Brightfield / Flatfield Magnifiers
These are bar or dome magnifiers that look like a paperweight or a shaped ruler. The magnifier is placed flat on the page and you slide it across to read a line of text. They are only available in lower levels of magnification but it is possible to combine them with other magnifiers.
A bar magnifier only enlarges in one direction, so letters are taller but the width of the text is unchanged. This enables several words to be seen at one time.
Acrobat Hd Mini Ultra
Acrobat HD Mini Ultra is a simple to use portable CCTV portable magnifier with a 3-in-1 camera for seeing distance, up-close, and even self-viewing. Acrobat is easy to use because you do not need to adjust the camera. It is what you see is what you get , so that no matter what your technical ability, you can benefit from this device. It even saves camera settings for each view. Acrobat HD Mini Ultra comes with full high definition with vivid colors and contrast and a large field of view to reduce eye strain.
Acrobat HD Mini Ultra has a small footprint, built-in handle and lightweight design that provides true portability. Acrobat HD Mini Ultra is battery-operated with 6 hours of continuous usage. Acrobat HD Mini Ultra is easy to set up and ready to use, just take it out of its optional rolling case and you are ready to magnify in seconds.
Visual Aids For Macular Degeneration
Visual aids for macular degeneration help maintain your independence and help you to maximize your useable vision.
These aids for low vision include many more products than just magnifiers. There are specialized glasses and large number, large print, or talking aids to assist you in maintaining your independence and to help you continue to do the things they enjoy.
It is important that you find ways to adjust and adapt as your macular degeneration progresses. Identify first the activity you want to do and then find the appropriate aid to help – such as telling time. Possible solutions are a large number wall clock or a talking wrist watch.
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Choosing The Right Assistive Device
With so many different kinds of low vision aids to choose from, it can be overwhelming to make a decision about which assistive device is right for you. Some important factors to consider when choosing an assistive device are the level of assistance required, activities the device will be used for, the eye condition it will be compensating for, and personal preference in the type of device. A person will likely require multiple low vision aids for carrying out different activities if not choosing an all-in-one device.
Why Are Low Vision Aids For Macular Degeneration Important
If you have macular degeneration, it is important first and foremost to visit your eye doctor regularly and discuss any vision changes. In general, youll want to do everything possible to maintain your eye health, preserve your remaining vision, and find the right tools to optimize your sight.
While vision loss at any age can be devastating, people with macular degeneration can still lead full, independent lives with the help of technology. Low vision aids afford patients the chance to continue working, studying, and going about their daily lives. Although some patients may be wary of new technology, with a little time and practice, the rewards are infinite.
As business owner Bernie McGee puts it, If I didnt have the access to adaptive technology I would have to forfeit most of what I do.
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Assistive Devices For Adulthood
Adults have to carry out multiple tasks in their daily lives, which vision loss can complicate. Usually, adults require multiple low vision aids to navigate through everyday life smoothly. For example, an adult with low vision may use a screen reader for reading price tags, restaurant menus, or maps, and use reading glasses with high power for reading books or novels.
How Expensive Are They
Since there is such a range of different types of low vision glasses for macular degeneration. There is also a large range of costs. The Cocoons run about $35.00. The prismatics can be a couple hundred, and the telescopes can start at about $1500.00 and go up from there. They tend to be relative to the severity of your condition and the many different needs you may have. A pair of telescope glasses can serve multiple purposes with multiple reading caps, the more caps the more money.
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Is Macular Degeneration Genetic
One does not inherit age-related Macular Degeneration however, people with a family history of the disease should make sure to get frequent eye examinations. There are some forms of Macular Degeneration that derive from a genetic disorder. Examples are Stargardts disease and Best disease. These affect younger patients and are also referred to as juvenile Macular Degeneration.
How To Detect Macular Degeneration
During an eye exam, your eye doctor examines the retina and macula and may use the following tests to detect AMD:
- A lot of distortion in the Amsler grid test may suggest AMD
- Dilated eye exam: After dilating your eyes, your doctor examines them using a special lens.
- Fluorescein angiography: Fluorescein into an arm vein. A unique camera monitors the dye via the eyes blood vessels. The pictures might indicate any macula leaking.
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Closed Circuit Television Magnifiers
A CCTV magnifier is a combination of a camera and a TV screen. The camera, which offers varying amounts of magnification, is pointed at an object such as a book or handwork project. The magnified image of the object is sent to the screen of the television so that a person with low-vision can use the screen to work in real time on the object.
Can Macular Degeneration Be Prevented
There are several known risk factors for age-related Macular Degeneration. Taking action to reduce the risks can help prevent, or at least slow the progression. Healthy eating habits that ensure a healthy blood pressure level are recommended. Smoking and extensive sun exposure should be avoided. Often patients in the early stages of Dry Macular Degeneration are advised to take specific vitamin supplements. The low vision optometrist can provide details.
