AVENTURA, Fla. – A unique invention by a South Florida man is helping people with vision problems gain the gift of sight.
Craig Hershoff, who himself suffers from vision problems that require special lenses, realized that many people have difficulty inserting contacts due to age and dexterity.
His own experience led him to design a voice-activated lens fitting robot that can both insert and remove scleral lenses, which are for vision problems that cannot be corrected with standard contacts and glasses.
“We’ve tried the device on elderly people, I’m elderly too, and it really helps with dexterity. They’ve all liked it and appreciate how well it works,” Hersoff said.
The Cliara Lens Robot is currently going through testing at a clinical trial in Boston.
Depending on the outcome of the trial, Hershoff hopes to have FDA clearance on the device early next year.
And there’s yet another reason to get a seasonal flu shot: it could reduce your risk of getting COVID-19.
Researchers found that healthcare workers who got the flu vaccine before the pandemic took hold were 39% less likely to test positive for COVID-19.
“What this study shows is that getting a flu shot this year isn’t only worth an ounce of prevention, it could be worth more than a pound of cure,” said Dr. Dustin May with MD Now.
The findings also align with previous research that suggests even vaccines targeting specific viruses, like measles or polio, can help train the body to right off other viral invaders.