Apps-olutely Essential: Tech Tools for Low Vision
Did you know there are technological tools available to help make everyday life easier for people with low vision? If you or someone you know is living with low or impaired vision, there is a wide range of assistive apps, devices, and resources that can be accessed from most smartphones or tablets. In observance of World Sight Day earlier this month, let’s celebrate the capabilities of mobile apps that provide a valuable service for those dealing with diminished vision.
What is low vision?
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, low vision refers to vision loss that cannot be corrected by medical or surgical treatments or conventional eyeglasses. A person with low vision must learn to adjust to it, and device apps can help them continue to do the things that are important to them.
Here are some of the things today’s apps can do:
• Narrate the world out loud by naming objects, reading currency, naming colors, deciphering handwriting, and more.
• Recognize people.
• Help with short, simple tasks such as reading a street sign or troubleshooting technology. Such apps may use sighted volunteers through a live video call.
• Reading glasses tools use your camera and feature adjustable magnification for help with fine print.
• A light detector app will use sound to indicate when lights are switched on, where windows are, and whether curtains are open or closed.
• There are tools that will read text back to you from a picture you take with your phone.
• For those who like to read, there are talking book libraries and downloadable audiobooks, periodicals, and newspapers.
• Navigation tools can do things like provide 3D audio guidance about surroundings in real-time. Some of these apps may collaborate with GPS navigation.
• Provide live help with navigating public transportation in many cities around the world.
• A facial recognition app can identify several different emotions and turn them into sounds that the user can hear.
As you can see, mobile apps offer a wide range of functionalities to assist the visually impaired. Your Atlantic Eye physician can help you identify specific tools to fit your low vision needs. Don’t forget to schedule a comprehensive eye exam (see https://atlanticeye.com/services/eye-exams/), your first and best line of defense against vision loss and eye disease.