BroadEye: An Ophthalmology Podcast

Liquid Biopsies, Ocular Tumours and the Future of Personalized Medicine - Dr. Julie Burnier

Dr. Julie Burnier, Assistant Professor of Oncology and Pathology at McGill university, explains how liquid biopsies can provide critical information about ocular tumours including genetic signature, presence of circulating tumour cells, and other biomarkers of disease severity. Dr. Burnier discusses Uveal Melanoma, the most common intraocular tumour in adults, and how liquid biopsies are becoming front and center in the personalized management of this highly complex tumour.

​Microsoft’s Vision For an Accessible World Through Inclusive Design - Ricardo Wagner

Ricardo Wagner, Accessibility Lead for Microsoft Canada, shares inspirational stories of how inclusive design has influenced a global community of people with accessibility needs, including those with low vision. From the surgeon who could access a computer hands free to an artist with ALS who was able to continue creating using only her eyes, the broad-reaching, life changing impacts of Microsoft’s accessibility endeavours comes to light in this thought provoking interview.

Cataract Surgery: What To Expect - Dr. Debra-Meghan Sanft

Ophthalmologist Dr. Debra-Meghan Sanft shares a comprehensive overview of cataract surgery, Including what patients can expect before, during, and after surgery. Dr. Sanft also explores risks and rare complications that patients need to understand prior to consenting to cataract surgery.

 

 

 

Be My Eyes: Over 4 Million Volunteers Helping the Blind See – Will Butler

Will Butler, VP at "Be My Eyes", talks about the popular smart phone app and its rapid global adoption among the blind and visually impaired as well as millions of volunteers. Will further shares stories of corporate partnerships established by Be My Eyes to help people with low vision navigate everything from performing computer updates to reading pregnancy test results.

 

TapTapSee: Leveraging Technology To Help the Low Vision Community - Brad Folkens

Brad Folkens, CEO of TapTapSee, explains how the application helps people who are blind or have low vision “see“ using their smart phones. Brad covers the origins of the company and its technology, common use cases, and how the technology can be improved in the coming years.

 

Mastering Blindness, Mindset, and Reaching the Summit of Mount Kilimanjaro - Randy Pierce

Randy Pierce, President of 2020 Vision Quest, shares his journey of vision loss and how he focused on his abilities rather than his disabilities to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and other notable peaks, train for and compete in the Boston marathon as a blind athlete, pen a book to inspire the masses, and become a motivational speaker giving keynote addresses across a range of industries and geographies.

Retinal Disease: Treatment with CRISPR, Gene Therapy and Partial Proteins – Dr. Hemant Khanna

Dr. Hemant Khanna discusses how a powerful gene editing tool called CRISPR has the potential to treat blinding diseases such as Leber Congenital Amaurosis and Retinitis Pigmentosa. Dr. Khanna further provides an overview of gene therapy for retinal disease, as well as a description of a novel approach to treating retinal degeneration using partial length proteins.

Stories from a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor - Rob Cramer

Rob Cramer, Guide dog mobility instructor for CNIB, discusses his lifelong dream to work with guide dogs for people with low vision. Rob’s journey began at the age of 10 when his mother, diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, received her first guide dog. His path took him to Australia and eventually back to Canada, accumulating experience and powerful stories along the way that he shares with the audience in this interview.

 

Leading the Charge for Accessibility and Employment For the Blind and Visually Impaired – David Demers

David Demers, Executive Director of CNIB Quebec and Executive Lead for Frontier Accessibility, discusses accessibility and employment for people who are blind or visually impaired. Other topics covered include David’s own story of sudden vision loss due to Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy and the history and stigmatization of blindness.

 

Why Patients Can (and Should) Become Researchers, Discussion With Dr. Helen Dimaras

Dr. Helen Dimaras discusses how empowering Retinoblastoma survivors and their families to have a greater role in the decision-making process of research projects has led to more inclusive, high-quality, and translatable results. The Canadian Retinoblastoma Research Advisory Board (CRRAB) is co-directed by patients, clinicians, allied healthcare providers, researchers, patient engagement experts, and policymakers.