subject: Types Of Low Vision Devices [print this page] As a visual impairment, low vision in some people is incurable by standard prescription eyeglasses, contact lenses, medicine or surgery. Possibly caused by various eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy or macular degeneration, low vision always affects the patients daily activities such as reading newspapers and bottle tags. Older people over 65 are more susceptible to low vision.
Common symptoms of low vision include blurriness, poor central vision, loss of peripheral vision and even double vision. Although there are various symptoms, the negative results of low vision are usually similar. People with low vision mostly report difficulty performing daily activities such as computer reading, cooking a mean and even crossing a street.
Low vision is uncorrectable but there are fortunately various remedies. Video magnifiers help individuals with visual impairment to see tiny object by magnifying them. Capable of magnifying up to 100X with auto focus, video magnifiers enable those with low vision to read medicine bottles and books, write checks, letters and so on. Furthermore, technologies of video magnifiers continue to advance these years.
Desktop video magnifier is the most widely used among the various magnifier styles. Materials to be magnified will be placed on a tray and a camera is mounted over the tray. The reading tray is always mobile, which can be moved from side to side or forwards and backwards. In this way, the desired part of the material can be placed directly under the camera. Because of the reading tray, some desktop video magnifiers need more desk space than a personal computer, because the tray needs more free space for its movement.
Stand-alone magnifiers have a built-in monitor, while other types have to connect to a television or personal computer. In most cases, stand-alone video magnifiers are too heavy to be portable. Some of them weight more than 30 pounds. In contrast, desktop magnifiers connecting to a computer or television are much lighter.
Patients can always consult a low vision specialist for more information. Those specialists are usually experienced with visual impairment examinations and management. Some of them are ophthalmologists with additional low vision training. Those low vision devices from specialists can often help the patients to utilize their remaining vision.
