The July 2022 EZ2See® News
By Edward Cohen of
EZ2See® Products LLC
Hello,
First the Personal Stuff
Progress with the Low-Vision Support Group
A few months ago, a Mayo ophthalmologist and inherited retina disease specialist spoke to a meeting of the Minneapolis chapter of the Foundation Fighting Blindness. I got a link to the recording of that talk. We played it at our July meeting. It was a deep dive into the ongoing research of gene therapy and stem cell efforts.
The big takeaway for those with a retina disease was this. We should see a retina specialist and be sure to ask what is the condition of each part of our retinas and what treatments and trials exist that might be appropriate for each of us.
The previous month, several in the group had expressed interest in attending a movie or some sort of performance. This month that happened. I learned that our local repertory theater was performing a fun original musical. We called and bought the needed number of tickets. Then we dealt with transportation for everyone which was by far, the more challenging task. All made it safely there and home. As the saying goes, a good time was had by all. We’re now motivated to seek another outing.
Guess Who Saw One of My Blog Posts
You never know who will come upon something you leave on the Internet. A long-time columnist for my local paper happened to read on Facebook the Blog Post I wrote last month to celebrate the passing of a long-time close friend. He is the same gentleman who kindly wrote about my business efforts some years ago in his Boomer Grandpa column. After a couple of email exchanges, he learned of and agreed to begin to receive these emails. That will teach him to read stuff on the Internet. Grin.
My Recent Eye Surgery
Thank you to those who expressed concern and best wishes for the procedure I had this month. For those who asked what exactly it was, here is the explanation straight from the horse’s mouth.
“25g pars plana vitrectomy, intraocular lens exchange, scleral sutured intraocular lens.”
Now that should make everything clear. Smile.
The doctor didn’t mention it and I should have thought of it on my own. Immediately after the hour and a half surgery, my right eye went from providing usable sight to providing nothing but a grey wall. It was a shock and I’m still adjusting.
Until the middle of August or so, I’ll be using multiple eyedrops several times a day. I now have great respect for those of you who have to do this.
In a follow-up appointment, I learned that decades ago when they did my cataract surgery, they used much larger lenses than they do these days. Removing the larger lens required a longer incision and more stiches. While the doctor was pleased with the outcome, the procedure was more invasive and the recovery will take longer than normal.
One comfort is knowing that the old lens that had fallen is gone. The new one is exactly where it should be. He is confident that in-focus vision will be returned to that eye. Until then I’ll be depending on the weaker eye and the new and fun experience of having no depth perception.
An Unexpected Appearance in the Newspaper
There is a vision-impaired guy who is new to our city and good at using his smart phone to make videos. He recently made one showing the challenges he faces moving around downtown and where he lives and works. A reporter for our local newspaper got wind of it, reached out to him and began writing an article on this topic for our local newspaper. The intrepid reporter then reached out to two other vision-impaired residents he knew for additional comments. Yes, dear reader, I was one of them.
Besides answering his questions and offering some of my experiences walking around downtown, he arranged for a photo to be taken. I chose a particular spot where construction makes walking with minimal sight very challenging. It never hurts for the public to be reminded that public spaces need to be accessible to all of the public.
And Now for the Business News
Sales of 2022 Calendars
If you recall how amazed I was last month that from April to June, 10 to 14 dozen calendars were being bought each month. It is now official. Second quarter 2022 sales were twice the number sold during the same quarter in 2021.
I wish I knew the reason for the huge jump in sales that quarter. Could it be the skilled use of Amazon by the ladies who license my product? Or could it be that my face is on the EZ2See® home page? Who can say? Grin.
Update on The EZ2See® Address Book Idea
Last month I said I would carefully consider all the feedback I got from the Testers. Doing that is where a good part of my business time has been spent this month. I came away with a long list of small and large suggested improvements thanks to those Testers. I believe these will improve the product by making it more useful and accessible.
As soon as the changes are done, the website needs updating for the 2023 calendar. Outreach to past and new potential customers then begins. August should shape up to be a very productive month.
And that’s it for July. Thanks as always for your support and interest,
Edward
Here is the link to the Boomer Grandpa article from some years ago.
Here is the link to the recent article about navigating in our downtown with little or no eyesight. Hopefully the link works for you.
Check out the elderly fall, slip and skin protection products
made by Prevent Products Inc who also licensed and now sell my products.
Edward is a low vision senior living in southeast Minnesota. He is the founder and owner of EZ2See® Products LLC. Visit his website if you or someone you care about is looking for innovative organizing products for those living with vision loss or other challenges.
To receive this monthly news or to connect with Edward, email info@EZ2SeeProducts.com
Find the EZ2See® weekly planner/calendar and high-contrast sticky note pads at:
* Canadians will find the weekly planner on Amazon.Ca
Or simply call, 800-234-8291.