Champion of Blinded Soldiers, Congressman Murtha Named Man of Vision by Schepens Eye Research Institute. - AScribe Medicine News Service

Byline: Schepens Eye Research Institute

BOSTON, Dec. 17 (AScribe Newswire) -- Schepens Eye Research Institute has named Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, this year's Man of Vision for his advocacy on behalf of veterans blinded by war and for research to restore their vision.

Each year the Institute gives the Man of Vision Award, its highest honor, to an individual who has made lasting contributions to vision research and the awareness of the challenges of vision loss. Among previous awardees have been jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald, journalist and Time Magazine's managing editor Henry Grunwald, and Boston philanthropist Dick Harte.

For more than 30 years, Murtha of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, has pushed for medical research partnerships that target the specific needs of war fighters and veterans. Most recently, his initiatives have helped the Department of Defense respond proactively to the increasing number of eye injuries suffered by American soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In accepting the award from Schepens officials last week, Murtha said, 'We owe our troops more than just a debt of gratitude. We owe them the best care this country has to offer, today and in the future. Investing in vision research is an important part of making sure we can offer the care they need.' Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern, an avid Schepens supporter, was on hand for the award presentation.

Massachusetts Congressmen Mike Capuano and Stephen Lynch, who have long been champions of vision research at Schepens, also voiced their support for this recognition of Murtha's advocacy. 'Congressman Murtha's commitment to vision research is critical to addressing the health needs of the men and women who have given so much for this country,' said Capuano. 'Without question, Mr. Murtha's efforts will not only benefit our returning veterans but will also relieve the suffering of millions of people who are affected by serious eye injuries and diseases throughout the world,' added Lynch.

Experts estimate that between 16 and 20 percent of returning soldiers have eye injuries, and many of those with traumatic brain injuries are also experiencing vision complications. Much higher than in previous wars, the incidence of eye injuries has been the result of the wide use of Improvised Explosive Devices and advanced armor technology that saves lives by shielding the body's core, but does little to protect the face and extremities.

Well-respected for his firsthand knowledge of military and defense issues, Murtha has been a trusted adviser to presidents of both political parties. In response to the flood of military eye injuries seen at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Murtha initiated a research partnership between the Department of Defense and Schepens Eye Research Institute, the country's largest eye research institute. The success of this partnership -- which stimulated study of issues ranging from nerve regeneration to enhanced heads-up displays to warn soldiers in the battlefield -- has encouraged DoD to build a vision research program, which now includes additional partners from around the country.

'With Congressman Murtha's encouragement and leadership, we have been able to show that nerve regeneration is, in fact, possible,' notes Dr. Michael S. Gilmore, President and CEO of Schepens and Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. 'This work, which has been funded through his efforts, is exciting scientifically, and opens the way for new treatments not only for optic nerves and retinas damaged in combat, but also for veterans who have suffered spinal and brain injuries on the battlefield.'

- - - -

CONTACT: Patti Jacobs, Schepens Eye Research Institute, (000)-000-0000, pjacobs12@comcast.net

For additional information on Schepens Eye Research Institute contact Patti Jacobs or visit http://www.schepens.harvard.edu .

Researchers at Prasad Eye Institute target public health.(Report) - China Weekly News

A new study, 'An estimate of patient costs and benefits of the new primary eye care model utilization through vision centers in andhra pradesh, India,' is now available. According to a study from Hyderabad, India, 'Little or no work has been carried out in developing countries on costs to patients and patient benefits in accessing primary eye care services. The purpose of this study was to assess the indirect, direct, and overall costs of patients accessing vision care at vision center services (New Primary Eyecare Approach) as compared with the nearest private clinic.'

'The authors used a standardized questionnaire and a paired sample t test to check the significance of difference of costs. They considered a P value of <.05 as significant in this study,' wrote V. Kovai and colleagues, Prasad Eye Institute.

The researchers concluded: 'The total costs were significantly lower for patients who accessed the vision centers compared with the costs these patients may have incurred if they had sought services from the nearest town-based clinic (mean in Indian rupees [INR] of 178.4 [+ or -] 48.3, standard error of the mean=4.2, and INR 366.2 [+ or -] 48.2, standard error of the mean=4.2, respectively, t test P value <.001). vision centers, besides providing quality eye care services, offer substantial cost savings to rural populations compared with town-based optical clinics.'

