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If you thought your contacts were expensive, Shekhar Eye Research Center in India is making gold-plated, diamond encrusted contact lenses that will sell for $15,000. 

The “cumbersome, bluky” contacts are not FDA approved, will be sold on a limited basis (currently outside of the US) and there are questions about their safety.  Read more by clicking here.

Dick Winters passed away January 2, 2011.  His leadership, bravery and heroic acts during WWII were documented in the book and HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers.”   Rest in peace.

FILE – In this Dec. 1945 file photo provided by Sgt. Maj. Herman W. Clemens, Ret., Maj. Richard ”Dick” Winters. Winters, the man whose quiet leadership was chronicled in the book and television miniseries ”Band of Brothers,” died Jan. 2, 2011 in central Pennsylvania, a family friend confirmed Monday, Jan. 10, 2011. He was 92. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Sgt. Maj. Herman W. Clemens, Ret.)

Full story here.

A couple weeks ago, Zsa Zsa Gabor’s 9th husband, Prince Frederic Von Anhalt, mistakenly took a bottle of nail glue for eye drops, gluing one of his eyes shut, according to Yahoo news. HIs publicist said “It was dark” when he grabbed the wrong bottle.  He was taken to the hospital in Beverly Hills where doctors reopened the eye.

Later, Von Anhalt understated, “It was stupid.”

He’s not alone.. perhaps he should have read my previous post here!

Nintendo is warning young children against playing 3-D video games on its upcoming gaming system, the Nintendo 3DS.  According to Nintendo, kids age 6 and younger may have the growth of their eyes stunted if they play the 3D games per a statement on its Japanese website. They also note that parents can turn off the 3-D functionality if desired or set passwords that keep kids from using 3D.

Continue reading for more:

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Congrats to Joey Votto – the Reds first MVP in 15 seasons!

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B reveals that researchers based in Germany have developed a retinal implant that has allowed three blind people to see shapes and objects.   One person was even able to navigate around a room and read the hands of a clock – all huge for someone who was blind a few days prior to having the implant.

The subretinal implant takes advantage of the eye’s natural image processing capabilities, while replacing photoreceptors lost through degenerative conditions, such as retinitis pigmentosa.  Other retinal implants, known as epiretinal implants, sit outside the retina, thus needing an external camera to achieve vision.  If successful, a device like this could provide vision to some 200,000 people worldwide that are affected by certain degenerative eye diseases… one step closer to curing blindness.

You can read more by clicking here

According to the German Road Safety Council, 1/4 of highway traffic deaths can be attributed to driver drowsiness.  Now there is a new eye monitoring system that can track a person’s eye movements while they are driving and sound an alarm before they fall asleep at the wheel.

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It happens far more often than you might think. Someone reaches for their artificial tears or other eye drops and they grab their SuperGlue instead. Fortunately it sounds worse than it is and is probably more scary (for the victim of the SuperGlue) than anything else – certain eye problems are actually treated with SuperGlue and the side-effects are temporary. Washing the lids with warm water and soap and then waiting a few days should get the eye open.. but your best bet is to see your eyedoc. Don’t try to pry the lids open!

…And stop keeping your SuperGlue anywhere near your eye drops. While you’re at it, it’s a good idea to put your ear drops some place else also!

See below to watch an interview from a woman who recently made both the mistake of putting SuperGlue in her eye and then having an interview on the news about it:

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Credit to ODFace!
If video doesn’t load (some mobile users), try clicking here.

Adjustable glasses have been a concept for over 100 years.  In recent years, glasses with adjustable lenses have been designed for underdeveloped countries as a means to provide vision correction to those without access to optometrists.  These designs have typically been cosmetically unappealing.  Now there will be a less cosmetically unappealing option..

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