3 High-Tech Tools to Help Overcome Senior Vision Problems

Those with senior vision problems can find help with these tech tools.

Affecting an overwhelming number of Americans, vision loss is as unique and individualized as each person who experiences it – from merely needing to don reading glasses when browsing through the morning newspaper, to full blindness and a plethora of varying degrees in between. And senior vision problems are even more prevalent, with as many as one in every three older adults experiencing some form of eye disease that impacts vision, including glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and others. The good news is that technology continues to offer new and improved options all the time to help those with vision problems. Following are just three of the many vision enhancement tools that are now available:

• Be My Eyes. This incredible app connects sighted volunteers with those who have some form of low vision or blindness, and allows them to literally see, through the person’s phone, any number of needs that they can help with – such as checking expiration dates of food or verifying that an outfit matches. And, “It’s getting used for many amazing things,” per Alexander Jensen, Be My Eyes’ Community Director. “We received an email from a woman who said she used a Be My Eyes volunteer to check her wedding gown for any stains before the ceremony started.”
• Seeing AI. An even newer app, Seeing AI, also utilizes the phone of someone with vision challenges, allowing for identification of someone to whom the camera is pointing, including recognition of that individual’s facial expressions to pick up on mood and feelings. It can also scan barcodes to identify items using an audible alert when the camera is brought close to a barcode, verify denominations of currency, and a plethora of other functions, even without an internet connection.
• RoboCane. This is not your everyday white cane! Built with a computer, 3-D camera, and microphone, RoboCane can detect obstacles and give voice prompts to let the user know what is ahead. It can also guide the user by way of a motorized roller tip, once floor plans of a preferred route are entered into its computer, and can even take verbal commands from its user, providing audio feedback through a wireless earpiece.

Hired Hands Homecare, the top providers of senior care in Santa Rosa, CA and the surrounding area, can help enhance quality of life for those experiencing senior vision impairments, with safe, dependable transportation and accompaniment to outings, assistance with household chores and personal care needs, and more. Contact us any time at (866) 940-4343 for a free in-home consultation to learn more!