Low Vision News and Products
Lighthouse International Debuts Online Store
NEW YORK, August 2010 — Lighthouse International has launched an online store of its vision-friendly products. The store offers talking watches, large-face clocks, large-print books, magnifying mirrors, glare-free lighting, mobility canes and other household and personal items.
Also available in the store are computer software and accessories to make computer use easier, as well as CCTV, electronic readers and handheld magnifiers. The store is located at http://shop.lighthouse.org.
Lighthouse International has been offering these products in its Lighthouse Store in Manhattan since 1992 but opened the online store to make shopping easier for more people. In addition, customers can use the website to suggest products they would like stocked.
A non-profit organization, Lighthouse International is devoted to the problem of vision loss and offers clinical and rehabilitation services, research, advocacy and more. Proceeds of the store help fund these programs.
SideKick Flip-Up UV Absorptive Filters for
Better Contrast and Glare Control
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., July 2010 — For certain visual impairments, eyewear with absorptive filters can increase your visual acuity and eye comfort.
To address this need, Cocoons has launched SideKick, a line of flip-up clip-on light filters that attach easily to your existing prescription eyeglasses.
SideKicks are convenient and inexpensive. Unlike other clip-on lenses, they wrap around both above and to the sides of your eyes, for extra protection and peripheral vision.
SideKicks are available in three sizes and have scratch-resistant filters with tints including lemon, boysenberry, orange, smoke and hazelnut. All provide 100 percent UVA/UVB protection.
The lemon filter maximizes brightness and enhances contrast in low light conditions to improve visual acuity. It blocks 40 percent of blue light. The boysenberry filter has a darker tint for glare control and blocks 90 percent of blue light.
The orange filter enhances contrast by intensifying backgrounds, and it blocks 100 percent of blue light. The hazelnut filter reduces glare, heightens contrast and blocks 98 percent of blue light. The smoke filter has a neutral tint for bright light that provides natural color definition and contrast.
The company strongly suggests that, before buying, you ask your eye care practitioner which lens tint will work best for your eye condition and activities. Some of the filters work well both indoors and outdoors, but others are for either indoor or outdoor use.
SideKicks are available at optical stores and other authorized dealers. Please click here for a closeup photo.
Pebble 4.3 Portable Magnifier Has Larger Screen and Other Upgrades
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., July 2010 — Low vision doesn't have to keep you at home. With the Pebble 4.3 handheld electronic magnifier, you can read menus, prescription labels, price tags and more while shopping or eating out.
The bright, high-resolution 4.3" LCD screen magnifies from 2X to 10X, with a choice of 28 video viewing modes, so you can choose the colors and contrast that work best for you.
A "freeze image" feature lets you take a screen shot of an object or words and then easily magnify them and change the color contrast. A built-in light source has an on/off option for reduced glare.
The Pebble 4.3 from Enhanced Vision is an upgraded version of the Pebble 3.5. It has a foldable handle with a comfort grip, two hours of battery life, rechargeable batteries, a carrying case and a two-year warranty.
You can order the Pebble 4.3 through an eye care professional, and you can get more information about it by calling (888) 811-3161.
Lighted Magnifier Is Ergonomically Designed
RIDGEFIELD, Conn., June 2010 — The Powerlux may look like a computer mouse, but really it's an illuminated stand magnifier.
Its unique, ergonomic shape is designed to provide a relaxed hand position when you use it over a long period of time.
The Powerlux works whether you're left- or right-handed: you just move it across your reading material. Because the lens is located close to the hand position, it helps you keep your place while reading.
You also can use it for small writing tasks such as signing documents or doing crossword puzzles.
The lens provides 5x magnification and is lit with two SMD LED lights. You can choose from cool blue or warm yellow lights, which shut off automatically after 30 minutes, for longer battery life.
The Powerlux magnifier by Eschenbach is available from magnifier stores and online, as well as through eye care professionals.
Sculptures Developed as Math Teaching Tools for Visually Impaired Kids
CHAMPAIGN, Ill., April 2010 — Visually impaired children often have more difficulty learning math than other children and are ultimately unable to pursue careers that require advanced math knowledge. With that in mind, legally blind art student Sheila Schneider is creating small sculptures with mathematical equations imprinted on them in Nemeth Code, a form of Braille used for scientific symbols.
Teachers will use the sculptures as educational tools, possibly replacing the use of abacuses, which have been used traditionally to teach math to visually impaired kids.