Kovai and colleagues published the results of their research in Asia-pacific Journal of Public Health (An estimate of patient costs and benefits of the new primary eye care model utilization through vision centers in andhra pradesh, India. Asia-pacific Journal of Public Health, 2010;22(4):426-35).

For additional information, contact V. Kovai, International Centre for Advancement of Rural Eye Care, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India.

The publisher of the Asia-pacific Journal of Public Health can be contacted at: SAGE Publications, USA , 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA.

Keywords: City:Hyderabad, Country:India, Asia, China, India, Public Health.

Menino vows to keep up changes Eyes schools, health, housing, government - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

Fresh from his free ride to a second term Tuesday, Mayor ThomasM. Menino yesterday pledged to do a better job organizing his visionof the city's future, identifying several areas that need carefulattention to make Boston a No. 1 destination for businesses,visitors, and residents.

Menino also promised shake-ups in the structure of citygovernment, hinting that he might try to improve the delivery of cityservices with innovations being used in other cities such asPhiladelphia and Indianapolis. A two-day retreat with top officialsis planned for next week.

WHO Reports Lists Risk Factors For Progression In Eye Disease.(World Health Organization ) - Angiogenesis Weekly

2001 OCT 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Age, body mass index (BMI), and glucose control are just some of the risk factors for diabetic retinopathy progression and proliferation in types 1 and 2 diabetes patients, according to World Health Organization (WHO) collaborators.

Diabetic retinopathy, characterized by hemorrhage, microaneurysms, lesion formation, and sometimes new blood vessel overgrowth (proliferative retinopathy) in the retina, can lead to total vision loss in diabetes patients. A follow-up study of almost 3,000 patients with types 1 or 2 diabetes at 10 WHO centers suggests several factors contribute to progressive eye disease in patients with diabetic retinopathy.

Originally, investigators enrolled over 4,600 patients with diabetes in the study. More than 500 of those patients were lost to follow-up due to death, according to H. Keen and colleagues, Guy's Hospital, London, U.K. During follow-up 47.7% of patients who did not have retinopathy at study enrollment developed retinopathy, and 9.7% developed proliferative retinopathy, according to Keen and colleagues.

'Incident retinopathy appeared earlier in the known course of diabetes but incidence rates rose more slowly with duration in patients with type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus than in those with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus,' reported Keen and coworkers.

After pooling the data from the several study centers, researchers identified several factors that increased the odds of incident retinopathy, which they listed as 'age, diabetes duration, systolic pressure, plasma cholesterol, BMI, insulin treatment and proteinuria, and fasting glycemia.'

For those with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, 'age, diabetes duration, insulin treatment, cholesterol, proteinuria, and fasting glycemia' were high-risk factors ('The appearance of retinopathy and progression to proliferative retinopathy: The WHO multinational study of vascular disease in diabetes,' Diabetologia, 2001;44(14):S22-S30).

Although the prevalence of incident retinopathy and proliferative retinopathy varied from center to center, implying observer differences, baseline risk factors for retinopathy remained important throughout the entire study group.

'Improved detection and control of these risk factors should reduce the impact of diabetic retinopathy and its consequences,' Keen and coauthors. said.

The corresponding author for this study is H. Keen, Guy's Hospital, London, UK.

A search at www.NewsRx.net using the search term 'diabetic retinopathy' yielded over 47 articles in 11 specialized reports.

Key points reported in this study include:

* A major WHO study identified incident retinopathy in almost 50% of type 1 and 2 diabetic patients followed for an average of 8.4 years

* Proliferative retinopathy was identified in almost 10% of diabetes patients

* Several controllable factors increase the risk for diabetic retinopathy in patients with types 1 and 2 diabetes

WHO Reports Lists Risk Factors For Progression In Eye Disease.(World Health Organization)(Brief Article) - Diabetes Week

2001 OCT 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Age, body mass index (BMI), and glucose control are just some of the risk factors for diabetic retinopathy progression and proliferation in types 1 and 2 diabetes patients, according to World Health Organization (WHO) collaborators.

