NAME: TAMALIKA DE

REG NO:211751201710005
CLASS: B.OPTOMETRY
Roll no: 17501721006
CA2
SUB-optic aids

REPORT WRITING

Low vision optical devices include a variety of devices, such as stand and hand-held magnifiers, strong
magnifying reading glasses, loupes, and small telescopes. Because these devices can provide greatly
increased magnification powers, prescription strengths, and higher-quality optics (i.e., the way the lens
bends or refracts light), they differ from regular glasses and commercially available magnifiers.
✓ Low-vision optical devices can be grouped into two basic categories:
• “Near” optical devices for close-up, detailed viewing activities, such as reading, writing, sewing,
and crafting
• “Distance” optical devices for spot (or short-term) viewing and for activities that are farther away
or beyond arm’s reach, such as reading street signs and aisle numbers; identifying numbers on
buses and trains; seeing television and faces better; and viewing movies, sporting events, and
scenery.
“Near” Optical Devices
“Near” optical devices are used for close-up, detail viewing, such as reading, writing, and sewing. The
most common devices in this category include:

❖ Stand Magnifiers:
The simplest device for reading is the stand magnifier. When placed on the page, this type of magnifier
is automatically in focus for reading.
✓ Some advantages of stand magnifiers are
 • focusing distance is set by simply placing the
magnifier on the page.
• They are helpful for longer reading periods, and
for reading at home.
• Most stand magnifiers now come with built-in
lights that provide excellent illumination.
• They are fairly inexpensive and easy to use.

✓ Some disadvantages of stand magnifiers are:

▪ They are larger and perhaps bulkier than a hand-held
magnifier; therefore, they are not as portable and may
not fit in your pocket or purse to take to a store or
restaurant.
▪ If you do not get fairly close to the lens, you may see
a relatively small field of view; therefore, using a
reading stand (explained below) can help you get
closer to the lens. Otherwise, you must bend over to
read, which can be tiring.

❖ a hand-held stand magnifier

A hand-held magnifier is especially useful for brief
“spot” reading and for portable use,
✓ some advantages of hand-held magnifiers are:
• Many people are already accustomed to using one or can
learn to use one easily.
• They are portable and easy to take to a restaurant, store, or
church.
• They are available in a variety of magnification strengths,
sizes, and shapes.
✓ Some disadvantages of hand-held magnifiers are:
• They are tiring to hold and are not intended for long reading
periods, such as sitting down to read the newspaper, a magazine, or a book.
 • They may be frustrating to hold steady and to
find and maintain the correct focal distance or focus.
• They require steady hands and good motor
control.

❖ Magnifying reading glasses

Magnifying reading glasses allow an individual to
read for longer periods of time. They are also called
“microscopes” because they produce magnified
images of small words and objects.
✓ Some advantages of magnifying reading glasses are:

• They help provide a wide field of view

so you can read a fair number of lines
simultaneously.
• They are portable, allowing you to read
or do handwork almost anywhere.
• Because your hands are free, they may
be helpful when reading the computer screen,
sheet music, or doing hand work.

✓ Some disadvantages of magnifying

reading glasses are:
• They
require you to hold things very close – reading materials and hand
work.
• Because you need to hold things very close, they may block out
available light. Most persons with low vision need good
illumination, so the use of strong reading glasses may complicate
this.
• If you are very nearsighted (myopic) and/or have a high amount of
astigmatism, you may not like strong reading glasses or do well
with them.

❖ clip-on loupe
Loupes are magnifying devices. A clip-on loupe attaches to glasses, and allows a person to be hands-free
while viewing text, the computer screen, sheet music, or hand work. Stronger loupes (over +10D, or
diopters) can be used only with one eye, whereas weaker loupes can be used for both eyes.
✓ Some advantages of clip-on loupes are:

• They allow the person to retain the

correction from their prescription
glasses while using them. This is
especially helpful if the person has
strong myopia (nearsightedness) or
astigmatism.
• They are convenient and easy to use—
flip them up when not using them, and bring them down
in front of your glasses when you are using them.
✓ Some disadvantages of clip-on loupes are:
• For larger loupes (used for persons with larger glasses), they may
be a bit heavy, and may even cause the glasses to slip down on
your nose..
• Some persons may also notice that the field of view is somewhat
small through the loupe, which can make reading more difficult.
.
❖ Telemicroscopic Glasses
Telemicroscopic glasses are telescopes that are adapted and made for tasks at near, rather than at distance,
using the computer, seeing sheet music, doing hand work, playing cards, and other tasks.
✓ Some advantages of telemicroscopic glasses are:
• They provide a more comfortable working
distance than magnifying reading glasses or clip-on
loupes.
• Your hands are free—not needing to hold a
magnifier.
• They usually have excellent optics, and provide
an image that is very crisp.
✓ Some disadvantages of telemicroscopic
glasses are:
 • They provide a smaller field of view, which can
be frustrating.
• The image may be somewhat dark.
• They can feel heavy on your nose and face.
• They can be quite expensive.

“Distance” Optical Devices

“Distance” optical devices can either be hand-held, clip-on, or

mounted in a frame to be hands-free. They can be used for brief
spot-reading tasks, such as reading a sign, menu board, or the
white board in school.

❖ Hand-Held Telescopes
A hand-held telescope is called a telescopic “monocular,” because it is used with one eye and has a single
eyepiece.
✓ Some advantages of hand-held telescopes are:
• They can be very helpful for viewing a
wide range of items at a distance and even some
things reasonably close up.
• They are fairly inexpensive and are
portable.
• They are available in a range of

magnification powers.
✓ Some disadvantages of hand-held telescopes are:
• They may provide a limited field of view, which can be
frustrating.
• The image may be fairly dark, and many persons with
low vision need good illumination.

❖ Spectacle-Mounted Telescopes
Spectacle-mounted telescopes are permanently attached to the lens of your eyeglasses.
 ✓ Some advantages of spectacle-mounted telescopes are:
• They leave both hands free, as opposed to a monocular
telescope.
• Therefore, they can be used for longer viewing periods, like
viewing television, a program, ball game, or movie, as opposed
to a monocular, which can be tiring to hold and difficult to hold
steady.
• They can be binocular (for both eyes) or monocular (for one
eye).
✓ Some disadvantages of spectacle-mounted telescopes
are:
• Some persons with severe arthritis, poor motor control, or tremors may have difficulty
focusing the lenses.
• Because depth perception is distorted and balance is
affected while looking throughthe telescopic lenses,
walking or moving about is not recommended while
wearing spectacle-mounted telescopes.

✓ Some disadvantages of spectacle-mounted telescopes are:

• Some persons with severe arthritis, poor motor control, or tremors may have difficulty focusing
the lenses.
• Because depth perception is distorted and balance is affected while looking through
the telescopic lenses, walking or moving about is not recommended while wearing spectacle-
mounted telescopes.

❖ Bioptic Telescopes
Bioptic telescopic glasses are a type of spectacle-mounted telescopic glasses. They are mounted in the
upper part of eyeglass lenses.

• This placement allows the user to look through the bottom half of the lens while seeing most
items at distance, and looking through the telescopes at the top of the glasses to see a magnified
image.
• Under strictly specified conditions, some states allow persons with low vision to use bioptic
telescopes for driving.