Page 6 - envision01-2021
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Cover Story
By JoAnne Sommers
RESEARCH
in the Time of COVID
or medical research, as with every other aspect of life, 2020 was a public of the importance of science and
year like no other. what scientists do. And people are starting
to follow the scientific literature and
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted clinical trial research across keeping abreast of research, which is a
F the globe, as thousands of trials were suspended or stopped good thing.”
because of lockdowns. The pandemic also caused an unprecedented
reorientation in research towards finding an effective COVID vaccine. While the pandemic continues, ongoing
vaccination efforts are bringing hope that
The disruption and the shift in currently on hold because of the life may begin to return to something
resources to address the pandemic pandemic. They were studying the closer to normal in the coming months. In
mean that the effects of COVID-19 impact of brain stimulation of the the meantime, here are three eye-related
will reverbate in the research field visual cortex to reduce the effects of research stories with a Canadian
for years to come. The research age-related macular degeneration. connection that are worth celebrating.
work discussed in this feature offers BRAIN STIMULATION FOR AMD
two examples. Dr. May Griffith, the Fortunately, the news is not all
Montreal-based researcher whose bleak. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
multinational team developed is the leading causes of blindness in
LiQD Cornea, an alternative to “During the first lockdown when industrialized countries. Now, researchers
conventional corneal transplantation, no one was able to travel, researchers from the University of Waterloo’s School
says their work was shut down for from all over the world started to of Optometry have found that brain
four months in 2020 because of interact,” says Dr. Griffith. “Meetings, stimulation of the visual cortex can reduce
COVID. e-seminars and conferences took the effects of the disease. The discovery
place online, and researchers and could eventually help those affected to
“We’ve gradually increased to 75 per students world-wide attended.” recover their vision.
cent capacity but it slowed down the
process by about a year,” she says. Another silver lining is the increased Patients with AMD lose their central
collaboration among scientists, vision and must rely on peripheral vision
The promising work of Dr. Ben beginning with the cooperation of for their daily activities. However,
Thompson and his team at the virologists and researchers working peripheral vision is prone to crowding: an
University of Waterloo’s School of on COVID treatments. “There’s also inability to distinguish between objects or
Optometry and Vision Science, is greater awareness from the general letters that are close together.
6 / JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2021 / www.ENVISIONMAGAZINE.ca /