In this episode our guest is Dagmar Jamieson, a mentor and life coach at CNIB. We discuss the challenges in everyday life as a visually impaired person, how that affects our social skills, are there any professional limitations and how does Dagmar cope with all those challenges. About the guest: As a young, skinny 12 year old, sat in the back of the class room at St Mary’s elementary school so happy to reconnect with my friends that I’d missed seeing all summer.  Sitting at the back of the class with friends was cool – I fit-in!  This is …

Navigating and overcoming challenges of everyday life as a visually impaired person – Dagmar Jamieson Read more »

Ariel Cao is the president/CEO and co-founder of Injectsense. We talked about the current challenges in the management of patients with glaucoma, still one of the major causes of blindness worldwide. Cao and his team developed an implantable intraocular device that can continuously monitor intraocular pressure. By providing accurate, clinically actionable information, physicians will be able to individualize therapeutic interventions for each patient, properly assess the effectiveness of glaucoma therapy, and ultimately avoid blindness. About the guest: Mr. Ariel Cao is a serial entrepreneur with deep medical knowledge and an engineer with a heavy focus on medical device technology. …

Improving the way we manage glaucoma patients – Ariel Cao Read more »

In this episode, we review differences in regulatory requirements for branded and generic therapeutic agents, and how these differences can manifest in eye care. Dr. Andrew Meagher sheds light on the subject using IOP-lowering glaucoma drops as an example. Drawing on his experience in the clinic and keen attention to scientific detail, Dr. Meagher shares knowledge as Associate Professor at the Salus University, School of Optometry. About the guest: Dr. Meagher received a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical sciences with a minor in pharmacology/toxicology from SUNY Buffalo. After earning his Doctor of Optometry degree in 2015 from Salus …

Differences between generic and branded eye drops – Dr. Andrew Meagher Read more »

In this episode, we had the chance to talk with Dr. Farris about his charitable work in eye care both in the United States and internationally. For the past 20 years, he has led a team annually from Dean McGee Eye Institute to develop academic exchange and work with the local residency-training programs in China. He has done the same in Africa for the past 11 years. Dr. Farris is the 2021 recipient of the Outstanding Humanitarian Service Award by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Professor Emeritus of Ophthalmology at the University of Oklahoma and Dean McGee Eye …

Instilling the call for humanitarian service – Dr. Bradley Farris Read more »

Dr. Duker is an accomplished ophthalmologist, that is now the Chief Operating Officer of EyePoint Pharma, a biotech company that develops sustained-release medications to treat serious ocular disorders. We talked about his career path and what motivated him to move from a clinical to an executive position. For the 21 years before he took the COO position at EyePoint, Dr. Duker was the Director of the New England Eye Center (NEEC) and Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Duker received his medical degree from …

From the operating room to the C-suite in pharma – Dr. Jay Duker Read more »

What might come as a surprise to most people is that the visually impaired can draw! Dr. Kennedy is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto and is especially interested in the theory of pictures drawn by people who are blind. The key idea is that lines in outline drawings mean the same thing to the sighted and people who are blind – edges of surfaces, such as profiles of people and corners of cubes. These shapes are understood via touch as well as vision. We also talked about how drawing kits are now made available free …

Art beyond what we can see – Dr. John Kennedy Read more »

In this episode, we learned how Orbis International is much more than a flying hospital. Using the latest technologies such as AI and telemedicine, Dr. Hunter Cherwek is leading a global initiative to train ophthalmologists and help eliminate avoidable blindness in low-resource communities. About the guest: Dr. Hunter Cherwek is a global ophthalmologist with a specific career interest on how training and technologies can be used to eliminate avoidable blindness in low-resource communities around the world. Dr. Cherwek received his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of North Carolina (UNC)-Chapel Hill and his medical degree from Duke University. …

Flying Eye Hospital, Telemedicine, and AI to cure blindness – Dr. Hunter Cherwek Read more »

Christian is the Head of Digital Therapeutics and Director of Business Development at Twenty/Twenty Therapeutics, a joint venture between Verily Life Sciences, an Alphabet company, and Santen, a leading Japanese pharmaceutical company. We talked about the company’s vision to eliminate preventable blindness with technology that empowers patients to care for their own vision between doctors’ visits. About the guest: Christian Gutierrez Director of Twenty/Twenty Therapeutics

Dr. Seigel is an accomplished researcher, helping to develop more efficient ways to treat retinoblastoma. We also had the chance to chat about her role in the Rochester NY March for Science, a global movement that aims to promote science for the common good and equitable access to scientific education and opportunities. About the guest: Dr. Gail M. Seigel is a Research Professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo where she is the Director of the Ocular and Auditory Neuroscience Lab. A graduate of Rutgers University (B.S.), and Albany Medical College (Ph.D.), Dr. Seigel joined the …

Fighting Cancer, Playing Music, and Promoting Science – Dr. Gail Seigel Read more »

In this episode, Dr. Bill Stell gives a comprehensive overview of the most promising clinical research and potential treatments for inherited retinal diseases, including Retinitis Pigmentosa. Dr. Stell further explores avenues for retired researchers and clinicians to continue helping patients and mentoring young professionals. About the guest: Bill Stell was born, raised and educated in the northeastern United States, the older child of art and language teachers. He graduated with a B.A. in Zoology (High Honors) from Swarthmore College and then entered the University of Chicago, where he earned a Ph.D. in Anatomy and an M.D. (Honors). During the …

The Current State Of Research For New Therapies To Treat Retinitis Pigmentosa – Dr. Bill Stell Read more »