years.Celebrating a major victory intreatment for the blind.“The experience in a number ofpatients has demonstrated that it’s safe,well tolerated, and really has beeneffective in restoring some vision topeople who have profound visionloss from retinitis pigmentosa.” saysDr. Duncan. Clinical trial participantDean Lloyd, a Palo Alto lawyer, says thathis new views of people – their eyes,their outlines – allow him to feel moreconnected with others.Hope through Bio-EngineeringWith US approval, Second Sightwill now work with clinical centersincluding UCSF to make the treatmentcommercially available to patients whohave lost nearly all their sight to retinitispigmentosa, hopefully before the endof 2013. Eventually the device mayprove to benefit people with otherretinal disorders.Emerging technologies will continueto provide new options for the mostchallenging sight disorders. “Ourresearch teams are integrating newfindings in genetics, neurobiology,and physiology with state-of-the-artbioengineering approaches to developpromising and truly novel solutions,”says Dr. McLeod.Dr. Eugene de Juan Jr.To learn more about the Argus II RetinalProsthesis System and other promising workon retinal degeneration, go online to http://ucsfeye.net/visionsfal11/visionsfal11.pdf •4 Summer 2013