Low vision is a condition in which people are visually impaired for some reason and are inconvenienced in daily life, such as difficult to see, dazzling, and difficult to walk because the visible range is narrow.

History of Glasses

The inventor of the first spectacle lenses is unknown. Roman tragedian Seneca (4 BC -65AD) is said to have used a glass globe of water as a magnifier to read ''all the books of Rome''. It's been reported that monks in the middle ages used glass spheres as magnifying glasses to read.

The 13th century Venetians glass blowers are known to have produced reading stones made of solid glass that was put into hand-held, single lens-type frames made of horn or wood. These reading stones were similar to hand-held magnifying lenses of today.

Most historians believe that the first form of eyeglasses was produced in Italy by monks or craftsmen in Pisa (or perhaps Venice) around 1285-1289. These magnifying lenses for reading were shaped like two small magnifying glasses and set into bone, metal, or leather mountings that could be balanced on the bridge of nose.

The first known artistic representation of the use of eyeglasses was Tommaso da Modena's painting of renowned biblical scholar Hugh of Saint-Cher in 1352

Glasses and Magnifiers

While totally (or legally) blind persons need a variety of assistive devices like Braille Reader and Writers, Readers and Writers for Tactile Graphics, and Travel and Orientation Aids for Mobility; partially visually impaired (low vision - including but not limited to: SVI, MVI, EVI, MSVI and VI) persons can benefit from a range of Low Vision Aids to improve their functional visual acuity based on the tasks they need to perform. These include Screen Magnifiers and Readers for Text, Glasses, Magnifiers, and the like. In this page we discuss various low vision devices including glasses and magnifier.

What Are Low Vision Devices?

Low vision devices can help one make the most of the vision so that he / she can perform everyday tasks more easily and with less frustration. Some devices, such as optical and non-optical aids, offer very simple and relatively inexpensive solutions. Other devices, such as electronic and digital magnifiers, may be slightly more complex and costly. However, both optical devices and electronic or digital devices require training to use them efficiently and effectively. Training is always one of the main keys to success with the use of low vision devices. 

Low vision devices are task-specific, designed for close-up visual tasks or distance viewing. One may require several different devices to accomplish different tasks, depending upon the eye condition and everyday living needs.

Low Vision Optical Devices

Low vision optical devices include a variety of helpful visual aids, including stand and hand-held magnifiers, strong magnifying reading glasses, loupes, and small telescopes. Because these devices can provide greatly increased magnification powers and prescription strengths, along with higher-quality optics (i.e., the way the lens bends or refracts light), they are different from regular glasses and magnifiers that you can buy in a local store or online. Most often they require training to help you use them effectively.

Low Vision Non-Optical Devices

Low vision non-optical devices can include adaptations such as reading stands, supplemental lighting, absorptive (or glare control) sunglasses, typoscopes, and tactile locator dots. They can be used in combination with low vision optical devices and can help with reading, organizing, labeling, and a variety of everyday tasks.

Electronic Magnifying Systems

Electronic magnifying systems come in many different varieties and sizes, depending upon the task or activity you want, or need, to do. Some have a camera system that displays a magnified image on a monitor, which can be helpful for reading mail, books, and magazines, while others are hand-held, portable, and can be taken to the supermarket to read labels and coupons, or to restaurants for reading menus.

Source: Overview of Low Vision Devices


Painting is a blind man’s profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels, what he tells himself about what he has seen. – Pablo Picasso

About the Page

Vision aids are critical support for people with low or no vision. Going beyond the typical glasses, contacts, and magnifying lens; several options are available today. These are discussed under:

Smart Glasses 

For centuries, the primary purpose of eyeglasses has been to improve our vision to 20/20. But now as the year 2020 arrives, eyeglass makers and internet pioneers are joining forces to make our one-trick-pony glasses smarter as well.

Smart Glasses bring the wireless connectivity and imaging we enjoy on our home computers and cellphones into the frames and lenses of our eyewear. 

Google Glass paves the way

Google was first to launch this new vision of eyewear in 2013 with the introduction of Google Glass Explorer. Unfortunately, the it proved too geeky, uncomfortable and expensive ($1,500), prompting Google to yank it from the market after 18 months.

Google Glass, however, proved a worthy smart glasses archetype that other tech players would soon refine. Google Glass slipped the smarts into smart glasses as:

Powered by touch, speech or thoughts

Instead of the keyboard and mouse we’re all used to, we can control smart glasses by

Source: Smart glasses: How they work and what’s next: All About Vision

Smart Glasses for the Blind and the Visually Impaired

While Google Glasses led the development of Smart Glasses, it does not provide specific support for the blind or the visually impaired. However, driven by the wave of development, several electronic smart glasses have been built in the last decade that can assist in a variety of tasks:

Further reading:

Leading Smart Glasses

The Smart Glasses to note are:

Google Glass

Google Glass is a smart glass - an optical head-mounted display designed in the shape of a pair of glasses. It was developed by X with the mission of producing a ubiquitous computer. Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like, hands-free format. Wearers communicate with the Internet via natural language voice commands.

Google started selling Glass Explorers in the US in 2013, for a limited period for $1,500, before it became available to the public a year later. It received a lot of criticism amid concerns that its use could violate existing privacy laws.

Google announced the Google Glass Enterprise Edition in 2017 and Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 in 2019.

IrisVision

These electronic glasses for the blind and visually impaired are a highly innovative assistive technology solution, which is registered with the FDA as a Class-1 medical device  and is redefining the concept of wearable low vision aids. A combination of a Samsung’s VR headset and a smartphone, IrisVision gives birth to an innovative solution aimed at helping people with eye problems.