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Magnifying Spectacles / Distance Glasses
Source: visionaware.org
Much stronger than average reading glasses, magnifying spectacles can be used to see words on a page or fine details like needlework. They should not be used for walking around since they can throw off depth perception.
Bioptic telescopic glasses for low vision. Source: opticalimages.com
Distance glasses have binoculars mounted on to the lenses, assisting the viewer with activities like watching television, attending a concert, or looking at art in a museum.
Irisvision Low Vision Wearable Glasses
IrisVision low vision wearable glasses is an easy-to-use but powerful combination of hardware and software that helps people with low vision see again. With IrisVision, not only can patients see family and friends again, they can watch a movie, read a book, even resume hobbies or work they may have set aside.< >
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Pearl And Openbook Portable Text
Pearl and OpenBook together give you portable OCR Text-to-Speech capabilities that let you scan and read on the go. Pearl and OpenBook help you to digitize any printed text materials into a digital format. You can then send these digitized scans into any format to be read.
PEARL, combined with OpenBook gives you instant portable access to printed material with a variety of human-sounding voices. The folding camera deploys in seconds to connect to your PC, scan an image of your reading material and instantly begins reading it out loud. You control the voice and the reading rate. You can wrap text, enlarge and change the font, and even change foreground and background colors to find the best settings for your reading comfort.
In automatic mode PEARL senses motion, so it knows to scan an image and begin reading again whenever you turn the page. OpenBook can scan 20 pages per minute while reading and while scanning it can identify columns and place them in logical reading order.
And now for the BONUS Products
Davinci Pro Desktop Magnifier
DaVinci Pro for the 7th year in a row leads the pack in low vision aids. It is continually upgraded and is still considered the best-of-the-best when it comes to an everyday simple-to-use low vision desktop magnifier workstation. DaVinci Pros 3-in-1 Full HD camera displays a super-sharp true-to-life crisp image with no ghosting. DaVinci Pro casts a very wide viewable field and it has an incredible 18 of working space for almost any reading and writing task.
Its 13mp full-page OCR camera is nearly 100% accurate for reading newspapers, books, magazines, newsletters, and it is very easy to operate.
DaVinci Pro has passed the test of both our most novice and our most advanced power users. It still remains the perfect low vision tool for homes, libraries, college disability rooms, senior centers, and retirement communities.
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How We Help With Macular Degeneration
There are over 10 million people with Macular Degeneration in North America but thats of little comfort when youre one of them. Sooner or later, ophthalmologists and retinal specialists cannot offer any more treatments to improve your vision. At that point, you will ask yourself how life will go on. Will you be able to continue driving, reading, cooking, playing cards, or simply getting around without the assistance of others?
You have come to the right place for answers.
Dr. John Pino, a low vision optometrist and member of the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists will help you optimize your remaining vision for the tasks and activities that matter to you most.
During a low vision exam, we will determine together what these activities are. We will then introduce you to the different devices and glasses that can optimize your vision for these specific tasks. Dr. John Pino will work with you to evaluate which options are best suited to your needs, and help you understand what is possible and what isnt.
Reading Tips For Those With Macular Degeneration
The most serious symptom of macular degeneration is the loss of central vision, with those in the more advanced stages of AMD experiencing a smudge or black spot in the center of their vision. This makes it difficult to read and causes many people to give up on reading.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Below you will find a list of low vision devices and strategies that can help people with AMD read more easily and comfortably.
Members of The International Academy of Low Vision Specialists are experts in determining which low vision devices will work best for you for reading.
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Implantable Telescope Technology Help Macular Degeneration People See Clearer
AMD , as most people know, is the leading cause of visual impairment worldwide, most of people over age 60. It affects a tiny part of the retina at the back of your eye, causing a blank patch in the center of your vision.
Until now, there’s still no way to cure AMD. But the new technology tiny telescope implant inside the eye created from VisionCare Ophthalmic Technology can help improve vision and quality of life for suitable individuals affected by end-stage AMD.
Once implanted inside the eye, the telescope projects images in your field of view onto healthy areas of your central retina outside of the degenerated macula. The image is enlarged, reducing the effect the blind spot has on central vision. Normally the healthy areas outside of the macula are used for peripheral or “side vision.” The magnification provided by the telescope implant makes it possible to see or discern the central vision object of interest . However, experts warn its not the kind of vision that would allow a patient suffering with AMD to drive again.
To qualify for the surgery, patients need to be at least 75 years old, have end-stage macular degeneration in both eyes, and have at least one eye that has not undergone cataract surgery.
