An In-Depth Guide: The 14 Best Reading Devices For Those With Macular Degeneration
Macular Degeneration is a visual impairment that affects thousands of Americans each year. For many, this low vision condition comes with age, significantly limiting their ability to independently perform everyday tasks or enjoy activities that they used to.
Although every individual’s visual condition is different, many individuals with macular degeneration have found magnification equipment allows them to leverage their remaining vision to remain independent. When traditional glass magnifiers or added lighting is not enough, they may turn to electronic video magnifiers (also known as CCTV magnifiers) that are capable of providing higher levels of magnification and greater contrast.
Moreover, because they utilize electronic viewing screens connected to cameras inside of glass lenses, these specialized tools are often capable of providing larger fields of view without distortion along their edges as a lens typically would. When it comes to users with macular degeneration, electronic video magnifiers with larger screens can sometimes provide more visual area that is not impacted by one’s central vision loss.
The excitement of obtaining an advanced solution is often tainted when one is faced with the sheer number of options that are available. Descriptions of products online can be confusing, and sometimes they can seem downright contradictory. Throw in a few bad actors with misleading claims, and it’s a recipe for disaster.
This in-depth guide is designed to help you cut through the clutter and zero-in on the key things that you should consider when evaluating your options. Our goal is to provide you with a simple framework for understanding your options so you can have an informed foundation as you search for the right magnifier.
Table Of Contents
1. What's the best vision aid for macular degeneration?
1a. Your Visual Acuity
1b. Your Goals And Lifestyle
1c. Your Budget
2. Our Recommendations: Magnifiers For Macular Degeneration
2a. Top 4 Handheld Electronic Magnifiers
2b. Top 4 Portable Electronic Magnifiers
2c. Top 3 Desktop Magnifiers
2d. Top 3 Wearable Electronic Magnifier
3. Speak With A Product Expert Today
What's the best vision aid for macular degeneration? It depends on a few factors.
When someone is dealing with the ramifications of vision loss, there can be a tendency to seek out a simple solution. However, there are several variables that must be considered before optimizing one’s selection process. This can be especially tricky if you are shopping for someone else with macular degeneration.
Having performed hundreds of product demonstrations and discussed these issues with many professionals in the low vision field, we have found the following questions to be critical in one’s evaluation of the options.
Your Visual Acuity In Real Terms
It’s one thing to be told that you have 20/200 vision after reading an eye chart, but it’s another thing to actually see the things that you want to see and do the tasks that you want to do. In our experience, most people don’t purchase magnification equipment because they want to read an eye chart.
Instead, we ask clients to focus on how their vision impacts their ability to see the things that they actually want to see. After all, some text fonts or objects are easier to see in certain situations than others.
When reading information is the goal, we like to ask our clients how large letters typically need to be before they comfortably read. We’re talking in terms of physical size at a normal distance. For example, we might ask someone if they can read the headlines of a newspaper or the denominations on a dollar bill. Depending on their answer, we’ll have a baseline for determining the suitability of various magnification tools.
Specifically, we’ll want to determine whether or not a potential tool is capable of providing enough magnification to enlarge text to the size that they need. Moreover, depending on the client’s intended use case, we’ll want to ensure that the magnifier’s screen size can accommodate enough words at once to allow for an efficient or effective reading experience. If someone only plans to read a word or two at a time, it may not matter as much as it would if someone wanted to read an entire book.
Your Specific Goals And Lifestyle
It’s important for someone to have an understanding of where their visual condition is going. If their visual acuity is stabilized, shopping can be a little bit more straightforward. However, if someone’s vision is changing with progressive vision loss, it can certainly complicate one’s analysis of the various options. For someone with progressive vision loss, there is often a need to find a machine that provides more utility than is presently needed. This will allow them to have more magnification down the line.
Your Budget
As with other purchases, it’s important to consider your budget. The feasibility of a solution is irrelevant if it’s too expensive. If you are struggling to find a way to pay for equipment, please give us a call. There may be used equipment available or non-profit partners who can be of assistance.
At Boundless, we believe it’s best to find an expert you can trust. This usually means consulting with a healthcare professional who is familiar with your condition while also speaking with an expert in assistive technologies. They may be able to identify tools that accomplish your goals for less money than you expect.
Our Recommendations: Magnifiers For Macular Degeneration
Top 4 Handheld Electronic Magnifiers
Handheld magnifiers are highly portable and designed to be taken with you on the go. They typically have screen sizes that range from 4-8”. They usually have handles or foldable designs for maximum portability. Depending on your needs, a handheld magnifier may be a great solution.
1. Explore 8
The Explore 8 is perhaps the most popular handheld magnifier we sell because of its power and ease of use. It features an 8" screen with user-friendly controls. It has two cameras to allow for crystal clear image quality, whether at a distance or at up close. You can capture and store images for later with its internal memory. It is highly customizable with an optional touchscreen, and it is great for those who want to read books, letters, labels, and more.
