Blind Diabetics Can Draw Insulin Without Difficulty
By Bryant, Ed; Braille Monitor, Vol. 52, No. 11Publication Date: December 2009
Article discusses safe self-administration of insulin for blind diabetics. Three methods are discussed: (1) drawing up insulin from vial to syringe using an insulin gauge, a flat card with notches held against the syringe plunger; and the Prodigy Count-A-Dose, a device which measures insulin in one-unit increments via a thumb-wheel adjuster which emits clicks that can be both heard and felt for each unit drawn; (2) the use of insulin pens which combine insulin-drawing and dosing functions, incorporate tactile and audio cues, and are usually preloaded at the factory; (3) wearing an insulin pump, a small box attached to the body by catheter, which continuously injects microscopic amounts of insulin. Advice is also given on eliminating air bubbles in the syringe without the need of sight, and gauging the amount of insulin left in a vial with techniques such as setting aside the number of syringes needed to administer the number of units contained in the vial. A resource list of related products and their suppliers is appended.
Published by: National Federation of the Blind (Website:http://www.nfb.org)
Link to text: http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm09/bm0911/bm091112.htm
Link to audio: https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Audio/Braille_Monitor/2009/December/11_Blind_Diabetics_Can_Draw_Insulin_Without_Difficulty.mp3