The telescope implant approved by FDA is available nationwide. Contact CentraSight by free call 877-99-SIGHT
What Are The Symptoms Of Macular Degeneration
An eye exam that includes a dilated pupil test can usually detect Macular Degeneration before symptoms are apparent. The following could be signs of the disease:
- Straight lines appear distorted or wavy
- Reading and seeing detail becomes difficult in low light
- Increased sensitivity to glare
- Blurred vision
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Low Vision Devices For Macular Degeneration
With vision loss, you or your loved one might struggle to perform everyday tasks, leading to a loss of independence and potentially, a lower quality of life. However, low vision devices offer hope and empowerment to individuals living with visual impairments, including those living with macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and glaucoma.
What are low vision devices? Essentially, low vision devices help individuals with vision impairments see more clearly. From glasses and video magnifiers to assistive technology, there are various options on the markethelping you regain your vision and your life. So, what are your options exactly? What is the cost of not investing in such devices? And which low vision device makes sense for you or your loved one?
With a variety of low vision devices, arguably, electronic glasses are the new frontier. Theres no need for multiple toolsinstead, you get everything all in one easy-to-use device. Try your risk-free trial today!
Low Vision Aids And Glasses For Macular Degeneration
Dont let low vision get you down! Kirkland low vision eye doctorLow Vision Center At Optical Images
We can help improve your vision and reduce the progression of macular degeneration by recommending various low vision aids and glasses, as well as the best nutritional supplements, for your eyes and vision.
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What Is Macular Degeneration
The eye functions much like a camera. Light is projected onto the retina, which can be compared to wallpaper on the back of the eyes interior. The retina consists of light-sensitive cells that are connected to the optic nerve. At the center of the retina, the sensory cells are particularly small and densely packed. This area is called the macula.
The macula is the part of the eye with which we see detail. In Macular Degeneration, the macula deteriorates and central vision deteriorates.
Although degeneration of the macula is mostly age-related, there are certain genetic diseases, including Stargards and Best disease, that affect the macula and can cause loss of central vision at a younger age.
Low Vision Devices For Macular Degeneration: Reviews Cost Comparison
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with macular degeneration, you know that vision loss is part of this condition. Deterioration of the retinas central portion, the macula, is the culprit that accounts for the name of the disorder.
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in individuals who are 50 and older, according to the National Eye Institute. The institute confirms that there are no hard and fast rules about how quickly it progresses. No matter what stage of the disease you are in, the goal is to preserve and use the vision that you do have.
Follow your eye doctors instructions to do your best to maintain your eye health and find the right macular degeneration vision aids to help optimize your vision. Keep in mind that when comparing optical tools and devices, focusing on quality is your best bet.
You dont want to choose a lens that in itself has deficiencies because of poor quality, so keep this in mind as youre looking at products like magnifiers, says low vision specialist Dr. Matthew Palmer of Southwestern Eye Center in Mesa, AZ.
We took a look at the various tools, costs and their popularity so you can choose the right low vision aids to help you live life to the fullest.
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Electronic Devices For Low Vision
Electronic devices for low vision come in various shapes and sizes, depending on their function. The most popular electronic low vision product is a camera system that shows a magnified image on a monitor for the user to read books, novels, or magazines. Other forms of electronic devices for low vision are portable and hand-held, like a screen reader used for reading labels or menus. Note that these types of high-tech assistive devices are usually costly, and may require training to use properly.
All-In-One Assistive Technologies
Most low vision aids are task-specific, such that a person with low vision will require multiple devices to assist with the various activities in their day. All-in-one assistive technologies, such as eSight, however, can be used across multiple activities. Truly, eSight is revolutionizing the industry by helping individuals with low vision regain the ability to perform activities of daily living such as reading, studying, playing sports, or working.
Clinically-validated, eSight enhanced vision glasses are used daily by thousands of people with sight loss. Try eSight today!
Right Device
Tips For Using A Magnifier
- Start with the lens close to the eye and then bring the object towards the lens until it is in focus. This will give a wider field of view i.e. allow you to see more words at one time.
- Unless the magnifier has a low power you will only be able to use it with one eye. Where possible use it with the eye that has the best vision.
- If the image appears upside down when you look through the magnifier, the distance between the object and the magnifier is too great bring the object closer to the lens.
- When using a handheld or stand magnifier keep any movement slow and even to minimise the chance of losing your place.
- The centre of the lens gives the clearest, least distorted image. Do not read across the lens as the image will distort towards the edges.
- Make the first word as clear as possible. Once you have located your best viewing position, keep your head, eyes and the magnifier still, and move the object of your focus. This is known as Steady Eye Strategy.
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