Contents

#### **Preface XI**


Hotaka Takizawa and Mayumi Aoyagi

#### Chapter 8 **Designing Hands-On Robotics Courses for Students with Visual Impairment or Blindness 133**

Valerie Stehling, Lana Plumanns, Anja Richert, Frank Hees and Sabina Jeschke

Preface

reflects the importance of the subject.

Blindness and cancer are the two most feared entities worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 285 million people (4%) out of the 7.2 billion world population had either low vision (246 million) or blindness (49 million) in 2014. Ninety percent of them live in low-eco‐ nomic settings and eighty-two percent are over 50 years of age. Eighty percent of visual impairment can be prevented or cured. The best examples are correction of refractive errors and cataract sur‐ gery. Although 230,000 ophthalmologists are spread throughout the world, their distribution is uneven. Even if it were even, lack of functional ophthalmic instruments and medications in many parts of the world prevents proper treatment. Thus, the essential purpose of ophthalmologists and researchers is to prevent blindness and, if it is reversible, to cure it. Indeed, patients should leave the ophthalmology department or clinic better than when they came in. The degree of improvement may be variable and we as ophthalmologists should aim for the best. When patients leave the de‐ partment or clinic worse than when they came in, we have failed. Although most of the common eye diseases that impair vision can be treated fairly simply, for some diseases, the cure may be limited and early diagnosis and treatment are imperative (e.g., retinal disorders and glaucoma). In case of inevitable impaired vision or blindness, successful coping is required from the patients, their

families, surroundings, society, and the state because blindness is a major burden for all.

fully, additional books will cover more aspects of this important issue.

This book is aimed at addressing different causes of visual impairment and blindness, their epi‐ demiology, manifestations, risk factors, prevention of progression, and treatment. It is aimed at encouraging physicians and researchers to increase efforts to prevent irreversible and treat rever‐ sible blindness for the betterment of the world. Therefore, it is essential to be fully aware and knowledgeable of the manifestations of the diseases causing blindness and this book covers some of their different aspects. Each chapter was written by experts from around the globe. Thus, it

The book is divided into three sections. The first section, Causes of Blindness, includes chapters on blindness due to mustard gas neuro-ophthalmological diseases and glaucoma. The second section addresses the evaluation and manifestation of visual impairment (glare in ocular disorders). The third section, Coping with Visual Impairment and Blindness, contains chapters on coping with im‐ pairment, psychological adaptation, assistive systems, and designing hands-on robotic courses. My sincere and deep gratitude goes to the authors for their time and effort. Deep appreciation goes to Ms. Romina Rovan, the Publishing Process Manager, for her endless devotion to publish‐ ing this book, and to the publisher IntechOpen for this excellent project. This book is a balanced result of efforts to publish in a timely manner and to cover the topic as much as possible. Hope‐

**Shimon Rumelt**

Israel

Western Galilee Medical Center, Nahariya

Bar Ilan Faculty of Medicine, Zefat