What is Iris Vision?

In this collaboration video between Iris Vision and The Blind Life, we discuss what the Iris Vision is and who it is designed for. We take a look at the features and discuss situations in which you might use them.

James was diagnosed with a low-vision condition called optic nerve atrophy at the age of 3. Watch the heart-warming story on how IrisVision impacted James' life by not only letting him see clearly for the first time in his life, but letting him do more, live more independently, and connect with the world.

Acesight 

It is one of the latest wearable low vision aids produced by Zoomax, designed to help people with low vision conditions. Based on ‘Augmented Reality’ technology, it offers an HD display floating right before your eyes, thanks to a pair of head-mounted goggles, which are connected to a controller through a wire. Provides up to 15X magnification, while the wired controller allows you to customize the colors and contrast. 

Dr. Ed Paul Talking About Acesight

All of a sudden, what happens is Jack looks like he’s on a 50" TV screen right in front of me

This electronic eyewear is designed to cater to the needs of people with visual acuity ranging from 20/100 to 20/800, as affected by a host of eye diseases like macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. 

NuEyes Pro

It is a head-worn lightweight and wireless pair of smart glasses, which can be controlled either through a wireless handheld controller or a set of voice commands. It is designed to help visually impaired and legally blind see better. Glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy are some of the visual conditions NuEyes Pro can help you with. A camera on the front of the glasses captures the image and displays it magnified inside of the lenses. You can get up to 12X magnified images. There are various other features, which make these e-glasses more than just a pair of electronic reading glasses. 

Wearable technology is the future and NuEyes Smartglasses bring the future to you in a small, compact yet powerful head worn device.

NuEyes finally makes it possible for those with visual impairments to connect with loved ones and others without always having to use a big clunky machine. Our removable visual prosthetic helps the visually impaired see again while keeping their hands free.

NuEyes help in a variety vision problems

NuEyes Review - The Blind Life

Review of the NuEyes Low Vision System!

OrCam MyEye

OrCam MyEye is a voice activated device that attaches to virtually any glasses. It can instantly read text from a book, smartphone screen or any other surface, recognize faces, help shop on your own, lead independent life!

OrCam MyEye conveys visual information audibly, in real-time and offline. It is used in over 50 countries in 25+ languages.

OrCam MyEye is not for mobility, but it can greatly improve the mobility experience by identifying objects, people and reading signs around. 

eSight

eSight moves seamlessly with wearers through daily life offering great visual acuity - sitting reading, commuting to work, or exploring a place.

eSight is used daily by people with over 20 different eye conditions. A typical eSight user has natural visual acuity of 20/60 to 20/800 but some have up to 20/1400. Many achieve 20/20 acuity with eSight.

eSight captures high-quality video, and displays it on two high-resolution OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) screens, directly in front of each eye. Footage is enhanced by custom optics and proprietary algorithms to maximize functional sight. The result?  Synaptic activity from the remaining photoreceptor function in the user’s eyes is stimulated to provide the brain with increased visual information to naturally compensate for gaps in the users’ field of view.

Simplify Social Distancing with Aira

AIRA are smart glasses that also use a camera and connectivity to bring assistance to people with a visual impairment. In this case, however, what you're connected to is a trained assistant who provides spoken feedback about what you are looking at. Useful for help with identifying objects, reading documents, menus or medication. These offer a pair of eyes to guide you through unfamiliar routes or indoor surroundings or perhaps to provide some crucial fashion advice! 

Starbucks Launches Aira Access For All U.S. Stores, 2021

Envision Glasses

Envision Glasses is a wearable device that significantly improves the daily life of blind and visually impaired people. It provides the most intuitive and easiest way to access all kinds of visual information around them. It's trained to recognize and speak out text, objects, people, colors, products and so much more. The Envision Glasses are designed to be worn all day with its comfortable, lightweight profile. 

The Envision Glasses are a combination of the Google Glass 2 and Envision's award-winning AI technology. The technology, currently available on iOS and Android smartphones, already enables you and thousands of other users around the world to read all kinds of information. Like the app, the glasses use artificial intelligence to understand the world around you and speak the visual information back to you. Its features include - ‍Instant Text, Scan Text, Handwritten Text, Describe Scene, Detect Colors, Find Person, Find Objects, Explore, and Video Call

VL Eye Glasses help blind persons move around freely using LiFi Tech! It’s a path-breaking, innovative eyeglasses, conceptualized, researched and designed by RDL Visible Light Communication and Research Centre at Sahyadri Innovation Hub at Sahyadri Engineering College, Mangaluru. It helps the visually impaired to enable the visually impaired / blind person to move around freely within indoor environments like home or office or any unfamiliar spaces, with freedom and without facing any obstacles. This medical breakthrough allows the visually impaired to see the faces of loved ones, read, work, study, and participate in virtually any Activity of Daily Living indoor. 

Refer to Innovations in Orientation and Mobility.

QD Laser launched With My Eyes project to change the difficult to see of low vision people into see. In the project, low vision people took on the challenge of taking photographs on their own with the camera-type device RETISSA SUPER CAPTURE that uses laser retinal projection technology.

QR Laser or Quantum Dot Laser is based on VISIRIUM® Technology of Direct Retinal Projection that projects images onto the retina like a planetarium creates a starry sky.

The light manipulation is a futuristic technology cultivated in laser development, which is totally different from conventional technology using a small display.

It is really futuristic.

For more details check under Innovations.

Visual prostheses, or bionic eyes, promise to provide artificial vision to visually impaired people who could previously see. The devices consist of micro-electrodes surgically placed in or near one eye, along the optic nerve (which transmits impulses from the eye to the brain), or in the brain. 

