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Cover Story

R E SE AR CH

a personalized coaching program, which matches new
users with long-time wearers to help them navigate the
device.
One challenge is the price tag: about $7,500 Canadian.
While the unit price has fallen significantly over the
years, it remains out of reach for many people who could
benefit from the device.

“Seventy per cent of those who need it are unemployed
or living on a fixed income,” notes McCollum. “That’s
why we’re working with provincial and state agencies
and employers, who can assist with the purchase.”
For those who own an earlier version of eSight, the
company offers credits which enable them to upgrade
their existing devices. It also offers a standard upgrade
for eSight 3, which is based on the same technology.
eSight also re-deploys earlier iterations of the device for
use in developing countries, since they continue to offer
significant benefits to users, says McCollum.

The winner of many international awards, eSight was
recently named a 2020 Top Wearable Tech Company
by Technology Era magazine and one of 11 life-changing
assistive technologies by CNN 2020.

“ A revolutionary alternative to corneal transplants “

LIQD CORNEA COULD SOLVE WORLDWIDE
SHORTAGE OF CORNEAS FOR TRANSPLANT
A revolutionary alternative to corneal
transplants could be a boon to the millions
of people worldwide who are anxiously
awaiting surgery.
The treatment, called LiQD Cornea, was
developed as an alternative to conventional
corneal transplantation and sealants, says Dr.
May Griffith, a Montreal-based researcher,
who co-led the multinational team that
developed the treatment. Dr. Griffith is
a researcher at Maisonneuve-Rosemont
Hospital Research Centre, which is affiliated
with the University of Montreal, and part of
the CIUSSS of the East-Island-of-Montreal.
She is also a full professor in the Department
of Ophthalmology at the University of
Montreal.

Her team included researchers from Australia,
India, Lithuania, Germany, the U.K. and the
U.S, and other parts of Canada.

/ PhD student Fiona Simpson working at the bench. /

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