glaucoma research foundation logo in black
Filter by Categories
Eye Health
Personal Stories
Facts & Stats
Lifestyle Tips
Eye Exams
Treatments
Q&A
Research Updates
News
Filter by Categories
Eye Health
Personal Stories
Facts & Stats
Lifestyle Tips
Eye Exams
Treatments
Q&A
Research Updates
News

Low Vision Tip: Portable Electronic Magnifiers

For patients with visual impairments, a common problem is small print access.

BACK TO BLOG HOME

A portable electronic magnifier helps a low vision user to read a newspaper
A portable electronic magnifier helps a low vision user to read a newspaper

Low Vision Tip: Portable Electronic Magnifiers

For patients with visual impairments, a common problem is small print access.

For patients with visual impairments, a common problem is small print access.

This is related to two specific deficits in vision:

  1. Decreased Resolution — unable to see small detail,
  2. Decreased Contrast Sensitivity — cannot see low contrast/grey detail.

 

Optical magnifiers make print look bigger, and current technology has added new options. Portable electronic magnifiers are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

They offer a significantly larger field of view at a given level of magnification—it is nice to have several words displayed on the screen and not have to read one word at a time.

They also do an excellent job of enhancing contrast. A poor contrast grey-on-grey print in the newspaper can be displayed in brilliant high-contrast black and white.

Prices for this technology have also dropped. Pictured above is one such device—the Eschenbach “Smart Lux” (about $650). If you have reduced vision and have trouble reading, look up your local low vision rehabilitation specialist and try out one of these new devices.

 

Article by Donald C. Fletcher, MD. Last reviewed on March 23, 2022.

image_print
donald fletcher md author 900
Donald C. Fletcher, MD

Donald C. Fletcher, MD is one of the world's leading authorities on low vision rehabilitation and is a clinician and researcher in the field of retinal diseases and low vision rehabilitation. He is an Affiliate Scientist with the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute in San Francisco.

back of mailing envelope. snail mail icon.

Print Subscription

We will mail Gleams anywhere in the United States and Canada, but we do not mail internationally. Please sign up for the email edition if you live outside of the US or Canada.

Name(Required)
Address(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

You can unsubscribe at any time. GRF will not share your personal information with any other organizations. Please see our Privacy Policy for further information.

folded paper airplane. email icon.

E-mail Subscription

Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

You can unsubscribe at any time. GRF will not share your personal information with any other organizations. Please see our Privacy Policy for further information.