The micro-electrodes stimulate the parts of the visual system still functional in someone who has lost their sight. They do so by using tiny electrical pulses similar to those used in a bionic ear or cochlear implant.

Electrical stimulation of the surviving neurons leads the person to perceive small spots of light called phosphenes. So the vision provided by a bionic eye is not like natural sight. It is a series of flashing spots and shapes the person uses to interpret their environment through training.


For more details check under Innovations.

Second Sight’s Orion® Visual Cortical Prosthesis System, is an investigational device intended to bring artificial vision to individuals who are blind due to a wide range of causes, including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, optic nerve injury or disease, or forms of cancer and trauma.

Earlier, Second Sight’s legacy product, Argus® II, has been implanted in 350+ individuals worldwide, restoring functional, artificial vision by renewing light perception and transforming the daily experience in the majority of individuals.

Improving on Argus, and  designed to replace smartphones, Orion will use augmented reality (AR) technology to live-stream digital images, with voice control through a Siri-like digital assistant. Orion is expected to hit the market between 2023 and 2025.


For more details check under Innovations.

CyberTimez has created Cyber Eyez, an application that enables low vision and blind users to magnify anything in their environment up to 15 times! The application can also read text in more than 100 languages without an internet connection. It is an application for smart glasses enabling users with low vision and blindness to be more independent in a sighted world. 

Features

Salvador Dalí (1904 – 1989)

Crazy: The only difference between me and a madman is that the madman thinks he is not, while I know that I am - Salvador Dalí

Magnifiers

Magnifiers or Magnifying devices help people with low vision engage more easily in activities such as reading standard print, enjoying a hobby, or viewing a presentation by increasing the size of text and objects. Magnifiers come in many weights and styles. They may be fastened on a stand or a handle or attached to a headset or neck cord. Prices vary based on factors such as the material and strength of the lens and the type of illumination.

Types of Magnifying Devices

Magnifying devices can be grossly classified as:

Source: Types of Magnifiers

Further reading:

Types of Magnifiers

We present examples of: 

Low Vision Quick Tip - Magnifier Tutorial

Here's a video showing how I use my magnifier in a slightly different way than usual. Using it this way are able to see much more. Magnifier I use! - 10X Eschenbach Pocket Magnifier - White

Hand Magnifiers

Hand​-held magnifiers are one of the most common types of magnifiers available and will be familiar to most people.  

Stand Magnifier

Reading for longer periods of time usually requires the use of a stand magnifier.

Hands-Free Magnifiers

Digital Magnifiers

Mechanical & Electronic Magnifiers

With a plethora of options magnifier, a users often need o make a choice. Here are the key points on How to Choose a Magnifier? from Braille Institute:

Bar Magnifiers

Bar Magnifiers provide shadow-free viewing for reading over long periods of time and are ideal for reading rows of text and other detailed work. Typically it features a 2x magnification for a couple of lines.

A special red line guide is included to help with orientation and it has a scratch-resistant underside. 

Dome Magnifiers

A dome magnifier is a dome-shaped magnifying device made of glass or acrylic plastic, used to enlarge words on a page or computer screen. 

They are plano-convex lenses: the flat (planar) surface is placed on the object to be magnified, and the convex (dome) surface provides the enlargement. 

They usually provide between 1.8× and 6× magnification. They are good for reading maps or basic text and their inherent 180° design naturally amplifies illumination from ambient side-light. 

Handheld Magnifiers

Handheld magnifiers are useful for spot tasks such as reading a label on a medicine bottle, checking a price tag, or consulting a map. Illuminated and non-illuminated models in round or rectangular shapes are available.

Pocket Magnifier 

Pocket magnifiers may be housed in hard plastic cases that slide or snap open and shut or housed in soft covers that can be used as a handle. They may come with two or more lenses, which can be used singly or in combination, and are available in illuminated and non-illuminated models.

Pendant Magnifier

Pendant magnifiers are supported by adjustable cords around the neck. This allows both hands to be free to hold reading material or to work on sewing or other tasks. 

Magnifying Lamps

Magnifying lamps come in a variety of models that with different magnification levels, illumination levels, types of light bulbs, color of light emitted from the magnifier, size of the lens, and weight of the magnifier. 

Stand Magnifier

Stand magnifiers are set in holders that are attached to small legs or other supports. They sit above the page in a frame that is fixed or at a tilt so it automatically maintains a consistent distance from the reading material and remains in focus, even if the user has unsteady hands or tremors. These come in illuminated and non-illuminated models

Page Magnifier

These have a 2x magnification level and enlarges an entire page at a time. Made of durable, yet flexible plastic, it is great for menus, road maps, and books. 3 magnifiers in each pack - home, school / work, and car

Fresnel Magnifiers

Fresnel magnifiers come in a variety of sizes and are useful for viewing an extensive field of text, such as books, puzzles, maps, or a telephone directory. They may be framed or unframed and may be handheld or attached to a stand that can sit on a table with an object underneath or be placed in front of a computer monitor.

A Fresnel Lens is composite compact lens build of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume that would be required by a lens of conventional design. 