Diabetic retinopathy, characterized by hemorrhage, microaneurysms, lesion formation, and sometimes new blood vessel overgrowth (proliferative retinopathy) in the retina, can lead to total vision loss in diabetes patients. A follow-up study of almost 3,000 patients with types 1 or 2 diabetes at 10 WHO centers suggests several factors contribute to progressive eye disease in patients with diabetic retinopathy.

Originally, investigators enrolled over 4,600 patients with diabetes in the study. More than 500 of those patients were lost to follow-up due to death, according to H. Keen and colleagues, Guy's Hospital, London, U.K. During follow-up 47.7% of patients who did not have retinopathy at study enrollment developed retinopathy, and 9.7% developed proliferative retinopathy, according to Keen and colleagues.

'Incident retinopathy appeared earlier in the known course of diabetes but incidence rates rose more slowly with duration in patients with type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus than in those with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus,' reported Keen and coworkers.

After pooling the data from the several study centers, researchers identified several factors that increased the odds of incident retinopathy, which they listed as 'age, diabetes duration, systolic pressure, plasma cholesterol, BMI, insulin treatment and proteinuria, and fasting glycemia.'

For those with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, 'age, diabetes duration, insulin treatment, cholesterol, proteinuria, and fasting glycemia' were high-risk factors ('The appearance of retinopathy and progression to proliferative retinopathy: The WHO multinational study of vascular disease in diabetes,' Diabetologia, 2001;44(14):S22-S30).

Although the prevalence of incident retinopathy and proliferative retinopathy varied from center to center, implying observer differences, baseline risk factors for retinopathy remained important throughout the entire study group.

'Improved detection and control of these risk factors should reduce the impact of diabetic retinopathy and its consequences,' Keen and coauthors. said.

The corresponding author for this study is H. Keen, Guy's Hospital, London, UK.

A search at www.NewsRx.net using the search term 'diabetic retinopathy' yielded over 47 articles in 11 specialized reports.

Key points reported in this study include:

* A major WHO study identified incident retinopathy in almost 50% of type 1 and 2 diabetic patients followed for an average of 8.4 years

* Proliferative retinopathy was identified in almost 10% of diabetes patients

* Several controllable factors increase the risk for diabetic retinopathy in patients with types 1 and 2 diabetes

AAO, New York to gather vision health data - Ophthalmology Times

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Washington-The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) has partnered with the New York State Department of Health to include new questions about visual impairment and access to eye care in its annual 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

The BRFSS, a state-based survey program, was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor state-level prevalence of major behavioral risks associated with morbidity and mortality among adults.

JOE'S VISION OPENED EYES - The Record (Bergen County, NJ)

BILL PENNINGTON
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
09-29-1996
JOE'S VISION OPENED EYES
By BILL PENNINGTON
Date: 09-29-1996, Sunday
Section: SPORTS
Edition: All Editions -- Sunday
Biographical: JOE TORRE

We had a good laugh, most of us did, on Nov. 2, 1995.

Joe Torre was named the new Yankees manager, and he said things
like: 'I'm coming into this with my eyes wide open.'

Oh, how naive. How sad.

The poor man doesn't have a clue. George will chew him up, gnaw on
him until there's nothing left. At the luncheon announcing Joe Torre's
hiring, one question circulated the room: How long do you give him?

No one gave Joe Torre a chance past July. As it happened, George
Steinbrenner did not even wait that long, surreptitiously trying to
convince Buck Showalter to return to the Yankees in a top secret meeting
just days after Torre was introduced as the new manager.

How sad. Poor Joe.

Joe Torre, cigar in mouth, can laugh at all of us now. It is we who
misread this man, who underestimated his ability to adapt, to endure. It
has been 11 months in the Yankees crucible. They have been some of the
longest days of his life, and they have been some of the best.

Steinbrenner may yet fire him in two weeks, two months, or two
years, but the 1996 Yankees season is one tribute to Joe Torre's
unwavering poise. He is a symbol of this long season, the placid, serene
force moving across the days and weeks. He is the duck cruising across
the pond -- propelled, it seems, without effort, all the while churning
with energy beneath the surface.

