Reading with Low Vision

“I now have five books lined up in  my Kindle library waiting for me to read.

It is so exciting to be able to read the books that I want, when I want to read them.

On my I-Pad with Kindle app.

As a low-vision reader I have had to settle for books that are available from the Library for the Blind and our local library.  This has been unsatisfactory as I could never find the books that I really wanted to read.  I had to settle for what was available or pay a reader to read the books to me that I really wanted.

Up to this point, my reading material and when I could read it has been restricted

It is a joy to sit down in a local Café and start reading the book that I have been longing to read and then have time to contemplate the words and ideas.

If you are a low vision reader, frustrated with the available reading material then I strongly suggest making the effort to get an I-Pad and download Kindle books.   I suggest asking a Low Vision Occupational Therapist to help you learn how to do this.

Lauren Tappan

IrisVision

IrisVision – Multipurpose Headworn System for Near and Distance Vision

Hand held magnifiers, electronic readers, magnifying desk lamps and telescopic glasses are just a few of the low vision aids that help those with macular degeneration see and read better. You perhaps have often heard this statement, “different magnifiers for different tasks.”

Near and Distance Vision Magnification

What if you could minimize the number of magnifiers and aids you use and instead wear a headworn device that could help you read your newspaper AND enjoy your favorite TV show, all with better clarity? This low vision technology does just that.

“IrisVision harnesses groundbreaking technology into a single, hands-free device to help with many common functional tasks needed by those who live with a vision impairment. It boasts an extra large LED screen and expansive field of view, and a powerful camera with auto-focus capabilities. Best of all? You only need one!” IrisVision

Find out more about how this low vision technology works and if it could be of benefit to you:

IrisVision – A New Type of Low Vision Technology 

Leslie Degner, RN, BSN

Better Health for Better Vision

www.WebRN-MacularDegeneration.com 

SuperVision + magnifier App

SuperVision+ is the only magnifier (magnifying glass) app on the market that offers a supreme live image stabilization capability. Highly magnified images are usually shaking. It is a problem especially for old people. No more image shaking with SuperVision+ magnifier (magnifying glass).

Highlighted in Technology News for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired published by the American Foundation for the Blind.

From reading small print at near distance to seeing signs at far distance, SuperVision+ magnifier (magnifying glass) is your go-to app for seeing better and clearer.

Place your phone camera close to small objects, the app can also be used as a microscope. You can see something small that even normally sighted people can’t see.

Features:
– Easy to activate stabilization. Just press the screen and hold.
– Option to only stabilize vertically, allowing horizontal reading movement.
– Large and highly visible buttons.
– Freeze images at high resolution for seeing details.
– Easy to use either with one hand or two hands.
– Landscape mode
– Flash light support.
– Save images to gallery.
– Share images to social network.
– No advertisement.

for more info:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.harvard.schepens.supervisionv7&hl=en

Keyword searching in physical world

Super Vision … A vision assistive app for keyword searching in physical world as Google search does in digital world.

A smart magnifying glass!

You use Google search in digital world.
Now you can use SuperVision keyword search in the physical world.
Point your camera to documents, product labels, bank statements, or restaurant menus. Speak your keywords, the app will locate the areas of interest for you. Then you may zoom in to read details.
The app can tolerate typo in your keywords and errors in OCR results.

For more info:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.harvard.meei.supervisionsearch&hl=en

 

Lions Club Assistive Technology Article

Peter Crumley of the Beaufort Lions Club, has written an excellent document –

Title: Technology to Aid the Visually Impaired to Achieve an Independent Lifestyle in the 21st Century.

This document lays the foundation for how technology is now able to give the blind & visually impaired an opportunity for new freedom never experienced before.

Please go to their online article. It is well worth reading. Both  Lauren Tappan & John Logan endorse it.

http://e-clubhouse.org/sites/ncblc/

Apple Seeing AI App

This is a brief comment about the use of assisted tech. devices from a low vision user. It’s clear to me that one size does not fit all when looking for an assisted technology device. It is very much of an individual process and that is why I think that working with a low vision occupational therapist is extremely helpful in making this decision. There’s so many factors that need to be taken into consideration. The Low Vision Occupational therapist has more resources available. My brief observation is that many of the eye wear devices assist with reading, magnification, face recognition, in various ways.