Holmes with his Glasses

Magnifying glass is the object with which Sherlock Holmes is perhaps most closely associated – and rightfully so. In fact, A Study in Scarlet was the first work of fiction to incorporate the magnifying glass as an investigative tool. In that text, Watson dutifully documents, though he does not fully understand, Holmes’s use of the magnifying glass:

As he spoke, he whipped a tape measure and a large round magnifying glass from his pocket. With these two implements he trotted noiselessly about the room, sometimes stopping, occasionally kneeling, and once lying flat upon his face….As I watched him I was irresistibly reminded of a pure-blooded well-trained foxhound as it dashes backwards and forwards through the covert, whining in its eagerness, until it comes across the lost scent….Finally, he examined with his glass the word upon the wall, going over every letter of it with the most minute exactness. This done, he appeared to be satisfied, for he replaced his tape and his glass in his pocket.

Digital Magnifiers

With the variety of digital magnifier, ranging from desktop to portable to handheld, a users can refer to Choose the Right Electronic Magnifier from American Foundation for the Blind for an informed choice. Key points are excerpted below:

Desktop Video Magnifiers 

Desktop video magnifiers are ideal for reading longer texts in newspapers, magazines or books as well as for writing and for filling in forms. Desktop video magnifiers are usually placed on a table for stability. 

Portable Video Magnifier

A portable video magnifier (bigger than a handheld magnifier and has a self-stand) is used to read price labels, maps, bus schedules, restaurant menu, and directions on the go.

Handheld Video Magnifier

Handheld video magnifiers are camera and screen devices that, in addition to magnifying an image, can also change contrasts, freeze images, and illuminate objects. The screen size ranges in size from 3" to 7". Most 7" devices, and most current 5"h models, boast HD quality. 

Acrobat Ultra LCD


Video magnifier that features a 3-in-1 camera for seeing one's self up close, reading, and distance viewing. Comes with 20", 22", 24", or 27" high-resolution LCD monitors that provide 1.6x to 99.5x adjustable magnification (varies with LCD size). The camera is also detachable, allowing one to use it at various workstations.

Clearview C


Desktop video magnifier that comes with a HD monitor and standard camera with continuous magnification of 1.5x to 75x and adjustable document viewing modes. Comes with the following three camera functions and monitor options: 


Merlin ultra – Full HD

The new affordable Merlin ultra offers full high-definition color and contrast, resulting in sharp crystal clear images and vibrant color accuracy. Merlin ultra’s new Full HD camera allows for a wide field of view, displaying more text on the screen in amazing detail. Simply the greatest value and best picture quality available in HD desktop magnification, there’s even more to see with Merlin ultra!

Merlin HD ultra desktop magnifierEasily read books and magazines, read and write letters, manage your financial records, view color photos, do crossword puzzles, and even pursue a favorite hobby.

See for yourself what makes Merlin ultra the greatest value and the absolute best picture quality available in HD desktop video magnification.

Smartview 360


Desktop video magnifier magnifies with a 19" LCD monitor and 3 viewing modes: desktop (2.6x to 57x magnification), distance (0.6x to 27x magnification) and self view (1x to 4x magnification).

Helix HD

An HD video magnifier that can replace the function of a desktop video magnifier, but at a fraction of the cost. Additionally, Helix HD is lightweight and folds down, so you can also take it with you.

Just plug Helix HD into the HDMI port in your TV or computer monitor and instantly magnify an entire 8.5×11 size paper up to 150x. If all HDMI ports are full, no problem; Helix HD comes with an HDMI switch so you can share the same HDMI port with DVD players and other HDMI- connected devices.

Helix HD comes with a wireless tactile remote, so you can position the controls wherever they are most convenient for you. The remote has 6 controls that operate all features, but can also be covered (magnetic cover included) to just two controls for people wishing for more basic/simplified use.

Helix HD employs two cameras, in order to keep a wide viewing area yet maintain a low height profile. This allows you to use the (optional) monitor arm to position your screen just above Helix HD and recreate the reading environment/ergonomics of a desktop CCTV, but at a much lower cost.

Check out the Helix Workstation Package to see how to transform the Helix HD into a 23″ or 27″ desktop video magnifier!

Screen Magnification Software 

There are a number of screen magnification software. Some of them are are integrated with screen readers. 

Well-used screen magnifiers include 

This software is for people with low vision who can interact with computers visually.  

Note: These are different from screen reader software, such as JAWS or Window Eyes as discussed in Screen Reader page.

Snow 12

Zoomax Snow 12 is a portable electronic video magnifier that delivers true visual independence for people with low vision. With Snow 12, you can more easily read, write, look at objects or even perform full-page content scanning with OCR text-to-speech. It has12″ full-HD display, magnification up to 19x, and a simple interface.

Looky 10 HD

Looky 10 has a large screen, low cost and compact size.

Looky 10 is 1080p Full HD, for a crystal-clear image, both on desk and at a distance. Read signs at coffee counters and other such tasks with the distance view feature. Examine photos or reading materials with the close view feature. And even do your hair or makeup with the mirror / self-view camera that faces you.

Looky 10 has a special panning system that permits users to pan around and explore all areas of a zoomed image from a live image, without the need to capture / freeze the image first. 

Presto


Portable, desktop video magnifier with a 15" LCD monitor and four simple front panel buttons and 2.5x to 40x auto-focus magnification. Also features a simple one piece/one plug design, full color/black and white or reverse viewing modes, a locking x/y table, tilt angle display on the monitor, and comes as Presto Lite Desktop

Zoom Twix 

Zoom Twix is a twin function reading device for near reading of documents and distant viewing of black / whiteboards in class / boardrooms. Portable, laptop-compatible scanner/reader, magnifier and flexible video magnifier with for near, distance, and self-viewing. 4-in-1 tools: 

Aumax-S

It is extremely flexible, with dual outputs (USB and VGA) you can simultaneously magnify onto your PC and a separate monitor.

Great for close reading and copy typing, distance viewing, and self viewing, the ultra-flexible camera head rotates 270 degrees vertically and 180 degrees horizontally, bringing distant text and information straight to screen.

