Blindness

The purpose of this double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled, paired-eye study is to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Sepofarsen in subjects with Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) due to the c.2991+1655A\>G (p.Cys998X) mutation in the CEP290.

This study will evaluate the use of autologous bone marrow derived stem cells (BMSC) for the treatment of retinal and optic nerve damage or disease.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of a cortical visual prosthesis based on intracortical microelectrodes to provide a limited but useful sense of vision to profoundly blind. This pilot study will provide important information on safety and efficacy for the development of an useful cortical visual neuroprosthesis for the blind.

The goal of this clinical investigation is to learn how the brain responds when visual information is converted into patterns of sound or touch in blind and sighted participants. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does converting visual information into sound or touch patterns change visual performance in the blind or blindfolded? * How does the brain adapt to different kinds of sensory information? Researchers will use brain imaging and simple performance tasks to see how people process and learn from this type of converted sensory input. The investigators will compare how individuals with and without long-term vision loss respond to these signals. Participants will: * Learn to use technologies to assist in visual information conversion into sound or touch patterns every day for 5 weeks; * Visit the brain imaging center 3 times for brain scans and behavioral tests.

At-home testing is an important part of mitigating the spread of COVID-19, but these tests are not accessible to people with low vision or blindness. Instead of adapting to a technology originally built for sighted people, investigators propose a no-power version that reports test results through a texture change, which people can feel by touch. This platform could be used not only for COVID, but also for other diagnostics, and will promote the independence and privacy for people with low vision or blindness by removing the need for human assistance or an internet connection.

Rare Eye Diseases (RED) are the leading cause of severe visual impairment/ blindness (SVI/B) in children in Europe. This sensory disability with its accompanying psychological distress hugely impacts their lives and their families. Understanding this impact, at a patient centred level, is key in care, in shared decision making, in developing therapies, and in improving social integration and participation about the standard rules of the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) (prevention, non-discrimination, equal opportunities, accessibility, etc.). However, current tools to evaluate vision related (VR) quality of life (QoL) VR-QoL disregard age and cultural differences. There is a lack knowledge on how the disease matters at child's level. Instruments capable of yielding high-quality data, psychometrically robust and comply with regulatory requirements remain to be developed. To fill this gap, SeeMyLife will use multilevel concurrent mixed method research combining quantitative studies and qualitative studies. The quantitative approach is based on (i) cross culturally translated validated VR-QoL questionnaires for children and teenagers (Functional Vision Questionnaire for Children and Young People - FVQ-CYP and Vision-related Quality of Life Questionnaire for Children and Young People - VQoL-CYP) and (ii) on caregiver's questionnaires addressing participation and environment (Participation and Environment Measure - Children and Youth - PEM-CY). To fully capture the picture of the child/teenager personal life the investigators will reinforce their investigations by in depth qualitative socio-anthropologic study with semi directive field interviews and fieldwork (to observe closely the living conditions of the children) to address how their impairment affects their wellbeing, social integration, and how they feel about medical and social interventions. Data analysis will use an integrated mixed method strategy to validate the quantitative tools and deliver a holistic QoL transnational tool. The SeeMyLife project will provide (i) robust patient self-reported tools that will be then used in care and research (especially with the rise in novel therapies) as a standard as well as (ii) highly awaited knowledge about the SVI/B patient's position within his own life course, within his family and in relation to health and social care actors.

This observational study aims to enhance the description of the different ways Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) affects vision. The latest technology and knowledge are used to improve how we diagnose and predict patient outcomes. GCA is the most frequent vasculitis, an inflammation of vessels, in older adults. It involves large and medium-sized arteries and causes ischemic alterations such as stroke and blindness, through damage of extracranial arteries. The primary objective is to compare the frequency of the various ocular findings between the main alterations of arteritic and non-arteritic aetiology, such as Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (A-AION) Vs. Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NA-AION) or Central Retinal Artery Occlusion (CRAO) from GCA Vs. from other causes, through a comprehensive clinical and instrumental evaluation.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of GP-asPNA for in vivo treatment of severe antibiotic resistant bacterial keratitis.

The objective of this project is to create richer tactile aids by using materials chemistry to create tactile sensations in tactile aids, as an alternative to traditional physical bumps, lines, or textures. These materials are commonly used in household products, but have not yet been used to enrich tactile aids. Successful outcomes are primarily the accuracy with which low vision or blind subjects identify objects made from tactile coatings versus traditional tactile aids. Other outcomes include time to completion of the task, or the number of distinctive categories that participants can identify.