When Luis Angel Aponte’s daughter was born, there were new realities he and his wife knew they would have to face together. Most of them are common to all new parents, but some were especially relevant to Angel and his wife, Nicole. Born with a visual impairment due to cataracts and nystagmus, Luis knew that […]
When Terry-Ann Adams first sat down to write her debut novel, Those Who Live In Cages, she herself was still fighting to get out of some of her own. Terry-Ann is no stranger to grit, resilience and bravery; growing up with albinism in South Africa, she is the first to know what it feels like […]
Ocutech co-founder and President, Henry Greene, OD, FAAO, has been elected in-coming chair of the Low Vision Division of The Vision Council (sponsor of Vision Expo East and West). His 2-year term begins in late January 2022. “I am honored to have been chosen to lead the Low Vision Division during what promises to be […]
When we were getting ready to release the Falcon in late 2018, we tested many different batteries to find one with stable power output (they’re not all of equivalent quality) and that had a belt clip to make them easier to wear. We finally found one that we liked and ordered a sufficient quantity for our expected sales for the first two years. The vendor promised us that the battery would not be discontinued and that we would always be able to order more.
We are pleased to say that orders for the Falcon exceeded our expectations and we ran out of batteries sooner than we had planned. And, as you might have expected, the battery we selected was no longer available. We did find a dependable replacement battery (who knows how long this one will be available), but it came without a belt clip.
So, now we have finally found a self-adhesive belt clip that can be attached to the battery. All future Falcon orders will include an unattached belt clip that you or your patient can apply themselves (easy instructions included). If you have patients using batteries without a clip who would like one, please let us know and we’ll mail one to them directly to save you the effort. Just specify whether they would prefer a white or black color.
Here’s an Amazon link to the velcro tabs we use, though they can be found on other sites and often also in crafts and fabric stores. Click here->
By Henry Greene, OD, FAAO Over the years experienced practitioners tend to ‘go where the action is.’ What this means to me is that we refine our testing methods to do the tests that are most instructive in managing the patient and stop doing tests that don’t tell us much. One such test that I […]
Ocutech co-founder and President, Henry Greene, OD, FAAO, has been elected in-coming chair of the Low Vision Division of The Vision Council (sponsor of Vision Expo East and West). His 2-year term begins in late January 2022. “I am honored to have been chosen to lead the Low Vision Division during what promises to be […]
I’m frequently asked what makes me consider a bioptic for an individual patient. So, I’ve written a short blog post to describe my approach. There are several factors to explore when considering the appropriateness of an Ocutech bioptic for an individual. Here’s a list of factors you may choose to consider. 1. Vision a. BCVA […]
His Ocutech bioptic low vision aid helped make it happen!
“My first dream as a kid was to be a US Navy Seal.” Says Aaron Paulk. “I enlisted in the Navy halfway through my senior year in high school in Indiana. Things were going along fine until my physical in boot camp found that I was losing vision due to a juvenile type of macular degeneration called Stargardt’s disease. That totally derailed all my plans as I was no longer eligible to join the navy or any service. I lost my dream, my vision, and my motivation at age 17 all at once. It was one of my hardest periods emotionally.”
“I lost my license and my independence,” he says. “And then I found Dr. Laura Windsor, my low vision specialist. She prescribed an Ocutech bioptic telescope—a miniature telescope built into eyeglasses that provide me with near-normal vision–and my life changed forever. It allowed me to follow my second dream, to be a surfer living in Hawaii, and I just placed third in the 2021 World Parasurfing Championships held in California December 7-11.
“Gosh where do I start with how my Ocutech bioptic has changed my life?” he says. “I have been able to regain my independence and drive, which has helped me train harder and harder to now be one of the best visually impaired competitive surfers in the world. Before Ocutech I couldn’t even see the surf in the ocean before I got in, but now I can check the surf and watch it through my Ocutech and get an idea of how the waves are breaking. I wear my Ocutech at all competition events to have the ability to watch the competition and prepare for my heats.”
Aaron wants to share his enthusiasm for using his bioptic with others. “The impact of my Ocutech has been so dramatic for me,” he says, “and I’m eager to do what I can to help inspire other people with visual impairments to adopt such great technology to help them follow their passions and achieve their dreams.”
Julius Frierson shuts the door to his car, parked on a street in the rolling hills of Ventura, California, with a grin— remembering how the license in his wallet and the ability to improve his vision was once just an impossible dream. “I was considered legally blind ever since I was nine months old,” Frierson, […]
Ocutech is extremely proud to be part of this event. Australia’s first ever bioptic driving demonstration day–using Ocutech bioptics, was held last week at Wakefield Park, near Goulburn. An estimated 228,000 people in Australia could use this technology to drive for the first time, or continue to hold a driver’s license. We hope these awareness […]
