Here’s an interesting approach to using wearable tech to assist those suffering from low vision. The eSight goggle uses a highly portable computer to enhance live video of the world around the wearer, and then display the video through the goggle.
The manufacturer, based in Ottawa, Canada,
says eSight can help people suffering from, among other ailments, macular degeneration; ocular albinism; diabetic retinopathy, and some forms of glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa. It’s most effective for people with eyesight between 20/40 and 20/400.
At $10,000, it’s not cheap, and it needs to be customized for each patient’s particular need. At the moment, only two US clinics and 10 in Canada are handling eSight.
What’s particularly interesting about this is that it’s obvious how every piece of it is improvable through the normal course of technological progress. The processing unit will get smaller, lighter, and cheaper, as will the video camera. So will the display unit, and it’s completely likely that the wires will be replaceable with some sort of body-area network.