INFORMATION , ASSISTANCE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
By Troy Patterson
The computing power contained in today ' s smartphones offers a variety of options for optical professionals as well as patients with low or no vision . VisionSim , by the Braille Institute , is one of the best application ' s Robert Dalton has seen .
Dalton , the executive director of the Opticians Association of Canada , says the application allows users to choose from a selection of eye diseases , read up on the associated symptoms of the ailment and , for many , then choose a camera filter ' simulator ' that shows an example of the progression of the eye condition using a touch slider . “ Absolutely it ' s an educational tool ,” Dalton said during a break at the recent Inside Optics convention in Toronto . “ I think it ' s more for consulting when you ' re talking with a patient and you ' re letting them know what ' s happening or what ' s going to happen . It ' s one thing to tell somebody you ' re going to lose your vision , it ' s another thing to show them .”
VisionSim is available free on iPhone , iPad and Android applications . The Braille Institute also offers low vision apps such as Big Browser for ipad to allow low-vision users to more easily navigate the web .
As well , they offer ViA ( Visually Impaired Apps ) for iPhone and iPad , designed to help blind and low-vision users easily sort through the 500,000-plus apps in the iTunes Store . The program is used to locate apps that were built specifically for visually impaired users , or apps that happen to provide functionality useful to this population .
Opticians Association of Canada ' s Robert Dalton shows off the VisionSim iPad app , an educational tool that can show patients the progression of a disease through augmented reality .
18 EYE FOCUS | June Digital 2017
Other groundbreaking technologies were also on display at Inside Optics , like the new Toronto-based Specsy webbased app that combines three-dimensional photography with three-dimensional printing , to offer a new way to custom fit glasses .
“ We offer opticians the option to design custom , 3-D printed frames designed on their patient ' s 3-D image ,” said Specsy ' s Ashley Barby , adding the technology is accessible