Through Our Eyes

This episode features Heather Wolf, who shares her personal experiences living with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and deafness. Heather discusses her journey of being diagnosed with RP in college and the challenges she faced due to progressive vision and hearing loss. Heather explains her college experience and the accommodations she received, such as orientation and mobility training and assistive te...

Charlie Kramer, a 30-year-old living with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), shares his experiences growing up with a family history of RP and how it shaped his perspective. He proudly uses his cane every day and works as a life coach for people with disabilities, advocating for inclusivity and equality. He discusses his journey of accepting his disability and emphasizes the importance of awareness and se...

Welcome to season 2 of the Through Our Eyes Podcast by the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation!  In this episode, Bri gives a life update and fills you in on everything coming up in season 2 of the podcast and some news and events with the PRRF! 

This episode is the conclusion of the conversation with Anastasia and Gia!  These two extraordinary young women talk more about their daily life, training regimen, and how their long distance friendship keeps them going day to day.  Don't miss out – hit that subscribe button and join us on a journey that's all about smashing expectations, celebrating victories, and embracing the power of the human...

This episode dives into the extraordinary journey of two remarkable Paralympic gold medalists,  Anastasia & Gia. We uncover the awe-inspiring stories that have defined their lives and their beautiful friendship as fellow blind swimmers. Don't miss out – hit that subscribe button and join us on a journey that's all about smashing expectations, celebrating victories, and embracing the power of the h...

Welcome to part 3 of the conversation with Dr. Kimberly Drenser! This episode dives into CTR27, the basis for the idea behind Caeregen Therapeutics , the history of the company, and the work they've done to create medical solutions for retinal diseases.  Your host, Dr. Patrick Droste dives into this captivating three-part series that covers innovative and promising research for the future. We invi...

Welcome to part 2 of the conversation with Dr. Kimberly Drenser! This episode navigates the landscape of research & development challenges and the amazing scientific breakthroughs that Dr. Drenser has been involved with. This episode starts with the story of how Dr. Drenser became interested in the field of ophthalmology and continues by highlighting the milestones in the industry and her career. ...

This episode embarks on a journey through the world of groundbreaking research with our special guest, Dr. Kimberly Drenser, who holds the prestigious title of what is called a double doctor (i.e. she holds two medical degrees). Additionally, Dr. Drenser engaged in a two-year retinal fellowship with associated retinal consultants Dr. Anthony Capone and Dr. Michael Trese.  Your host, Dr. Patrick Dr...

Listen to this empowering and eye-opening episode that invites listeners into the extraordinary world of Shelby, a resilient and inspiring young woman who was born blind. Throughout this episode, Shelby explores the many aspects of her morning routine, shedding light on how she navigates her world. From waking up and orienting herself to the day ahead to choosing outfits, preparing meals, and gett...

Dr. Phillip Hessburg is an authority on driverless automobiles, and this episode is all about what artificial vision in automobiles means for the visually impaired community. Interestingly,  Dr. Hessburg was also on the organization of Retinopathy prematurity, associate Retinal Disease Board for many years, and he has a long history with our organization. This episode dives into the future of mobi...

Through Our Eye's is again looking at the Parent's Perspective. We speak with Alissa Williams, the mother of Brandon Warner, who was featured in episode #2.  Alissa outlines the challenges she faced in identifying Brandon's condition early in life and gives a detailed story that can be very helpful for mothers that find themselves in her shoes.  Alissa's story will take you on a journey. From lear...

This week's episode is about the history of the white cane for the visually impaired. Shelby, who uses the cane every day, will talk about her experience, and Dr. Droste will talk more about its history. If you're someone who values inclusivity and accessibility, you will be blown away by the powerful insights and perspectives shared in this episode. This episode talks about the evolution of the w...

In this episode, we highlight one major challenge to living independently for the visually impaired, cooking. Bre has a particular interest in cooking and walks us through some of the challenges that she has overcome as a visually impaired person in the kitchen. Regarding working in the kitchen, Bre prefers baking over other methods. Here's a short excerpt from this episode:  "...one of my favorit...

Meet Wallace Stuckey , a young man that is a true inspiration. Wallace was born with retinopathy prematurity and grew up legally blind. Wallace faced many obstacles but refused to let them hold him back. Through hard work and determination, he graduated from college and is now a valued US House of Representatives employee as a Website Compliance Accessibility Analyst. Wallace's story shows us that...

We introduced Shelby in episode 3, and here in episode 11, we get to hear all the awesome details of what Shelby has accomplished from her parents. Shelby is quite humble, and her parents Bill & Debbie, have A LOT to share regarding the many adventures and exploits of their brave and ambitious daughter.  Bill & Debbie Craig also share their story of the events leading up to receiving the news of S...

In this episode, we talk with Brey and her dad, Brett who states: "...When Brey was younger and first diagnosed, there were the initial reactions of just trying to understand what FEVR is and what the implications are, and then asking what steps we need to take to help her, and what are the long-term implications." We introduced Brey in episode 1, and here in episode 10, we get to hear more of her...

An orphan disease is  a rare disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 people in the United States .  Oftentimes, due to the rarity of these diseases and the lack of a large patient population, finding support and resources for treatment options is a challenge. Receiving a diagnosis of one of these rare diseases can leave an individual or family with a very isolated and lonely feeling....

"…For most of us, our problem is not that we can't see. No, the problem is that society holds low expectations of us as blind people… there's so much in the world that is inaccessible, but we're capable of so much when we know that we can do it and when we have a team of people to support us…." This quote is from Amy Albin, who was born with Leber's congenital amaurosis, an eye disorder that prima...

Jennifer & Ashley Zuckerman have lived lives of overcoming impossible circumstances. Now seniors in High School, these fraternal twins were born 28 weeks premature with less than a 25% chance of survival. This was the first of many challenges that Jennifer, Ashly, and their family would face together.   Due to Jennifer's premature birth, she developed retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), yet her sist...

In this special edition of the Through Our Eyes podcast, we are honoring the life of Dr. Michael Trese, one of the all-time greatest contributors to the field of pediatric retinal research and disease.  He, along with his partner Dr. Antonio Capone share with us many of their experiences of working together over the past ten years to develop research that has effectively impacted the lives of coun...

In this episode, Dr. Droste and Bre talk about the complexities of navigating higher education. Bre grew up as a sighted child, yet throughout her high school career, her sight deteriorated. Bre faced many obstacles in the transition from a sighted to an unsighted world, and as a legally blind college student, Bre discovered a wealth of resources that unsighted college students across the globe ca...

In this episode Dr. Droste and Shelby talk about the complexities of navigating the education system as a blind student. Starting from a very young age Shelby recounts her experiences and gives insights and options of how to respond to specific challenges. Topics include navigating the dynamics of IEP meetings, the importance of learning braille, how to relate with sighted classmates and much more...

Shelby was born with FEVR and ROP and has been blind most of her life. She is now a 26-year-old college graduate, living with her parents and actively applying for jobs. In this episode, she tells her story of both challenges and successes.

Brandon has been blind since birth and was diagnosed with FEVR. He earned an undergraduate degree in economics and a master's degree in vision rehab therapy. He is now employed by the University of Michigan teaching students about accessible technology and checking the accessibility of websites and apps that the university uses. In this episode, he shares his story along with recommendations for o...

Breyanna is 27 and was born sighted but was diagnosed with FEVR at age 9. She navigated high school with limited vision and had her driver's license. By the time she was 21, she lost most of her vision and ultimately her license. Listen to this episode to hear more about her story and what she's got planned for her future.