"We're trying to bring the education of visually impaired children more up to date, rather than relying on staid methods of doing things," Schneider said in a press release. "We're hoping to eliminate this idea that blind children have to learn math with an abacus because they can't see to write on a piece of paper. We're trying to eliminate the stigma and provide them with a method of engaging in and with math.
"We're hoping that as they grow older, they'll become more interested in careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields."
Models of the sculptures are shown here. After further refinements, they will be cast in bronze and used in lessons to determine their effectiveness as teaching tools.
Schneider studies at the School of Art+Design within the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois.
Optelec Introduces New Pocket-Size Video Magnifier
SAN DIEGO, February 2010 — A new, pocket-size video magnifier by Optelec makes spot reading quick and easy for low vision users. At only 4.7 ounces, the Optelec Compact Mini is the smallest and lightest portable electronic magnifier on the market, says the company.
With a 3.5" LCD screen, the device can magnify text from 2X to 11X. Different color viewing modes include full color, black on white, white on black, yellow on blue and yellow on black.
Users can operate the magnifier with one hand, using its fingertip controls.
A collapsible reading stand increases functionality for reading and writing.
The device features an automatic battery shutoff for increased battery life and can run for three to four hours of continuous use.
Each new magnifier comes with a wrist strap and protective bag.
The Optelec Compact Mini is available at Optelec dealers and distributors, including eye doctors who specialize in low vision.
Please click here for a closeup photo.
Developing Anti-Collision Eyeglasses for People With Tunnel Vision
BOSTON, October 2009 — For people with tunnel vision, collisions with objects and other people outside their central visual field are a constant worry. The potential for trips and dangerous falls is high as well.
Top: The augmented-vision head-mounted display system was studied in a virtual mall environment. Bottom: The person and trash bin that are outside the wearer's tunnel vision are outlined in the center, so a collision can be avoided.
Tunnel vision is caused by eye diseases such as glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa, which gradually erode peripheral vision.
Schepens Eye Research Institute conducted a study of both normally sighted people and tunnel vision patients, who wore a pair of glasses with a transparent computer display, a tiny camera and a small computer.
While wearing the glasses, participants were asked to judge potential collisions while "walking" through a virtual mall displayed on a screen.
The transparent display in the glasses shows not only the scene as it appears naturally in front of someone, but also a superimposed minified outline version of a wider visual field. The computer updates the outline information 30 times per second.
The purpose of the recent study was to determine whether the minified, distorted view that the outline provides is useful enough to help people avoid collisions. Even without adaptation or training, all the study participants were indeed able to make judgments as good as those made while looking at obstacles with natural vision.
Researcher Gang Luo, PhD, said that the next step is to refine the device further and see how well it works in daily life.
Invented by Eli Peli, MSc, OD, the glasses could replace or supplement the long canes that many people with tunnel vision use to search out obstacles in front of them.
The study results were published in the September issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.
Please click here for closeup photos.
Bright Star Can Make Your World Brighter and Clearer
CHERRY HILL, N.J., July 2009 — Bright Star LED Portable systems offer combinations of bright, direct, LED light with magnifiers.
The magnifiers come in loupe or clip-on form.
You can wear them clipped to your eyeglasses or safety glasses (the clip-on loupe is shown here); or you can wear them with the available cushioned headband.
The headsets have dual pivot points and an on/off switch.
They are powered by AAA rechargeable batteries or an eight-hour lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack.
The clip-on magnifiers are light in weight and attach to your eyewear with a coated clip; they have a clip-on battery case.
Both loupes and clip-on magnifiers are available in +1.50, +2.00 or +3.00 diopters and are distributed by Tech Optics International.
Please click here for a closeup photo.
New Freedom Machine Offers High Definition With No Glare
ST. LOUIS, April 2009 — The newly released Freedom Machine by Vision Technology delivers sophisticated features with unsophisticated usability.
Available in 17- to 26-inch monitors, the Freedom Machine provides High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) technology and a no-glare glass optic system. The 2X to 100X magnification range and auto-focus technology ensure a crisp picture from corner to corner.
Just 1.5 inches above the surface of your desk, the reading table allows you to slide objects onto it smoothly. The control panel features color-coded knobs for simple magnification; and the soft-touch knob, located on the arm, adjusts the monitor's angle for effective ergonomics.
