Out and About Costa Blanca Magazine - June 2021 Issue -188

14 | OUT AND ABOUT COSTA BLANCA
Different types of low vision devices also can
help in different circumstances:
• A student might need a camera-like telescopic
device attached to a portable video camera
magnifier to capture an image at the front
of the classroom. That image then can be
enlarged on a monitor on the student’s
desktop.
• A mechanic might benefit from
a magnifier mounted on
prescription eyeglasses, so
that hands remain free to
work.
• A handheld magnifier
is portable and easy to
use when needs are
simple. As an example,
handheld magnifiers
are ideal for checking
product labels at the
grocery store or quickly
looking over the mail.
“There is a lot of confusion
about the size of devices and
the power they have,” says Lylas
G. Mogk, MD, founding director of the
Visual Rehabilitation and Research Center of
the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.
“Often people will say, ‘Well, this one is a 3x
and that one is a 6x. So I want the one that’s a
6x.’ But the disadvantage of magnifiers with
higher power is that you then see a much
smaller area,” she says. “As a general rule,
you want the magnifier with the least power
you can get away with, in exchange for the
largest area you are able to see.”
If you are an avid reader, you will find that
simple magnifiers are inadequate to help
you sustain the concentration needed for an
extended time period.
Guide to magnifiers
for low vision
patients - Part II
DR. M. ISABEL SIGNES-SOLER
Which magnifiers work best in different circumstances?
A small, handheld magnifier greatly enlarges a
few words or sentences on a page. But reading
something like a novel requires an expanded
field of view and the ability to scan ahead in
order to see and process information quickly.
Another limitation of handheld magnifiers
is that they can’t be used for task-specific
activities such as knitting, which requires
both hands to be free. In this case, you
would need a magnifier on a stand
that can be easily positioned
where you need it.
If you are buying a handheld
magnifier or a magnifier
on a stand, you might be
interested in extra features
such as:
• Built-in lighting
that can help you see
better.
• “Gooseneck”
attachments in stand
magnifiers that can be easily
moved and adjusted to whatever
position you need.
• Various lenses and powers in the same device,
so you achieve just the right magnification at
the precise distance you need.
Also, you may think high-powered reading
glasses are the best solution for all your needs.
But these types of low vision glasses limit you
to seeing objects at a fixed distance that could
be less than a foot from your nose.
Dr. Mogk says the best reading tool for virtually
anyone with vision loss is a video camera
magnifier. These devices use video cameras that
focus on items of your choice and then magnify
them on a screen or monitor.
Some features to look for in video camera
magnifiers include: