Low Vision News and Products

FORT COLLINS, Colo., April 2008 — Computer software specifically designed to enhance reading for people with low vision is being developed through use of RapidReader technology under an arrangement between SoftOlogy IdeaWorks and Ensight Low Vision Skills Center.

With speed reading technology, large-sized letters forming words appear on the computer screen at a pace that matches the rhythm of human speech.

These words can be adjusted to show up more rapidly or slowly, according to the comfort level of the person doing the reading.

Company officials say that people with low vision often must stop or hesitate to read or re-read words through a magnifier.

But with the RapidReader, words on a computer screen are more easily seen and comprehended because eyes can stay fixed on one point.

Please click here for a closeup photo.

VISTA, Calif., March 2008 — Optelec U.S. low vision products now include the Clearview+ 22-Inch Widescreen Electronic Video Magnifier, with one-button technology that can increase or decrease magnification, as well as switch from text to photo mode.

Optelec's new 22-inch widescreen joins the existing ClearView+ line of 17-inch and 19-inch CRT and TFT displays. Unique screen technology offers a choice of four different displays, including ability to view images in black and white, blue and yellow, black and yellow and their reverse modes.

For people on the go, Optelec also offers the Compact+ Handheld Electronic Magnifier, which can fit into a purse, backpack or pocket.

The Compact+ offers up to 10 times magnification of images that are displayed on a 4.3-inch widescreen.

A carrying case also is included with the Compact+, which has a three-hour rechargeable battery and weighs less than 10 ounces.

For closeup photos:

Please click here for the Clearview+ 22-Inch Widescreen Electronic Video Magnifier.

Please click here for the Compact+ Handheld Magnifier.

BOSTON, January 2008 — Schepens Eye Research Institute low vision expert Eli Peli, OD, and colleagues have invented a type of "decoder" that increases contrast on a digital television screen to enhance images for people with impaired vision.

"The technology we created is quite simple and can easily and cheaply be incorporated into even the newest technologies for television and Internet video," said Peli, who is working with Analog Devices Inc. on a prototype for commercial use.

During testing of the device, scientists said that even subjects with normal vision preferred higher contrast television screen images enhanced by the new technology.

NASHVILLE, December 2007 — New smartpen and paper technology has been introduced to help blind students recognize graphs and figures needed for studying subjects such as physics, calculus and biology. Livescribe smartpens are expected to be available for purchase in early 2008.

Smartpens can recognize and convert handwritten or printed markings into "raised" patterns on paper, which then are identifiable by touch. The technology also enables students to hear audio explanations of a diagram or drawing touched by the smartpen, which has a camera in its tip.

The National Science Foundation awarded a $300,000 grant to Vanderbilt University researchers to investigate ways to apply the new smartpen technology.

For closeup photos, please click here.

SYLMAR, Calif., February 2007 — An artificial retina that might restore at least some sight to people blinded by retinitis pigmentosa has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance to undergo clinical trials.

The device, known as the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, was developed by Second Sight Medical Products and has been used in early human testing at the University of Southern California's Doheny Eye Institute.

University researchers say six previously blind retinitis pigmentosa patients who received the first generation version of the retinal implant now are able to see light, identify objects, and detect motion. The device includes an attachment to the retina, external camera, and a video processing unit.

ATLANTA, August 2006 — Georgia Tech researchers have converted a device originally developed to help robots maneuver on their own into a computer system that could help the blind navigate, known as the System for Wearable Audio Navigation (SWAN).

Please click here to read more about this new device for helping people with low vision and blindness to navigate their surroundings.

Aging eyes need more light, and the LazLight delivers it, with the power of 700-foot candles of pure, intense, glare-free white light. That's 350 percent more light than the nationally advertised 27-watt fluorescent reading lamp, but without any eye-damaging blue light radiation, according to Ronald Lazarus, the inventor. He adds that the LazLight reading lamp is the brightest available, delivering high contrast and true color.

The lamp is compact but heavy-duty and has a full-range dimmer. A full 12-month warranty includes parts, labor, and the 4,000-hour bulb. You can order LazLight on the self-named website, which also contains testimonials from users, including George Bisbikos, Director of The Learning Center for Vision Impaired Seniors of Broward County, Florida. LazLight is available from several sources, including the Levenger "Tools for Serious Readers" catalog, where it is called the "Sheherazade." The manufacturer is based in Weston, Florida. Click here for closeup.

The FlipperPanel is a slim LCD panel that displays images captured by the Flipper autofocus camera. The screen can magnify from 2x to 22x and is adjustable with a knob.

The unit runs up to five hours on a battery pack without recharging. You just point the Flipper camera at any object and view it on the LCD screen in one of four viewing modes (photo, negative, standard, positive). Click on photo to see the entire Flipper family of digital magnification products.

The Merlin Color Select is a desktop video magnifier that offers you 28 color combinations for reading and viewing. Just browse through the color combinations onscreen, then set the viewing modes that best meet your individual needs.

You can also choose among three pre-programmed modes and four standard modes: full color, photo mode, enhanced white on black, and black on white. You press buttons on the front of the unit to switch between these modes. Voice activation is also available as an optional feature.

The Merlin Color Select has a large reading table to accommodate large books, maps, and other oversize materials. The unit is made by Enhanced Vision. Click on photo for more views.

Just six inches wide and a little more than one inch thick, the Pico compact video magnifier lets you read and write more easily when you're out and about. The unit weighs just 10 ounces, but it has a color display that lets you read restaurant menus, grocery labels, and receipts at 5x magnification.

If you prefer, you can also use the negative viewing mode (white letters on black background). Image brightness is adjustable.

Pico has an integrated battery that can be recharged with a car adapter when you're away from home. A carrying case is included. Pico is made by Telesensory. Click on photo for close-up.

Tell your computer what to do ... literally. A new software program called SoundAdvice (click on the photo for a close-up) takes voice commands and within seconds, retrieves information from your computer files, the Internet or your e-mail. It then reads you the information in a natural, human voice.

Internet files come from a preprogrammed database of websites that cover topics including news, business, sports, movies, weather and nutrition. You can also look up resources, activities and services for the visually impaired, as well as access phone directories, a dictionary, an encyclopedia and a thesaurus.

Installation is easy, because SoundAdvice comes on a CD. Once you install it, you train SoundAdvice to recognize your voice by saying a few sentences into the included microphone headset, then select which voice SoundAdvice should use to read your information to you.

SoundAdvice works with Windows 2000 and XP, and requires an 800 MHz processor and 256 MB of RAM. You can purchase the system at the Telesensory website or your local Telesensory distributor.

Having trouble reading menus, or the small print on food labels and prescription bottles? A new portable magnification system from Telesensory can lend a hand. Called the Olympia, this lightweight device magnifies text and pictures up to 26 times.

The Olympia can magnify what you're writing as well: it has a folding writing stand with 4.75 inches of clearance underneath the magnifier.

The Olympia features a tilted screen so using it is easy on your neck, plus glare and brightness controls that you can adjust for your comfort level. You may choose from three modes: full color, white letters on a black background or black letters on a white background.

You can also connect the Olympia to your television if you prefer a larger screen; using the television magnifies text and pictures up to 76 times.

To find a local distributor, contact Telesensory through their website.

Read more about living with low vision.