Using Virtual Reality to Restore Vision

Your Complex Brain

What happens when a vision researcher has a chance meeting with a pediatric oncologist and that collaboration leads to unexpected and promising results?
In Episode 5 of Your Complex Brain, we’re talking about a homegrown vision rehabilitation program helping young brain cancer survivors, whose sight has been impacted by their tumours, improve their vision.
The program, developed at University Health Network in Toronto, uses virtual reality to effectively retrain parts of the brain, allowing them to better perceive objects and obstacles.
Joining us on the podcast today is neurobiologist, Dr. Michael Reber, and pediatric oncologist, Dr. Eric Bouffet. We’ll also hear from 18 year-old Jack Conway, one of the research participants in the study.
Featuring:
Dr. Michael Reber - Senior Scientist at the Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute, part of the Krembil Research Institute, at University Health Network, and Associate Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Eric Bouffet - Past director of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and the first Garron Family Chair in Childhood Cancer Research.

Jack Conway - High school student who is passionate about video games, theme parks, and politics. Jack was diagnosed with an optic pathway glioma brain tumour as an infant, and recently was a research participant in the Vision Rehab Study.
Additional resources:
Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute at UHN
Dr. Reber’s lab website
The Hospital for Sick Children
UHN Foundation story on this Vision Rehab Study
Dr. Reber interviewed on UHN’s ‘Behind the Breakthrough’ podcast
Dr. Bouffet addresses United Nations
The Your Complex Brain production team is Heather Sherman, Jessica Schmidt, Dr. Amy Ma, Kim Perry, Alley Wilson, Sara Yuan, Meagan Anderi, Liz Chapman, and Lorna Gilfedder.
The Krembil Brain Institute, part of University Health Network, in Toronto, is home to one of the world's largest and most comprehensive teams of physicians and scientists uniquely working hand-in-hand to prevent and confront problems of the brain and spine, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, stroke, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, brain cancer or concussion, in their lifetime. Through state-of-the-art patient care and advanced research, we are working relentlessly toward finding new treatments and cures.
Do you want to know more about the Krembil Brain Institute at UHN? Visit us at: uhn.ca/krembil
To get in touch, email us at [e-mail] or message us on social media:
Instagram - @krembilresearch
Twitter - @KBI_UHN
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/KrembilBrainInstitute
Thanks for listening!