Click here to learn more about the Explore 8.
2. Explore 5
Featuring a 5" screen, an ergonomic handle, large buttons, and amazing portability, the Explore 5 provides convenience on the go. The handle is foldable and can also be used as a reading stand. You can use the buttons on the side to adjust magnification, change color contrast, and capture image stills.
3. Pebble HD
The Pebble HD features a 4.3" screen, large print buttons, and a durable, compact design. Its versatile handle can be folded behind the device and used as a helpful reading stand in addition to several other configurations.
Click here to learn more about the Pebble HD
Top 4 Portable Electronic Magnifiers
Portable magnifiers are designed to be easily packed and traveled with but aren’t necessarily handheld. These magnifiers often use a fold-up design, and feature screens from 10-18”. They are best for those who travel often but desire larger screens than traditional handheld magnifiers. These are also great for those who like to read at home but need to move their magnifier in between rooms.
1. Reveal 16
The Reveal 16 is a foldable 16" magnifier with high-contrast buttons and an HD screen. You can use it to read books, write letters, read the newspaper, and much more. When folded, you can use its built-in handle to carry it with you. It can be ordered with an optional battery to increase portability.
Click here to learn more about the Reveal 16
2. Explore 12
The Explore 12 features a 12” touchscreen and high-quality cameras. It is lightweight for a portable magnifier and comes with an optional reading stand for easy stationary reading.
Click here to learn more about the Explore 12
3. Traveller HD
The Traveler offers a large, HD 13.3" screen and unique side-to-side panning capabilities. The base of the magnifier stays stationary, but the screen and camera can move left and right to help you read text smoothly. You can control magnification with a built-in zoom wheel.
Click here to learn more about the Traveller HD
4. MagniLink Zip
Coming in 13” or 17” screen sizes, with an optional XY tray table, the MagniLink Zip offers premium build quality and flexibility. It can be folded up for transportation between different rooms. Its multi-position camera can be used to look at anything near or far. The Magnilink Zip is a great fit for those who desire uncompromising image quality with a versatile platform.
Click here to learn more about the MagniLink Zip CCTV
Top 3 Desktop Electronic Magnifiers
Desktop magnifiers give you maximum screen size and powerful magnification. These are designed to stay in a dedicated space in your home. What they lack in portability, they provide in functional and useful design. Best for those who desire a very large screen, premium image quality, and top-end magnification. Due to their large size, desktop magnifiers are the best for those who leave them in one place.
1. Merlin
The Merlin is a large, desktop magnifier designed to powerfully magnify large documents, books, household items, and more. The Merlin comes in multiple screen sizes (20”, 22”, 24”) and can be ordered with text-to-speech output. Our clients appreciate its simplicity and ease of use.
Click here to learn more about the Merlin
2. Davinci
The Davinci PRO HD is a 24” magnifier with a unique adjustable camera. You can move the camera to view documents on your desk, objects at a distance, or even yourself. Its design gives it a lower profile than many magnifiers with a similar screen size. It comes with full-page OCR (optical character recognition) abilities, meaning it can read text out loud for you!
Click here to learn more about the Davinci
3. Acrobat HD
The Acrobat HD is an affordable, high performance desktop magnifier with a small desk footprint and a large number of helpful configurations. It comes in screen sizes ranging from 20"-27" and has a multi-position camera.
Click here to learn more about the Acrobat HD
Top 3 Wearable Electronic Magnifiers
1. IrisVision
The IrisVision is a wearable magnifier headset that can be used to look at books, faces, objects around the house, and much more. It looks like a traditional VR headset but includes a built-in outward-facing camera. It is a powerful tool for those who desire an immersive magnifier. It is highly customizable - you can tailor it to meet your unique needs.
Click here to learn more about the IrisVision
2. VisionBuddy
The Vision Buddy is a wearable magnifier that is designed primarily for television viewing. You can tap directly into your TV feed to magnify the screen in your headset to enjoy television watching as if you were at the movie theater! It also has an outward facing camera for magnifying nearby objects.
Click here to learn more about the Vision Buddy
3. Orcam
While not a traditional magnifier like the other products we’ve mentioned, the Orcam is a very powerful wearable tool for the visually impaired. It uses machine learning technology to recognize text, faces, money, products, and more. The device recognizes these items when pointed at them and reads out loud what it sees. These are just a few of the many features the Orcam comes with!
Click here to learn more about the Orcam
Stay up to date on the latest news, updates, and reviews of reading aids for macular degeneration
If you want to learn more about the items and topics we discussed in this post, you can check out our other blog posts or our low-vision product page. We'll keep you up to date with the latest products, industry news, and more! Save yourself some time and speak with one of our product experts today!
We’re here to make your shopping process simple and easy. That’s why we have a dedicated team of product experts who can help you pick the perfect magnifier for you. Want to speak to our team? Contact us today!
