As the Article on the Myreader device states, the leading cause of vision loss for people over 50 is age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Break through in adaptive reading technology opens new doors for millions with impaired vision , offers a way for these individuals to gain back some of their independence. AMD starts slowly and may affect one eye slightly before affecting the other eye. As an ECU student in Special Education, I was able to watch a simulation of an older gentleman named Richard who has AMD. Through this simulation I was able to see his frustration at his loss of independence in his daily routines. His life as a retired person was greatly affected by his inability to see and his desire to not appear as different. Activities which require good central vision such as reading, writing and carrying out certain domestic tasks are all affected by AMD. Many macular degeneration patients require help to perform activities of daily living as I saw in the simulation on Richard. Richard was being interviewed by Crystal in order to find him a means to help him with low or high technology aids. Richard's wife, Ginger and his son play a big part in his daily life and would be included in the aids he chose. With so many people approaching the age where vision becomes impaired I see a great need for more research . Until one is faced with the problem or knows someone who is coping with vision loss it is not thought of as something that requires immediate attention. My mother has lost most of her vision within the last few years and I see how frustrated this has left her. Suddenly becoming dependent on others, as Richard and my mother, is extrememly hard on all involved in that person's life and is mentally hard on that person as well. The myreader seems a viable solution for the person with low vision to gain some of that independence back. It appears easy to use and not time consuming. As the article states,"People don’t realize how important reading is to being able to perform and enjoy the everyday routines of life, from reading a label to reading their favorite novel."
Below is the article:PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
Computer Technology
in Special Education
and Rehabilitation
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This article originally appeared in the December 2004/January 2005 issue of Closing The Gap, Vol. 23, No. 5.
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Breakthrough in adaptive reading technology opens new doors for millions with impaired vision
Pulse Data HumanWare announces the introduction of a new low vision auto-reading device called myReader
. The first significant breakthrough in adaptive reading technology in over 30 years since the Rand Corporation demonstrated its video magnifier prototype in 1968, myReader is a compact, transportable device that turns the difficult and frustrating task of reading into an easy and enjoyable one for millions of people with impaired vision.
People are considered vision impaired if eyeglasses or contact lenses fail to provide enough visual aid to enable them to read normal sized print. Visual impairment currently affects over 20 million people in the United States and the numbers are expected to surge as the population ages, according to a recent study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology (April 2004). The study also reports that the leading cause of vision loss for people over 50 is age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Other causes of low vision include diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts.
"The biggest challenge people with ocular disease face is not simply the loss of their vision, but the potential loss of their independence," says optometrist and low vision specialist Dr. Louis Lipschultz. "People don’t realize how important reading is to being able to perform and enjoy the everyday routines of life, from reading a label to reading their favorite novel.
Adaptive reading technology, like myReader, can make an enormous difference." Maxine Dilling of Alamo, California, who suffers from AMD, was one of the first people to experience myReader. "With myReader, there is so little for me to do once I place the reading material on the table and touch a few buttons to select the size of the letters, the speed, and the colors I want. It’s all done for me! I do not have to use my hands and arms to push the table back and forth like I do on my video magnifier. Also, I timed some articles that I had read on the video magnifier, and it took me half the time to read them on myReader."
For more information, contact Pulse Data HumanWare, 175 Mason Circle, Concord, CA 94520; Phone: 800-722-3393; Fax: 925-681-4630; Web site: ; E-mail: .
