The Dr. Bill Takeshita Foundation

Last Modified: Thu, 16 Aug 2007

Specialized Glasses

Specialized glasses can be designed to incorporate a miniature telescope to improve distance sight along with a bifocal to allow reading. Special lens materials can be used to allow the glasses to convert into sunglasses when outdoors and turn clear during the night. The customization of visual aids enables patients to have more flexibility to perform many tasks, including seeing traffic signals, reading medication labels, see the computer screen, and have better eye comfort when walking in the sun.

Bioptic Spectacles

Bioptic spectacles contain a small telescope built into the glasses to improve distance visual acuity to help the patient see traffic signals, street signs, presentations at meetings and school, and read the computer screen. . Bioptic glasses allow the patient to have both hands free to perform other tasks including typing on the computer, holding a cane for mobility, and some patients are even allowed to drive with the glasses.

High Powered Reading and Writing Glasses

Glasses can be made with specialized lenses to magnify reading materials up to 6 X larger than normal. This level of magnification would magnify the print from a telephone book to the level of the sub-headings of newspapers. They are extremely helpful because they allow users to have both hands free to write, turn pages, type on the computer, and perform arts and crafts.

Contrast Enhancing Glasses

Low vision specialists can design a variety of specialized lenses to protect the eyes from the harmful rays of the sun as well as improve the contrast of images. Glare and sunlight cause tremendous problems for patients with low vision. Conventional glasses can reduce problems with glare but are often too dark and reduce the patient’s vision. The use of high contrast filters can help patients to see the steps and curbs more easily, improve their eye comfort, and also improve their clarity of sight.

Visual Field Expanding Glasses Prisms

Prisms, reverse telescopes, and amorphic lenses can be incorporated in glasses to help patients with reduced peripheral vision due to glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, and traumatic head injury or stroke. Reverse telescopic glasses minify or shrink the peripheral vision into the patient’s usable field of vision and allows the patient to see the entire sidewalk to improve mobility. This is very helpful for the patient with “tunnel vision.”

Telescopes

Hand held telescopes are very helpful for students and patients who have blurred distance sight. Unlike binoculars that people use at sporting events, monocular telescopes can focus on distant objects as well as near objects. This is very helpful for adults who have to read directories in the lobbies of office buildings as well as for students who look at the computer screens of their teachers or classmates. Low vision telescopes provide a very bright image and a wide field of view to help students to read items written on the chalkboard and to see traffic signals for mobility.

Magnifiers

There are thousands of magnifiers available to people with low vision. The quality of the lens is very important because many magnifiers have distortion and can actually reduce the patient’s vision. Magnifiers are helpful for the patient who requires low to moderate levels of magnification. Hand and pocket magnifiers can magnify images up to 14X but they tend to reduce the amount of light that enters the eye and provide a small field of view. Magnifiers are available with its own light source and are very helpful to read mail, prices at the grocery store, and for spot reading.

Electronic Video Magnifiers

Electronic video magnifiers provide the best of all worlds. They offer more magnification, higher contrast, and a wider field of view than hand magnifiers. Video magnifiers consist of a small camera that displays the images on a large screen and allow the user to have both hands free to write, draw, and manipulate objects. Electronic video magnifiers can change the contrast level to allow the patient to read faded print. They can also change the color of the background and the text to compensate for the patient’s problems with glare and color vision. Many patients with diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and retinitis pigmentosa benefit from reading light blue text on a black background while patients with glaucoma and optic nerve conditions prefer black letters on a white background. Video magnifiers have a high contrast mode that often allows those who cannot read with magnifiers to read again. Electronic video magnifiers are available in desktop models as well as portable systems that can be taken to school, work as well as restaurants and stores. For more information, please see “Computer and Assistive Technology.”

For more information about low vision aids and devices, visit:
http://www.shoplowvision.com