May is Healthy Vision Month, a national eye health observance established by the National Eye Institute in May 2003. The National Eye Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

According to the National Eye Institute, "millions of people living in the United States have undetected vision problems, eye diseases and conditions. Healthy Vision Month is designed to elevate vision as a health priority for the Nation by promoting the importance of early detection and treatment, as well as the use of proper eye safety practices, in preventing vision loss and blindness.

One of the most important things people can do to protect their vision is to schedule a comprehensive dilated eye exam. In this painless procedure, an eye care professional examines the eyes to look for common vision problems and eye diseases, many of which have no early warning signs. A comprehensive dilated eye exam can detect eye diseases and conditions in their early stages, before vision loss occurs. Early detection and treatment can help to save your sight.  For more information on eye health, go to National Eye Institute .

Rehabmart carries hundreds of items that relate to eye care, so many that this simple article cannot do the subject justice,  so I would like to focus on several brand new items that were just added to the site. To view the many other vision products offered by Rehabmart, click on the Low Vision Products or for more specific vision aids, visit the Low Vision Aids page and peruse the wide variety of different eye health and low vision products available.

Some of the brand new low vision products I would like to talk about are portable electronic magnifiers, such as the SmartView Nano Electronic Magnifier.  The SmartView Nano electronic magnifier is a handy aid to those dealing with low vision. Small and compact, it can come to your visual aid anytime, anywhere. Weighing less than 4 ounces, it magnifies from 5X to 20X on its LCD screen.

                                     
 
Because of it being so lightweight, a person would not get tired of holding it or carrying it in their pocket.  With up to 20X magnification, small print can be quickly enlarged to a manageable size with a simple click of a button. The freeze-frame function can be used to capture an image and then bring it closer for viewing.  This item is great for everyday use like viewing small print such as pill bottles, names, and numbers in the phone book or you can also take it shopping to help you see labels, ingredients, and price tags.

Another type of portable electronic magnifier is the Explora - Plus Electronic Magnifier.  When someone is either at home or out and about, the Explora-Plus makes for a quick and easy magnification. A single button turns the unit on, controls the LED lights and turns the unit off. Various modes, such as full color, MD with pure white text on a pure black background, enhanced positive with pure black text on a pure white background and grayscale, where the color is removed for increased clarity are all controlled by a single button. 

                              

Using the 'freeze' button, an image can easily be taken and held on the screen while you move the Explora-Plus closer to your eyes for a more detailed look.  This 4 ounce viewer also comes with a TV-out option which allows the image to be displayed on any regular television, a tripod mounting for convenience, and can easily be used by either a right or left handed person.

                                

Weighing in at just over a pound and about the size of a paperback book, the Intel Reader provides all the power of a bulky PC and scanner in a convenient size for work, school, home, or on the road. The Intel® Reader fits easily in a purse or backpack and is ideal for reading on the go, with a sturdy magnesium case and generous battery life. Point-shoot-listen mode enables reading in a variety of locations, from work and school to shopping or travel, making it easy to read signs, product labels, concert programs, guidebooks and other text on the go, while the earphones allow private listening, clearly and discretely, without disturbing others.

The Intel Reader can also help people organize and access their content efficiently so they can accomplish tasks faster. The library feature lets people bookmark favorite documents for fast access. Users can navigate within a document by word, sentence, or by page, and they can go to a specific page or jump to the beginning or the end. During playback, the text is highlighted as it is read aloud, and users can have the Intel Reader pause and spell out highlighted words.

The Intel Reader will also store and play back a wide choice of content. It will play different contents, including MP3, DAISY books and even text transferred from a PC, as well as MP3 or WAV music files. It can also generate audio versions of printed materials, such as MP3s, that can be played on most digital music players or computers. Users can play back content with lifelike voices, selecting gender, pitch, and speed to suit their personal preferences. A USB connection makes it easy to transfer files to or from a personal computer or USB drive.

A person's sight is very important and personal eye care is important for people, as it should be.  Here at Rehabmart, we can offer many different types of eye care products to choose from for the various stages of one's eye health.  The portable low vision aids are just one way to help people lead a more independent lifestyle.  A lack of sight should not mean a lack in one's life.  Make May be the time to see about your eye health so to get a better vision about your site. 

"The eye sees what it brings the power to see."
                                                   -Thomas Carlyle

Bill Stock
Library Editor for Rehabmart
and
Hulet Smith, OT
Rehabmart Team Leader & CEO