About Our Founder - Tom Cataldo In the past, amblyopia (lazy eye) and retinoblastoma (eye cancer) doomed a person to a life with poor vision (Best case scenario), sometimes blindness, even death. Tom Cataldo, an electronics engineer from San Diego decided he would use his engineering knowledge to something more than electronics engineer usually do. He found a way to detect amblyopia and retinoblastoma in young kids, at an age where it is possible to save a young pair of eyes before damage was lifelong and permanent.
.What Tom Cataldo invented (we are sparing you all the technical details) was a machine that integrated a camera, strobe light and a color monitor. His machine was the first of it's kind and it delivered instantaneous results! During its first run on Feb. 21 at the at the Boys & Girls Club's parking lot in Nevada. Mr. Cataldo parked the large Clinic On Wheels, and screened young children for 4 hours. He took a photo of the child with his or her eyes dilated. After about 10 seconds, the image was ready to be displayed on a monitor where trained screeners could identify abnormalities such as discoloration of the retina or off-centered irises. The parents of children who needed further care were referred to local specialists. This first run was a huge success! Of a group of 19 children, six of them were referred to local doctors for treatment. These children would now be able to live normal lives with eyes that functions 100% like the eyes of any other little child! The test is completely painless, no worse than having your picture taken. Mr. Cataldo is also a successful inventor of products such as the "Microalert", a wearable "panic button" that triggers automatic phone calls to police, relatives, a neighbor, an ambulance, anyone the user would like to call on for assistance should he/she become imobile or unable to to call for help. The matchbook size device can be worn under a shirt or a blouse and is a life saving gadget for elderly people living alone or anybody wanting easy access to help should an emergency such as a heart attack, hip fracture, robbery or fire take place. Costing little over $20 per month, "Microalert" is a cheap insurance. Tom Cataldo has been featured in numerous publications. Below you can read articles that appeared in People Magazine. Just click the thumbnail images below.
To hear Tom discuss the project dearest to his heart, saving children from blindness or death through his work with The Better Vision For Children Foundation click on the links below. |
