Assistive technology for the visually impaired is available from low-tech optical and non-optical aids to electronics and digital technology.
Visually impaired and blind individuals have a tremendous number of options to eyesight, depending upon their needs, goals, and financial situations. “Ethyl”, for example, likes to talk on her landline phone. When walking, she uses a long cane, and she has no problem navigating her assisted living community. For entertainment, she visits friends and family, listens to the radio and TV, and attends descriptive movies and plays. She uses Braille to read, and she maintains an indoor garden. Ethyl is doing well-enough in her low-tech existence, and she prefers “keeping it simple”.
“Harold”, on the other hand, is a self-described gadget geek, so he dabbles a bit in higher technology. He enjoys his portable GPS for walking around the neighborhood, and his lighted hand-held magnifiers come in handy for reading mail and sorting his stamp collection. To communicate, he uses a smart phone. And, while his local library is an excellent resource for audio and large print books, and since his smart phone is capable of reading only limited material, he is saving up for a new or used text-to-speech device for larger reading requirements.
For those who have had little or no experience with the amazing development of current technology, here is an introduction to the choices available, followed by links for finding such assistance.
Optical and non-optical devices and software
Optical devices use lenses to enhance near or distant vision. Non-optical devices enhance or replace vision without use of a prescription lens. Recent technological advances have propelled visually impaired people into a whole new realm of computer software and both non-optical and optical devices such as portable and desktop video magnifiers, prescription bottles, thermostats, perception enhancing electronic glasses, navigation software, and health monitors. Remarkable improvements in built-in LED lighting, digital voice recording, speech synthesizing, and artificial intelligence has brought greater effectiveness to such products.
Digital talking books
Talking books are now mostly digital files, allowing users to skip instantaneously to specific places in the book, insert bookmarks, and more. Digital talking books also allow users to increase or decrease the speed of the reading using speech compression, so the narrator will seem to be reading very quickly without a change in pitch. Another advantage of digital talking books is that several titles may be contained in only one tape or thumb drive, making them many times more convenient and economical.
Lighting
Lots of people are surprised that something as basic as adequate lighting can be so effective at helping to continue their everyday activities with little or no assistance. Modern lightbulbs and lamps provide higher levels of lighting to assist with reading or other daily activities. Some are capable of mimicking natural sunlight, illuminating the entire room. These “daylight” or “full spectrum” lamps are not, however, recommended for up-close task lighting, since their high blue content is thought to be hazardous over time to the retinas of people with macular degeneration. The safest work lamps are those rated with a heat temperature of lower than 5000 Kelvin. Generally, around 4000K provides the best and safest illumination for good contrast and color definition.
Optical character recognition systems
Optical character recognition (OCR) systems (electronic readers) provide persons who are blind or visually impaired with the ability to scan printed text and then have it spoken in synthetic speech. In addition to stand-alone devices, these systems are now accessible through apps or built-in features of smart phones, tablets, and desktop computers.
With all of these options to ophthalmic sight, blindness and vision impairment are growing less debilitating and more manageable. And with continued research and development in the fields of artificial intelligence and surgical intervention, the future looks to be even brighter for those who must live with such conditions.
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This article has summarized the current realm of low vision technology available as of early 2025. With skill practice and professional intercession, a visually impaired individual can do well enough without computers, smart phones, artificial intelligence, and internet-based hardware. If, however, more information is desired by those who are ready to explore the latest possibilities, comprehensive links directories of the technology discussed here may be found at:
https://lowvision.preventblindness.org/assistive-technology-products/
https://lowvision.preventblindness.org/suppliers-of-low-vision-devices/