Because if you think Torre has not longed for this success, you are
wrong. A couple of weeks ago, talking about how he had never played or
managed in the World Series despite 37 years in Major League Baseball,
56-year-old Joe Torre said he would keep coming back to the game 'until
I get it right.'

And this past week, on the day after the Yankees had clinched the
American League East, Torre allowed that he woke up a different man.

'It was the first day all year that I got out of bed without a
concern, without a question on my mind, without thinking that there were
decisions to make, things to settle or figure out,' he said. 'It was an
unbelievable relief.'

So you know he has felt the pressures even if he has masked them in
cigar smoke. In a year when he has had to endure the death of one
brother and the ongoing health problems of another, Torre has also
played shepherd to a diverse roster of young, old, multi-experienced,
and multilingual players -- with all the baseball world, and one
omnipresent owner, watching.

He has had players handed to him he did not seek and lost players
he never wanted to do without. He has observed the media circus from the
center ring, showing the ability to be pleasant and honest without
causing a stir. Best of all, he can, and does, sit in a roomful of
reporters completely silent when silence is the best option.

'He feels things a lot more than he shows,' Yankees third base
coach Willie Randolph said last week. 'He's very emotional. When you sit
next to him on the bench, he jumps and flinches, but then he catches
himself and holds it in.

'I've played for or been around a lot of managers, from Billy
[Martin] and Lou [Piniella] to Dick Howser and Tommy Lasorda to Tony La
Russa, and Joe is remarkable for how steady he can be. I admire him for
how he could keep his personality so stable throughout the whole
season.'

And since he is so undemonstrative in public, there are many things
about him that are little known. And herewith, a short sampler of the
unseen Joe Torre:

Joe Torre, the sentimentalist:

When the Yankees were one inning from clinching their division
title, Torre carefully selected the pitcher he wanted on the mound for
the final out.

'It was very important that it be someone who has gone through the
whole struggle, since spring training,' Torre said. 'I wanted someone
who's been with us the whole way.' He found reliever Jeff Nelson, a
pitcher who bedeviled Torre with his inconsistency through the summer,
but someone Torre continues to embrace as integral to the fold.

Joe Torre, the players' manager:

'It's not enough to look at a guy's stats and say he's not doing
his job,' said Torre. 'I hit .360 in the majors one season and .240 in
another season. And I know I was trying just as hard both times.'

Joe Torre, the humorist:

Asked if he expected to testify at the late October hearing
concerning the validity of the Graeme Lloyd trade, Torre answered: 'I'm
glad you reminded me of that. I'll have my boarding pass to somewhere by
then.'

Joe Torre, the loyal friend:

Asked if he would be upset if embattled general manager Bob Watson
was fired, as most expect, Torre said: 'Bob brought me here. We're a
team. You'd have a tough time telling me he didn't do a good job.'

And finally, Joe Torre, the compassionate:

Reading the congratulatory fax sent to him by Don Mattingly, Torre
said: 'You know it has to be tugging at him to have only gotten a taste
of it last year. I wish he were here.'

It is just about 11 months since Torre was handed the Yankees'
helm, and given the state of the team then, it is just about a miracle
that he is still here, still in the job. You can say that the Yankees
had loads of talent, but it is never the pieces alone that make a unit
powerful. It is how they are used. When the pieces are people -- or to
increase the challenge, multimillionaires pampered since high school --
managing a baseball team is indeed a craft not to be underestimated.

And consider that Torre is the 13th man across 23 seasons to manage
Steinbrenner's Yankees. He is just the fourth to lead George's talented
charges to a division title.

The Yankees are in the playoffs again and Joe Torre is the manager
of this successful team and its happy legion of fans. Those of us in
that room on Nov. 2, 1995, underestimated the resolve, skill, and
restraint of this man.

He said he came into the job with his 'eyes wide open,' and we
laughed. He spent the next 11 months opening our eyes to the Joe Torre
we had never seen.

Keywords: BASEBALL. PROFESSIONAL. COACH

Copyright 1996 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.