VisioBook HD

The mobile VisioBook HD, is a lightweight portable magnifier that folds flat like a notebook for easy transportation or storage. Move between classes at school, between offices at work, or take it with you when you travel. VisioBook HD is like a magnifying glass with a larger screen, except that with VisioBook HD, your hands are free during reading. With the rechargeable battery, VisioBook HD can operate for 5 hours. 

Mercury 12" Windows Magnifier with OCR

The Mercury 12 Windows 12" tablet has digital magnification, optical character recognition (OCR), and Text-To-Speech - allowing it to create spoken documents from printed documents. 

Transportable Video Magnifiers

Eyoyo Electronic Magnifier

Eyoyo’s electronoic magnifier features a 5 inch screen with a foldable handle. The Eyoyo is very lightweight and can be used for more than four hours at a time without being recharged. This device is suitable for use with reading, writing, and maps.

Koolertron Portable DIgital Magnifier

Koolertron’s portable digital magnifier features a compact 3.5 inch screen, free frame capabilities, and an automatic shut-off to increase battery life and fits perfectly into a pocket!

Joyweng Handheld Magnifier

Joyweng’s handheld digital magnifier features a 5 inch screen and multiple color modes. This device includes an elctronic curtian to curb light interference and a flashllight feature. The rechargable battery lasts for up to four hours of use.

LLC Power Portable Reading Magnifier

LLC Power’s portable reading magnifier features a 5 inch screen and 19 different display modes. This device features a high defintion display effect and can be connected to a HD TV.

Demo Portable Electronic Magnifier

Demo’s portable elctrionic magnifer features a 5 inch screen, 17 color modes, and 5 shades of brightness. This device is lightweight and supports photo and playback functions.

ViSee Portable Magnifier

ViSee’s portable digital magnifier features a 4.3 LCD screen, three color modes, and a screen lock feature. The rechargable battery lasts for 2.5 hours. This device can be used to record videos and to capture screenshots of text.

Eschenbach Handheld Color Video Magnifier

Eschenbach’s digital touch HD color video magnifer features a 4.3 inch screen and magnification power ranges from 4x to 15x. The screen includes an anti-glare coating and the rechargable battery lasts for up to three hours of use.

Lzcat Electronic Magnifier

Lzcat’s portable 3.5 inch digital magnifier is the perfect budget-friendly option! This device is lightweight and includes a screen lock and photo feature function.

Life Basis Electronic Magnifier

The Life Basis elctronic magnifer features a 4.3 inch screen and 17 different color modes, making this device ideal for use with a wide variety of visual impairments. The Life Basis includes a memory and storage function and can be easily connected to a HD TV.

Amigo HD

Handheld portable magnifier with a 7" high resolution LCD with large field of view adjustable magnification of 1.4x to 25x. May be used to read price tags, restaurant menus, ingredients on a package and directions. 

Aumed Image


Easy-to-use handheld magnifier with a comfortable grip. May also be used for reading or reviewing small print or writing - signing your name, writing checks and filling out forms. Offers a magnification range of 1.5x to 22x when used as a handheld magnifier (with handle extended) or 4.5x, 6x, 9x and12x when used as a stand magnifier (with handle folded).

Butterfly 

It is a 3.5-inch Pocket size electronic magnifier, Butterfly is designed for the people on the go. Because of its lightest weight and most compact size, Butterfly can be hung around the neck or kept in the pocket, handbag or even purse. 

Candy 5 HD II

CANDY 5 HD II is a handheld (with handle) 5.0″ LCD HD video magnifier with a unique, ergonomic 3-position handle that can be comfortably held in the center-balanced position, for right-handed or left-handed use. Alternatively, use CANDY 5 HD as a Stand magnifier by pulling out the folded leg and CANDY 5 HD II operates similar to an optical stand magnifier.

Aukey Ultra Portable Video Magnifier

Portable video magnifier magnifies up to 17x in color, black & white, or polarized white on black. Provides a sharp, clear image without blurring or ghosting, especially in mobile reading, is easy to use with only 3 tactile buttons, and includes a detachable stand that gives you powerful, hands-free magnification when needed.

RUBY XL HD 

This portable, handheld video magnifier has a 5-megapixel, auto-focus camera providing sharp HD quality images that are easily viewed on its full color, 5-inch LCD screen. The screen tilts up for easy reading on the page with continuous zoom from 2x to 14x. There is a convenient flip-out handle for spot viewing.

Smartlux Digital

It features a 5″ LCD TFT widescreen display, and provides 5x, 7x, 9x, or 12x magnification (even less when used in hand-held mode). 

The SmartLux Digital has a generous depth of focus and includes a stand that, when placed in its fully extended position, is ideal for reading. When placed in its half-extended position, it is one of the best handhelds for writing thanks to the amount of space you’re given to write underneath.

ION Supersight

With just 10x magnification, it isn't going to help those who are legally blind, but for less severe impairment,10x zoom is good.

Its ability to save to a MicroSD card is beneficial to allow you to transfer images to the computer. It is low in cost and a great starter device for anyone. 

Snow 7 HD Plus

Zoomax Snow 7 HD Plus is a 7″ handheld electronic video magnifier with text-to-speech (TTS) technology. It offers storage for up to 1,000 images and superb distance viewing.

Smartphones have magnifier apps - do we still need handheld digital magnifiers?

Yes, we do. For several people, for several reasons:

Smartphone are often a big challenge to the elderly to use. 

Parents of kids always prefer to minimize their smartphone use lest they become phone addict.

