Technology seems to be turning quicker than we can keep pace. It isn’t just our smartphones and mobile devices that are revolutionizing the way that we live. Medical advances and technologies are allowing us to live longer, enjoy a better quality of life and granting us the ability to do things that were the subject of science fiction movies just a couple of decades ago.
Vision technology is among one of the areas that is exploding with innovative products that are not only making it more convenient to see; they are changing the way that we view things. New technologies are increasing our sight capabilities and for some, allowing individuals to see for the first time.
The options for your vision correction are endless from surgical procedures to implants, and the field continues to grow exponentially. Those who are in need of vision care, are being given options that once could only be ideation. Among the best products list are the following advances. From simplistic glasses to correct children’s vision to implants that create superhuman sight, are any of them for you?
Cameras that create independence for an aging population
The newest innovation to hit the vision industry are miniature cameras that can be mounted onto the glasses of those who are legally blind. One of the most advanced eye corrective devices to date, they can take a person who has 20/200 vision, or even worse, and give them the ability to see things that they could only once imagine. Reading print that is as tiny as something written in a newspaper, or email, the camera can literally help the blind see for the first time.
The tiny camera uses something called optical character-recognition. It is an advanced form of technology that uses artificial vision. Mounted on the outside of a pair of glasses, the device works by simply pointing it at the item you wish to read and pressing a trigger or tapping on it. There is a wire that then connects to a small pack which encases the computer and battery.
A smart device, it can recognize the text and then translate it by reading it to the user through a tiny embedded earpiece. Not limited simply to text, letter and numbers, it can be programmed to recognize things such as commercial products and even familiar faces.
Targeted specifically for those who are suffering from age-related macular degeneration, the device is bringing hope to millions who are facing impairment as they age. Curing blindness for an aging population, it could make a difference in millions of elderly people’s lives who are limited by their sight handicaps. As the technology continues to improve, there will likely be a day when the computer can be embedded. A great innovation, it is the first advance of its kind to target those who are not candidates for surgical correction.
The device is also helping those who are suffering from advanced-stage glaucoma. Altering the lives of an aging population, the new camera can be carried anywhere, giving them the independence that many have lost due to sight complications. Increasing their overall independence, it is an amazing first step to curing age-related visual disabilities.
Dry eye syndrome may be a thing of the past
Plaguing many office workers around the globe is a condition known as dry eyes. Although sounding very mundane, having perpetually dry eyes can lead to a host of conditions including vision loss. Combating the new epidemic is an eye implant that helps to produce tears that fight dry eye syndrome. Stanford University researchers have developed a way to stimulate tear production. They have created a device that has platinum foil electrodes that can be implanted into the eye with a remote control that activates tear production.
The device works specifically by stimulating the lacrimal gland, which is responsible for tear secretion through engagement of the efferent parasympathetic nerves. Quite technical, the result is that it can bring relief to millions of sufferers around the globe and in office spaces everywhere.
Simple glasses to correct children’s visual impairment?
Having a lazy eye used to require surgical correction or wearing a cumbersome patch or using special eye drops that were no less inconvenient. The XPAND company has come up with Amblyz glasses that are helping to treat amblyopia, or lazy eye, for millions of children around the world.
A company known for the development of 3D movie glasses has designed programmable glasses that are having outstanding results for lazy eye correction. Worn for just a couple of hours a day, the glasses are truly miraculous and making a huge difference in children’s vision. They are a small, but significant victory, for a condition that can cause an enormous amount of stress to parents and children alike.
The next decade is likely to see things in medical technology that can’t be dreamed. It is quite probable that in the near future blindness will no longer exist and we will all have the capacity to have superhuman vision. State of the art visual advancements are changing the way that we see things, literally, one eye condition at a time. In time, visual impairment will likely be a thing of the past.
