Low Vision Aids for Near Tasks

Low Vision Aids for Near Tasks

Conventional reading glasses and bifocal lenses

Low vision eyeglasses are the most commonly prescribed low vision aid. Patients often arrive at the examination believing that they have the strongest bifocals or reading eyeglasses available and that new glasses will not help.

Special reading glasses and bifocal lenses can be made up to 20X power. Rarely do patients need that much power for reading. If you can see print through a magnifier, reading glasses can be made to help you read.

Advantages of low vision reading glasses

Hands-free to hold reading material

Widest field of view—this will help with speed reading

Cosmetically acceptable—resembles regular glasses

Good for prolonged reading

Hand and Stand Magnifiers
Magnifiers come in many styles and powers, and are useful for reading or performing other near tasks. It is common to hear patients say that they have tried magnifiers in the past and that they simply do not work. Using the wrong power magnifier is similar to wearing the wrong prescription in your eyeglasses, you will not see clearly. A good selection of magnifiers can only be

found in a low vision resource center or at a low vision eye doctor's office. Here the correct power magnifier needed to preform a task is determined and the patient is taught how to use the magnifier correctly. Keep in mind, the stronger the magnifier, the smaller the lens of the magnifier.

To read easily and with greater speed, most magnifiers should be held close to the eye. Most people with low vision need good direct light when reading. Therefore, an illuminated magnifier is a good choice. Magnifiers can have incandescent bulbs or halogen bulbs and can run on batteries or have an electrical cord.

Advantages of a hand or stand magnifier:

Conventional, inexpensive low vision aid
Allows a greater working distance than most reading glasses
Portable for easy use in public
Stand type magnifiers that rest on a page are great for people with hand tremors or arthritis

Telemicroscopes

Spectacle or eyeglass mounted telescopes can be made to focus at any working distance. Compared to strong reading glasses, a telemicroscope allows a person to work at a more normal working distance. This can be important when viewing the computer screen, knitting, playing music or when or performing any task that is uncomfortable when done at a close distance. Telemicroscopes are mounted on an eyeglass frame to keep hands free while performing the near task.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV)—video magnifiers

A Closed Circuit Television or personal reading machine is a form of electronic magnification. A video camera is directed at an object and the image is projected on a television monitor (similar to a computer monitor). A person reads by placing the reading material on a tray and moving the tray back and forth under the camera while reading.

This is the easiest low vision aid to use when a patient needs greater than 4X magnification. A visually impaired person can read, look at recipes, do paper work , look at pictures, cut their finger nails, knit, and perform many tasks easily with this low vision aid. Video magnifiers come in both black and white and color models. There are also portable video magnifiers that can help with reading when away from home.

If you live in Arizona, Las Vegas, or New Mexico and would like to have an in-home demonstration of our large selection of Personal Reading Machines (Closed Circuit Televisions), please call either ViewFinder Low Vision Resource Center to schedule an appointment.

Advantages of a video magnifier

Newer models are very easy to use, even for the elderly.

Up to 60X magnification—reading glasses and magnifiers can only be made up to 15X-20X power.

Contrast enhancement makes print easier to see.

Glare control—the background of any reading material can be made black with white print eliminating glare.

Good contrast, getting rid of glare while reading.

Good working distance—a person can read with a great deal of magnification and still be at a comfortable distance from the reading material.

Good posture—a person can sit comfortably in front of high-quality CCTV images.

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