Buttons on the smartphones would be much smaller for some people who have severe vision impairment. Most handheld video magnifier adopts more human-centered design with tangible and tactile buttons in high contrast color against the device. 

10 magnifier apps randomly selected from App Store among which only two clearly marked their enlargement higher than 10x, compared with most handheld video magnifiers (highest magnification range from 10x-20x). 

Nothing could be more annoying than the jump after an accidental click on ads when you’re deeply fascinated by the latest chapter of your favorite novel. Well honestly, not all the free apps show ads. However, handheld video magnifiers can provide you with a wonderful reading experience without any advertising interruption, definitely. 

Some handheld video magnifier is equipped with special functions, including OCR and text-to-speech and reading line. These technical innovations are rarely applied by magnifying apps on smartphones. 

Here is a demo video on the OCR TTS function of handheld video magnifier.

A comparative result is presented below between a magnifier app and a handheld video magnifier. The comfort of handheld magnifier is evident.

Source: Magnifier Apps vs Handheld Video Magnifiers: Who Is the Winner?

5cm above

10cm above

With an incline

At the highest magnification

When viewing magazine, tester had to place the iPhone above the magazine and keep the height to get a clear image. If put as the M5, app showed vague image.

When zoomed in to max mag., the view on the app gets quite vague and jittered fiercely. 

BlindShell offers two types of phones that come with voice control, object tagging, and an SOS button for emergencies. 

BlindShell Classic is much larger than a standard smartphone and is fitted with big buttons. It also has a built-in screen reader that speaks every action aloud. There are also built-in dictation and voice control features to make a call and send a text message

Classic Lite model is deemed easier to use and focuses on key features that help users stay connected with their friends and family. The LITE model also does not support functions that need internet connections

Kapsys phones use the Android software and are 4G compatible. They offer two types of smartphones - Smart Vision and Mini Vision

Smart Vision model comes with a large display, voice command and recognition software, touchscreen and keyboard, and a digital magnifier. 

Mini Vision model is smaller with only essential applications for more intuitive use. It comes with voice recognition and commands, a keyboard with spaced and ergonomic buttons, vision aids, but no touchscreen

LUCIA cell phone from Raz Mobility has big, tactile buttons that are different colors and sizes for people with low vision. It offers audio amplification, voice guide and an SOS button. 

Raz Mobility also offers Synapptic software for Android phones including:

Mobile Assistive Technologies

While smartphones and tablets are helpful in everyday life, those with low vision and blindness may find it difficult or even impossible to use them. Fortunately, smartphone manufacturers and software developers implement many accessibility features on mobile devices so people with low vision can use them


Smartphones are available in many shapes and sizes and come from a variety of manufacturers around the world. However, many consumers use mainstream smartphones and tablets made for use with Apple and Android operating systems. Fortunately, there are already several accessibility functions on them including:


More information: Readers and Writers for Text and Android & iOS Apps pages


Many third-party apps can help people with low vision use their smartphone to its fullest capacity. These apps can help users identify items in front of them, read digital text, write, and detect light and color.


More information: Android & iOS Apps page


There are also smart devices and accessories specifically designed for people with low vision and blindness. Accessible phones must be made to support a range of vision impairments and can include amenities like big buttons, different colored buttons, high contrast screens, and voice recognition technology. 


More information:  Readers and Writers for Braille page and on the left panel


Automated home technology first emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s. A smart home allows homeowners to control appliances, thermostats, lights, and other devices through an internet connection with one remote. Smart home technology offers many benefits, including:

For people with disabilities, this technology offers unique benefits, including:

People with low vision or blindness can take advantage of smart home technology designed with their impairment in mind.

Sources

Further Reading

Accessible TV

Most mainstream televisions available today have accessibility features and tools built into them which help to make these devices accessible for people who are blind or partially sighted.

Voice Guidance

Panasonic, Samsung and some other manufacturers include a built-in Voice Guidance feature in their latest digital televisions. Voice Guidance works by announcing on-screen information like channel names, numbers, television guides, menus, upcoming and recorded programs, and various settings.

TalkBack and Closed Caption Subtitling on Android

Some televisions from manufacturers like Sony and a number of others have the Android operating system preinstalled. These televisions include accessibility features like TalkBack for speech and closed caption subtitling. The Android operating system also allows access to the smart features of a television like catch up and streaming services.

Add-on Devices

Separate add-on devices like Apple TV and the Amazon Fire TV Stick also have accessibility tools built in which enable access to video on demand services and TV catch-up apps. These devices do not show standard broadcast TV.

Sources

Voice Guidance

What is voice guidance?

The voice guidance feature provides customers with visual disabilities the freedom to independently explore thousands of TV shows and movies. It "speaks" what's on the screen and includes details such as program descriptions to help customers decide what to watch.

Who is voice guidance intended for?

Voice guidance is intended for customers who rely on audio feedback to interact with products and services – including customers who are blind, have low vision or a visual disability or have difficulty reading. 

How does voice guidance differ from voice control and audio description?

Voice guidance, Voice Control and audio description are three distinct features:

Which TVs have Voice Guidance / Voice Control / Audio Description?

Chromecast

Sony Bravia 164 cm (65 inches) 4K Ultra HD Smart LED Google

Android TV

Android TV is a smart TV operating system based on Android and developed by Google for television sets, digital media players, set-top boxes, and soundbars. A successor to Google TV, it features a user interface designed around content discovery and voice search, content aggregation from various media apps and services, and integration with other recent Google technologies such as Assistant, Cast, and Knowledge Graph.


