Accessibility & Technology

AAO Video: Technologies for Patients with Low Vision

Mar 23, 2018

AAO Video: Technologies for Patients with Low Vision

In a recent video from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Drs. Mary Lou Jackson and Mark Bona take a brief look at an interesting selection of low vision technology.  Here is the list of products they mention with our summary and comment.  The video is linked at the end of this post.

 

 

Handheld Victor Reader Stream

Victor Reader Stream: $369

This was the go-to digital reading device for people with low vision or blindness in the pre-iPhone era.  Still recommended by low vision specialists for it’s simple and tactile interface.

 

 

Seeing AI app reading an address on an envelope.

Seeing AI app reading an address on an envelope.

Seeing AI App: FREE

This very new and very popular iPhone app from Microsoft is available on the App Store.  It reads text instantly and on the go, identifies products, colors, currency and more.  We talked about the first release and the upgrade on OE Patients posts titled:

Seeing AI is a Gift from Microsoft

Seeing AI Gets an Upgrade

 

 

Portable video magnifier used on newspaper text.

Portable video magnifier used on newspaper text.

Portable Video Magnifier: $200 – $1,000

We agree video magnifiers offer a powerful boost to a wide range of low vision patients.  Read what we say on OE Patients in the post titled: Magnifiers Are A Must

 

 

A man using eSight glasses to read a document.

A man using eSight glasses to read a document.

eSight: $5,950

A head-mounted video magnification device.  Here’s what we said about it in OE Patients post titled: eSight Up Close

 

 

Jordy, optical viewing device.

Jordy, optical viewing device.

Jordy: $3,620

A head-mounted video magnifier recently reintroduced as a lower priced competitor to eSight.  Jordy also converts to a desktop magnifier with the purchase of an optional dock.

 

 

Aira: $89 – $329 per month

Aira (pronounced I-ra) is a new service, for a monthly fee offers access to a sighted agent, summoned by a tap on the Aira smart glasses and connected by a live video feed.  The agent will provide on the spot detailed guidance when needed.  This is an innovative concept and we are very interested to see how people with low vision take to it.

 

 

Click here for the AAO video.

 

For comments, questions or feedback, email us, or connect on Facebook or Twitter. We would love to hear from you!


About the Author: Dorrie Rush

Dorrie Rush is the Chief Content Officer and Visual Accessibility Expert at Ophthalmic Edge Patients (OE Patients), an online resource, presented by the Association for Macular Diseases, providing practical information and empowering advice for living a full and successful life with vision loss.

She is the former Director of the Grunwald Technology Center and Information Resource Service at Lighthouse International 2001 to 2016. Dorrie is known to have an eccentric view, which is particularly useful in compensating for her central vision loss from Stargardt Disease.

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