Tag: blindness

OE Patients: Best Of 2018 Articles

This year, we created a roundup of our most popular articles on OE Patients. Our best-of list for 2018 covers technology, health, and tips for making adjustments — from the secret to mastering iPhone’s VoiceOver to accessibility at arts museums.

We hope you’ll be inspired to develop a new skill or create a good habit for the fresh new year!

Apple’s iPhone

10 Things To Know About iPhone Accessibility For Vision

The iPhone is quite possibly the most adopted device, ever, for people with vision loss. This is because it is accessible out-of-the-box, even if you can’t see the screen at all.

Discover the top reasons for using the iPhone.

Let iPhone’s VoiceOver Do The Reading

Apple’s built-in screen reader was a game-changer for those living with vision loss. Our accessibility expert, Dorrie Rush, writes about the secret to mastering iPhone’s VoiceOver gestures — practice, practice, practice.

Learn how to master VoiceOver.

Microsoft

“Seeing AI” Is A Gift from Microsoft

We love Microsoft’s Seeing AI, a free, intelligent camera app that translates images into words for people with visual impairments and blindness. Here are four features we especially like.

Learn more about Seeing AI.

Microsoft Soundscape 2018, A Review of What It Can Do

Our accessibility expert Dorrie Rush appreciates the enhanced narration and awareness provided by Microsoft Soundscape, a navigation tool for people with vision loss.

Read the full review of Soundscape.

Apps and Technology

App Happy

Discover a collection of wonderful apps that empower people with visual impairments in ways we could only once dream.

Click for our recommended apps.

Electronic Glasses Event Recap

In October, OE Patients held an accessibility event on wearable devices for audiences with vision loss. We took a closer look into head mounted products including: OrCam, IrisVision, Jordy and more.

Explore featured electronic glasses.

GoGo Grandparent Gets Uber Without An App

For older adults who need to get an Uber or Lyft without an app or smartphone, GoGoGrandparent is perfect.

Find out more about GoGo Grandparent.

Making Adjustments and Health

Doctor, Am I Going Blind?

Every eye condition is different. Read our article by ophthalmologist Dr. Yale Fisher, to understand how vision loss caused by macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma rarely results in blindness.

Learn more about vision across eye conditions.

What Is A Cataract?

Cataract is the leading cause of reversible blindness and vision loss in the world. Read more by Dr. Amilia Schrier, Director of Education at Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital.

Learn more about cataracts.

Museums Making Art More Accessible

From Florence to New York City, museums everywhere are making it easier for visitors who are visually impaired or blind to experience art.

Find out how museums are opening up art.

December 7, 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: 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: $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.

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: $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.

March 23, 2018
The Worst That Could Happen?
In The News…

The title of Jane Brody’s article “The Worst That Could Happen? Going Blind, People Say” (NY Times Feb20, 2017), is provocative. It refers to research finding Americans most feared ailment is loss of eyesight.

In a recent study, 23.7 million American adults reported that they are unable to see at all or have trouble seeing even with corrective lenses.

It is important to note that over 90% of people living with vision loss today are not blind. The language associated with visual impairments can be misleading. Even the great majority of people who meet the designation for legal blindness are not totally blind.

We know people, can and do, rise to the challenges of vision loss every day in quite remarkable ways.

They can also actively take steps to slow or stop progression, and many causes of vision loss can be prevented entirely with early detection. So Jane Brody’s good advice should be heeded by all:
- Get annual & comprehensive eye exam
- Eat a diet rich in leafy green vegetables and colorful fruits
- Protect your eyes from sun damage
- Don’t Smoke
Click here to read the full article on nytimes.com
February 25, 2017