I am very fortunate to be able to purchase and begin to use and apple iPhone 6S Plus. There is a learning curve to this process and an initial expense, but I have found that the Free Seeing AI App has been worth the effort.

Seeing AI is a free app that narrates the world around you. Designed for the blind and low vision community, this ongoing research project harnesses the power of AI to open up the visual world and describe nearby people, text, and objects.

You can download this free app to the apple iPhone and it works best with the 6S Plus. As soon as this app is downloaded it immediately functions as a reader of short text, documents, and product recognition, as well as face recognition. You’re able to point the app at a product code and it immediately will read you the name of the product and can give you more detail of the description of the product. This is able in a grocery store or at home looking for various products in your cabinet. This app can read the dials on your microwave, your washer dryer, elevator buttons, etc. There is a data plan involved with this phone, which will add to additional expenses. But again, I think it is worth it considering how quick and easy this app functions as a reader.

Again, all of these products are helpful in maintaining independence in your home and out in the world.

Lauren Tappan

Enchroma – Color for the Colorblind

SEE THE DIFFERENCE

Introducing Enchroma glasses, a marriage of color vision science and optical technology.
The only specialty eyewear that alleviates red-green color blindness, enhancing colors without the compromise of color accuracy.

SYMPTOMS & CAUSES

A person with red-green color blindness sees the world differently. Their red and green photopigments have more overlap than normal, making them unable to see certain colors. Enchroma found a way to alleviate this by creating a specialized lens that filters out specific colors.

SOLVING THE PROBLEM

Creating the lens started out as computer simulations, constructing sophisticated models that simulated colors and the extent of color vision deficiency. To create this model, Enchroma utilized the latest research on the genetics of color blindness and various anomalies related to photopigments, and linked these into a model where it gives the effect on how people with red or green color blindness perceive colors.

The second step was to solve the problem by designing an optimal filter, targeting specific photopigments. Enchroma created a (patent pending) method called ‘multinotch’ filtering, cutting out sharp wavelengths of light to enhance specific colors. Enchroma lenses separate the overlapping red and green cones, helping improve vision for people who have difficulty seeing reds and greens.

 

for more info:

http://enchroma.com/

More on Amazon Echo & Google Home

If you or a family member is considering getting the Echo or Home for a

Person with limited eye sight, you might want to consider a few other

Things.  Data Security is an issue and it might be hard to use if the

Low-vision person has a hearing problem or cognitive difficulties. That is

Why I think that working with a low-vision Occupational Therapist is

So helpful.  They can determine if this is a good product for the low

Vision user and also help with getting adjusted to this new type of

Technology.

Lauren Tappen

More on the Amazon Echo & Google Home

The following is by Lauren Tappan

We have more updated information for low-vision AT users using the Echo. Google has come out with a competing device called Home. Home, evidently, will make free phone calls in the United States and Canada. So if you’re a low vision user of AT devices and are considering the Echo, you might look into Google’s competing product called Home.

Echo lists for $179. Home lists for $109.

Just remember, if you use these products Echo and Home, they may have some security issues.

Lauren

OrCam Visual Aid

The OrCam MyEye is a portable, artificial vision device that allows the visually impaired to understand text and identify objects. The device was developed by Israeli-based company OrCam Technologies Limited, and was released as a prototype in September 2013.

The OrCam MyEye consists of two main components: the head unit and the base unit. The head unit consists of a camera and a microphone, and is mounted on the frames of a pair of eyeglasses. The box-like base unit contains the algorithms and processing components that give the device its functionality, and can be clipped to a belt or left to rest in a pocket. The head unit and base unit are adjoined by a connecting cable.

The OrCam MyEye recognizes text and products, and speaks to the person wearing the device via a bone-conduction earpiece.^[5] With the point of the person’s finger, the device instantly responds and will infer whether it needs to read, find an item, or recognize a product depending on the environment. It may do so without searching for audio books, learning new software, or using other tools.

Applications:

Reading text, menus, street signs

Facial Recognition

Product Searches in supermarkets for over  100 products

Identifies currency value

For more info, including cost & videos:

http://www.orcam.com/