The platform was first unveiled in June 2014, and was first made available on the Nexus Player that November. The platform has been adopted as smart TV middleware by companies such as Sony and Sharp, while Android TV products have also been adopted as set-top boxes by a number of IPTV television providers.


Sony Android Television

Sony Televisions based on Android TV have a screen reader option which will read out almost all screens and menus including the Sony EPG (Electronic Programme Guide). Apps such as Netflix and Youtube also work with the screenreader although the YouView interface which is available is not yet accessible through speech.

Google Knowledge Graph

Fire TV Stick 4K streaming device with Alexa Voice Remote

TV with Accessibility Settings screen showing VoiceView is enabled

Android (3.9), iOS (4.5)

Amazon Fire Stick & Fire TV

Amazon Fire TV offers accessibility features such as closed captions, the VoiceView screen reader, a screen magnifier, Text Banner, and high contrast text to support access by customers who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, and or have low vision. This allows customers to enjoy movies, TV shows, music, apps, and more.

How to use accessibility features?

Accessibility features can be turned on from the Accessibility menu found in Settings. 

More information: Accessibility for Fire TV

VoiceView Quick Start Instructions

VoiceView is available on all Fire TV devices and can be enabled during setup.

When VoiceView is enabled for the first time, the VoiceView tutorial will automatically start. You can revisit that tutorial at any time, through VoiceView Settings. 

More information: VoiceView for Fire TV or the VoiceView for Fire TV User Guide

Blind and low vision

TV with Accessibility Settings screen showing VoiceView is enabled is shown on left.

Our new screen reader, VoiceView, provides spoken feedback to describe actions that take place on your screen using Amazon's natural language text-to-speech voices.

You can control how fast VoiceView speaks by adjusting the reading speed to one of ten different speeds of your choice. The Fire TV VoiceView tutorial will automatically start the first time you enable VoiceView to help you master operating your Fire TV, and can be revisited any time through the VoiceView settings panel. Review Mode allows you to explore text and content on your Fire TV screen by navigating details item-by-item.

Text Banner is an assistive technology designed for customers with a narrow field of vision. Text Banner consolidates onscreen text into a compact, customizable, written banner that appears in a fixed location on the screen. Text Banner works with text in the Fire TV user interface and text in compatible apps, including Prime Video, making it easier for customers to enjoy movies, videos, and more.

Make it easier to navigate your Fire TV by using the High Contrast Text setting to change the majority of text to black or white, based on the original color, and add a border.

Take a closer look with Screen Magnifier. Easily activated by holding the Back and Fast Forward buttons, Screen Magnifier allows you to zoom in, zoom out, and pan around the screen. Usage instructions are displayed when Screen Magnifier is enabled.

You can enjoy movies and TV shows with Audio Description on Amazon Video.

Source

Further reading

Amazon Fire TV App

Amazon Fire TV mobile app for iOS/Android/Fire OS enhances the Fire TV experience with simple navigation, a keyboard for easy text entry (no more hunting and pecking), and quick access to favorite apps and games

Features

Compatibility

Apple TV

Siri Remote

iOS (4.8)

Apple TV

Apple TV is a digital media player and micro-console developed by Apple. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to an television set or external display. An HDMI-compliant source device, it has to be connected to an enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen television through an HDMI cable to function. It can be controlled remotely, and is either through Apple Remote and Siri Remote or some third party infrared remotes.


Accessibility Features

Sources

Apple TV App


Get all your favorite TV, all in one app. Watch critically acclaimed Apple Original series and films from Apple TV+. Buy or rent new and popular movies. Access everything from popular streaming apps. Subscribe to premium channels. Follow all your favorite sports teams. All curated and personalized for you.


Features


Accessibility Features

Sources

Innovations

With the progress of technology, especially in material science, electronics, and artificial intelligence; rapid advances are taking place in the space of low vision and no vision aids. Some of the recent breakthroughs that have been commercially available are covered in the videos below. 

We then present a few very exciting technology that are in various prototyping and early commercialization stages, and are expected to the freely and cost-effectively available in the market within the next couple of years.

VISIRIUM® Technology with precise light manipulation projects images onto the retina directly.

This allows millions of people with low vision to see, and open up amazing new possibilities.

VISIRUM® Technology projects images onto the retina like a planetarium creates a starry sky.

The light manipulation is a futuristic technology cultivated in laser development, which is totally different from conventional technology using a small display.

QR Laser: Direct Retinal Projection

QD Laser launched With My Eyes project to change the difficult to see of low vision people into see. In the project, low vision people took on the challenge of taking photographs on their own with the camera-type device RETISSA SUPER CAPTURE that uses laser retinal projection technology.

It is really futuristic. Not yet available for consumers, this product does away with mini computer-screens mounted in front of your eyes and instead projects images directly on to your retina using lasers. Providing similar capabilities to the NuEyes technology but with less bulk and weight, this technology is still at least a year away - although functioning prototypes were available on show at the QD Laser booth. 

QR Laser is based on VISIRIUM® Technology of Direct Retinal Projection

Visual prostheses, or bionic eyes, promise to provide artificial vision to visually impaired people who could previously see. The devices consist of micro-electrodes surgically placed in or near one eye, along the optic nerve (which transmits impulses from the eye to the brain), or in the brain. 

The micro-electrodes stimulate the parts of the visual system still functional in someone who has lost their sight. They do so by using tiny electrical pulses similar to those used in a bionic ear or cochlear implant.

Electrical stimulation of the surviving neurons leads the person to perceive small spots of light called phosphenes. A phosphene is a phenomenon of experiencing seeing light without light actually entering the eye - like the colours you may see when you close your eyes.

