I am looking for an vision enhancing device.

Factual Questions
1

Folks at the Dope, or is it: Folks with the Dope?

My eyesight is starting to fail [Cataracts] and I am looking at alternatives for reading. I have looked at webcams, but the two things that I took away from that search is the focal length probably is not going to be easy to manage and that webcams may not be able to resolve text.

I have have also looked at a number of other photo rigs that feature tripods and booms, those all looked too cumbersome to use while reading a book.

[I apologize, I just read through the FAQ section on posting and didn’t find how to create a shortened link. I am as sure as I can be that there is a way 'cause it seems that everyone else has it figured out.]

I have also looked at vision enhancing devices like this: Product not found! - Enhanced Vision, but at over $2,000 it’s just too expensive.

This device, also at the Enhanced Vision.com website would be the ideal: Transformer HD with Wi-Fi, it’s over $2,500 and also out of my price range.

However the device I haved linked below at Alzo Digital coupled with a camcorder and a PC or maybe just an HDMI cable and a small flat screen display might be good enough at a more reasonable price point. From what I can gather, camcorders have more features, a greater range of focal length and other lens settings and just better image sensors than a web-cam has.

Alzo Digital: https://www.alzodigital.com/products/alzo-100-macro-table-top-studio-with-2-lights?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=14032667460&gclid=CjwKCAjw-NXPBRB4EiwAVNRLKqWr6GmTJ54MnsDMiPpqtLgQjONAv8SrdtYYn9UfBTv3tKW9sf90pRoC5_kQAvD_BwE

The Alzo device has a Clipboard sized flat base with a square tube that has an adjustable height camera holder.

I would also be open to other suggestions if anyone cares to make one. Oh, yes, I have tried hand held magnifiers, as I often read for hours at a time, it gets very tiresome to hold a magnifying glass.

Because folks will ask: I do not have Vision Insurance and my eye Doctor has yet to recommend cataract surgery, in any case without some kind of Insurance, the cost of cataract surgery would make that an impossible expense.

Thanks to all who take the time to reply.

[I must figure out how to write shorter original posts and reply posts, well over 300 words!]
Zuer-coli

2

I think you just need a document camera, like the kind they use in schools:

Or HDMI ones:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=document+camera+hdmi

Hook it up to a laptop or TV screen and there ya go.

Or get a Kindle? It lets you read with bigger fonts.

3

Reply,

You gotta like the Dope,

You have found just what I was looking for. Thank you very much, I need to go back and read the specs to decide, but some of the examples in your links are definitely in my price range.

As for the Kindle and its ilk:

I have a Android tablet that is splendid for reading ebooks, but the titles available are limited if you are not willing to pay for them.

I am an old fogey and like the feel of a book in my hand, I know, get with the times you old goat. [Gotta admit that book feel may go away with a vision enhancement.]

[The Internet is an amazing place, but it sure helps when you know the proper search term.]

Again, Thanks very much.

Zuer-coli

4

I was going to suggest books on tape, but that won’t work if you want “the feel of a book in your hand”. Or you could get a book on tape and at the same time get the old-fashioned paper version.

5

Can’t you put pressure on your doctor - tell him that your cloudy vision is seriously affecting your life and your work. I had both mine done a few years ago and it was like someone had waved a magic wand and given me back my vision. All I need glasses for now is reading.

6

Dewey Flynn,

Thanks, thought about that also, problem; most of the books I want to read aren’t on tape. I also think that listening to someone read aloud would be a frustrating experience for me, I still read about 100 pages an hour, although that is highly dependent on the material.

Zuer-coli

7

Snap,

I Quick Replied to Dewey Finn and then did an edit to add Bob++, the reply would not save??? now that I am doing it over the original will no doubt appear. It appears I was half right, huh.

Dewey Finn, I had thought of books on tape, but very few of the books I want to read are on tape, thanks for the reply.

Bob++, Unfortunately I don’t have the financial resources to afford an operation, thanks for the reply.

Thank you both for taking the time to reply, much appreciated.

Zuer-coli

8

For everyday and situational use, a large-screen smartphone (or small to medium tablet) may be quite useful - as long as it has a decent camera - fire up the camera app - point it at the thing you want to look at, pinch-zoom to magnify on the screen (digital zoom, but whatever) and you’ve got the electronic equivalent of a magnifying glass, at only several hundred times the cost.

(my eyesight isn’t what it used to be, and so I use this method for reading small serial numbers and other small print)

9

Aside from a camera setup, have you looked into any Cataract surgery charity/nonprofits? There’s at least one in the United States that a Google search pops up with.

10

In my experience, vision insurance covers things like eye exams, eyeglasses and contact lenses. Regular medical insurance would cover something like cataract surgery.

And if you don’t have regular health insurance, are you planning to travel anytime soon? Because there are NGOs in other countries that perform cataract surgery much more cheaply than in the US.

11

This is true (and my experience is 15 years in eyecare). Cataracts are a medical issue and have to be treated by a medical doctor. