Eyes and Chickens and the Like

Prada and I spent most of today at the Casey Eye Institute, part of the Oregon Health Sciences University. Due to the complexity of my eye condition I go here to a world-class specialist in genetic retinal degenerative conditions. Today’s fixit was a re-testing of some experimental work done this summer and a typical eye-drops and chart-reading exam. We found out from the genetic counselor on Dr. Weleber’s staff today that the blood samples sent to the lab in Iowa proved quite useful and they were able to sequence the gene that causes my condition. I now have a stable diagnosis (although I think we’ve heard that once or twice before…). I have CRB-1-related Severe Early Childhood Onset Retinal Dystrophy, where CRB-1 is the name of the gene that has the mutated sequence. Currently there are clinical trials going on where a genetic therapy is being tested on humans to increase their vision. It’s for a different gene than mine, but if the clinical go well (this is, of course, after years of successful animal testing) then they’ll apply that knowledge to other genes, such as mine. So the word is? In a couple of decades (also heard that a few times) they may have a way to improve my vision significantly.

So what does this mean for a dog guide user? I’m already on the edge of being able to work with a dog guide without untraining said dog guide. If an improvement comes along and I am able to afford it and believe that that is the course that God would have me take then I could no longer work with a dog guide. So, that being the case, I have made the tentative decision that, those three circumstances providing, I will not take the improvement until my current dog guide retires. There’s no reason to waste the training and time that went into the dog and deprive it of the job it loves. When the dog retires I automatically have a wonderfully trained and bonded pet who won’t have the same physical demands as an active dog guide. This is, of course, all extremely speculative and way in advance. But it’s something I’ll have to address at some point.

In other news, Prada and I exited a small produce store near where we live and walked into the path of a stray chicken! We may live in rural Oregon but loose chickens are NOT daily sights here. This one, according to the store owner, is a stray that just decided to live by the store so they named her Luanne. Prada was quite curious but not too aggressive towards the chicken and responded to my correction well. Luanne wasn’t interested in satisfying Prada’s curiosity, though, and amidst frantic squawking made a hasty retreat stage right.