Made of solid-precision-polyurethane, the Freedom Machine is light and durable. Setup is as simple as plugging it in — no extra wires or assembly required.
Please click here for a closeup photo of the Freedom Machine.
Desktop Video Magnifier Integrates With School, Office Environments
VISTA, Calif., March 2009 — Optelec U.S. has introduced a new-generation desktop video magnifier, the ClearView+G2, which can integrate into home, school or office environments.
Improvements to the basic desktop design include greater ease of use, along with enhanced ergonomics and image quality in the viewing screen. Upgrades also include auto zoom, an extremely flexible arm with both 19 inch and 22 inch configurations and highly flexible turning capability.
Zoom features in the magnifier range from 2.5X to 65X, with high-definition (HD) quality video. Please click here for a closeup photo of the ClearView+G2.
Other new or improved Optelec devices introduced in 2009 include the portable FarView video magnifier, with up to 90X zoom and an autofocus camera with the ability to store up to 100 images. The device weighs only 10.2 ounces and has computer and video screen connections. Please click here for a photo of the FarView video magnifier.
The Optelec ClearNote Portable video magnifier also can connect to video screens and laptop computers. The hand-carried, battery-operated device has up to 18X zoom and contains an auto-adjustment camera as well as remote control. Please click here for a photo of the ClearNote Portable video magnifier.
"Seeing Machine" for Blind Costs Less Than $500
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., January 2009 — A portable "seeing machine" developed at MIT transmits simple images directly onto the eye's retina, enabling rudimentary sight for some who are blind or visually impaired.
The portable device can be made for less than $500 and uses technology found in a diagnostic instrument called a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO). A partially blind researcher at MIT's Center for Advanced Visual Studies first encountered the technology when the SLO projected images onto her retina to assess damage from diabetic eye disease.
The researcher, Elizabeth Goldring, described her amazement at being able to see even a written word when the laser-projected image bypassed interior eye bleeding that ordinarily obstructed her sight. At the time, she was blind in both eyes. So she asked that a video of her doctor's face be transmitted through the SLO. And for the first time, she knew what her doctor looked like.
Inspired by the experience, Goldring and colleagues spent the next 20 years developing a portable version of the device that could be attached to outlets such as cameras and computers to transmit images directly to the retina.
Instead of more expensive laser light, the device uses inexpensive light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to project images that are not magnified but contained in a tiny, focused point.
Goldring, who has recovered sight in one eye, said she likes using the device as a camera attachment that lets her blind eye see images being photographed.
"I feel I'm able to express myself visually with my blind eye, and there's value in that," Goldring said.
Acrobat LCD Includes Video Magnifier
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., December 2008 — Seven viewing modes provide exceptional versatility to users of the Acrobat LCD, which includes a video magnifier and computer screen.
As part of the system, a detachable camera that rotates 340 degrees in any direction sits on a "swivel" arm atop a 19-inch video monitor.
You can rotate the camera to focus on any object you want magnified, including your face for activities such as applying makeup.
Features include:
- Automatic focus on the targeted object.
- "Memory" settings for each mode used.
- Magnification capability of up to 65x.
- Dual keypad with easy access to controls.
You can also order accessories, including a remote control and rolling carrying case.
The Acrobat LCD has a two-year warranty and is manufactured by Enhanced Vision, Inc.
Cocoons Lenses Improve Contrast Vision
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif., September 2008 — Live Eyewear has introduced four lens tints specifically designed to help improve contrast and visual acuity for people with low vision. Worn over regular prescription eyeglasses, these Low Vision Cocoons are available in six sizes from small to extra large aviator styles — all with black frames.
Four tints specifically aimed at improving low vision include boysenberry to help reduce glare, hazelnut to heighten contrast vision both indoors and outdoors, lemon to maximize brightness and improve visual acuity and orange to intensify backgrounds and improve clarity of objects seen.
Some lens tints also provide protection against potentially damaging blue light, with hazelnut blocking 98 percent, lemon 40 percent and orange 100 percent.
All Cocoons lenses provide 100 percent UV protection and have a one-year scratch-resistance warranty. These non-polarized lenses are made of distortion-free, durable polycarbonate.
Please click here for closeup photos of this line. 
Read more about living with low vision.
Follow All About Vision on Facebook and be first to hear about eye care news and new articles.
[Page updated August 2, 2010]
Introduction |
Aids for Computer Use |
Reproduction of any images or text from this website is prohibited by copyright law.