Retinitis Pigmentosa: Through the Eyes of Cindy LeDonne

Individuals with retinal degenerative diseases have a high lifetime need for ongoing patient education not only for themselves, but also for others involved in their daily lives. This patient education is necessary to reduce the risk of misunderstandings and serious accidents due to the patients' gradual progressive vision loss. The purpose of my research is to address this need through the creation of a streaming public education video on a website designed to reach a geographically diverse audience of visually impaired individuals and their caregivers, providers, coworkers, families, and friends. In partnerships with the Department of Medical Education of UIC College of Medicine and The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, we have created educational videos and a hosting website to provide information on visual impairments, first person insights from persons afflicted with said conditions, and expert discussion from retinal specialists. The image is a still from the educational videos produced in Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects to simulate how individuals with retinitis pigmentosa see the world as they progressively lose their vision.