High-tech tools open new doors for partially sighted
Whether an individual has had partial sight from birth or lost their vision at 80, adapting to a visual world can be a challenge.
But leaps forward in technology in recent years have made it easier for those with vision impairments.
Take Dale Dancsok, who made the two-hour trip Thursday from Whitewood into Regina’s CNIB, formerly the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, for the charity’s Tech Day.
Having the inherited, degenerative disease retinitis pigmentosa, Dancsok’s vision has slowly decreased since childhood to the point where he is now legally blind. He hopes adding more magnifying technology to his arsenal of tools will allow him to better use his remaining vision.
“I came specifically to see the eSight glasses, to see if they’d help my condition,” Dancsok said, gesturing to a nearby table where the futuristic-looking units were on display.
“I think they’re pretty good. They’re not specifically made for my eyesight problem, but I think they’re making progress.”
Dancsok typically uses his iPhone camera to zoom in on the world around him, but it leaves his hands tied up. The head-mounted glasses would eliminate that problem, and provide a much more defined image.
But like most vision-related technology, something like the eSight Eyewear doesn’t come cheap, said Hugh Montgomery, client ambassador for the Ottawa-based company, as he sported a $15,000 set of the dark glasses over his prescription lenses.
“It’s basically using high-def technology, high-def screens,” said Montgomery.
The unit consists of a digital camera in the head-mounted device that takes real-time video and presents it back onto screens inside the glasses. Using a controller, the wearer can zoom far away or see nearby objects. It can also add contrast to a scene, lightening and darkening where needed.
“People with low vision have a lot of different tools,” Montgomery said. “But in this case, one tool can cover many different aspects.”
The flashy units, which come wired to a pouch slung over the shoulder, can make a person look a bit strange, he conceded.
“As head computing becomes more the norm, it’s going to seem more normal,” Montgomery said. “People are just curious. In my opinion, it’s no different from having a cane. It still makes you stand out.”
Other devices, like the Flick camera — worth $3,450 — on display from Toronto-based Frontier Computing, are more useful in an education situation, explained Stephen Ricci.
“What’s unique about it compared to all these near and distance cameras that we’ve been selling for years is the inventors of it said, ‘we should put a motor in the camera,’ ” Ricci said. That means students can zoom way in to see a blackboard, then quickly flip the camera down to see a handout on their desk, all from a mouse or touchscreen laptop. After a quick double-tap on the screen, the system will read aloud any words in the field of vision.
“The technology has really gone crazy in the last five years or so, the digital camera has had a lot to do with that,” Ricci added.
No matter what technology someone decides is best for them, Chris Parchman, an assistive technology specialist with CNIB, said the end goal is the same.
“We want the people to come see what’s out there, see what the latest and newest devices are that will allow them to keep their independence.”