These phosphenes in someone with a bionic eye can be used to map out the visual scene. So the vision provided by a bionic eye is not like natural sight. It is a series of flashing spots and shapes the person uses to interpret their environment through training - somewhat like a flashing mosaic.

Visual prostheses, or “bionic eyes”

How the bionic eye works

A bionic eye converts images from a video camera (left picture) to a high-contrast representation (middle picture), of which a portion is selected for further processing. This is the blue-shaded box below, corresponding to the reduced field-of-view of a typical bionic eye.

An external video processor then converts this high-contrast image to electrical stimulation parameters, which are sent to electrodes implanted in the eye. The bionic eye recipient perceives a blurred image (right) comprised of flashes of light.

What recipients actually see

We know from the experience of our Melbourne patients that activity on the electrodes is seen as a series of bright flashes rather than as a steady perception. The world is thus flashing bursts of light arranged to represent the basic shape – like the height and width – and approximate location of an object in front of the camera. Other recipients have said this was like:

looking at the night sky where you have millions of twinkly lights that almost look like chaos.

Recipients need to use these irregular flashes to interpret the camera image. The field of view is limited to about 30 degrees wide or one hand span at arm’s length – so recipients need to have a good memory to put the whole image together.

Improvements to the external camera and video processing are able to assist here. For example, distance-sensing cameras can highlight obstacles such as a rubbish bin on the sidewalk, and thermal cameras can highlight human shapes. 

Orion system bypasses the eyes to bring artificial vision directly to the brain. Working prototypes are being tested right now in six blind individuals.

Orion: Artificial Vision for the Blind

Second Sight’s legacy product, Argus® II, approved by the FDA for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa, has been implanted in 350+ individuals worldwide, restoring functional, artificial vision by renewing light perception and transforming the daily experience in the majority of individuals.

The next-generation product, the Orion® Visual Cortical Prosthesis System, is an investigational device intended to bring artificial vision to individuals who are blind due to a wide range of causes, including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, optic nerve injury or disease, or forms of cancer and trauma.

Reportedly designed to replace smartphones, Orion will use augmented reality (AR) technology to live-stream digital images, with voice control through a Siri-like digital assistant. Orion is expected to hit the market between 2023 and 2025.

Learn more at: 

Apple Glasses: Assistance from Siri and AR

Apple Glasses are expected within the next couple of years with 

With that, Apple could use AR Kit and Siri with their smart glasses as a means of making things more accessible to those who are visually impaired or blind. It is expected that:

Reading could become immensely simpler: Apple currently has a feature on iOS devices where Siri can read a webpage or PDF to the user simply by swiping two fingers down on the screen. To a visually impaired or blind person, purchasing Apple’s rumored AR Glasses could be of immense benefit:

Moving around the house becomes more reliable: Apple’s AR can indeed recognize household objects, such as cups or couches. All they need to do:

This would allow the user to walk around without being worried about foreign objects. Siri could tell the user an object is in the way and guide them around it without the use of a walking stick.

Facial recognition: Using the camera on Apple’s Glasses could benefit the visually impaired or the blind if Siri identifies the person walking up to the user and notifies them. A simple “John is approaching” would suffice. 

Going shopping: A user can walk out of their house:

Source: Apple’s AR Glasses and Siri Could Help The Blind

Researchers behind the nanodrops (L to R), Dr. David Smadja, Research associate at Bar-Ilan University’s Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials (BINA) and the Head of the Ophthalmology Research Unit at Shaare Zedek of Bar Ilan’s Kofkin Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Zeev Zalevsky and Prof. Jean-Paul Moshe Lellouche of Department of Chemistry at BINA. 

Nano-Drops: Freedom from Glasses and Laser Surgery

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel collaborated with ophthalmologists at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center to develop something to replace glasses, contacts and laser corrections for patients with refraction errors. Refraction occurs when light bends as it enters the eye, and the cornea and lens focus the light onto the retina in the back of the eye. Refractive errors occur when the shape of the eye, cornea or lens prevents light from focusing onto the retina. Common types of refraction errors are myopia, also called nearsightedness; hyperopia, also called farsightedness; presbyopia, an age-related condition where the lens cannot adjust; and astigmatism, an uneven focusing of light onto the retina that makes images blurry or stretched out.

How does it work?

The new technology developed in Israel is called Nano-Drops. Nano-Drops is a solution of synthetic nanoparticles that can modify the light-bending ability of the cornea to correct refractive errors. The process is designed to be quick and easy for patients. First, a smartphone app measures the patient’s vision and determines the appropriate correction. With this measurement and ideal correction, the app designs a pattern of tiny dots for the cornea.

The next step uses a small laser device connected to the smartphone. The laser “stamps” the pattern of dots onto the top layer of the cornea. The shape of the optical pattern can be adjusted to correct for myopia, hyperopia or presbyopia. The laser stamping of the optical pattern takes just a few milliseconds, and the pattern of nanoparticles will change the trajectory of light to correct for defects in the eye.

After the laser stamps the pattern, the nanoparticle solution is dropped into the eye. The nanoparticles are activated to combine with the tiny laser spots, modifying the light-bending ability of the cornea to make the required correction. The plan is that people will be able to do this at home. The technique has been shown to work on pig corneas, and researchers are now testing to see how long the Nano-Drop correction remains effective and safe.

This isn’t the first time that nanoparticles have been used to treat eye conditions. Researchers in London have shown that nanoparticles filled with a drug called Avastin could be used in eye drops, and that they could be as safe and effective as injecting the drug into the eye. That would be a big relief to patients with age-related macular degeneration who need to use Avastin regularly.

Sources: