Getting Around Visual Impairment With Advanced Goggles

Category: Science & Technology
Posted: May 30, 2012 06:06AM
Author: Guest_Jim_*

I have worn glasses for as long as I can remember, and I suspect I am not the only spectacled OCC member. I and many of us are fortunate that our vision problems can be corrected with prescription lenses because there are many people who have lost at least part of their visual field. Glaucoma, retinal pathologies, and more can all cause people to lose the ability to see certain things, which then causes them to run into objects and people.

Researchers at Carlos III University of Madrid have built a device to help these visual handicaps by highlighting objects and displaying depth information in a manner they can better view. Sometimes there is not enough contrast between an object and its background for the patient to see, which causes them to run into it. The intelligent goggles the researchers developed identify objects in the patient's view and highlight the edges, to overcome the lack of contrast. The silhouette is then colored based on how far away the object is, because the microdisplays do not currently give 3D images.

The next step for the goggles is to develop a more ergonomic and convenient design. Before the current or new design can be used though, the technology has to be approved for use, which the Instituto de Oftalmología Aplicada (Institute for Applied Ophthalmology) is going to determine through clinical tests.

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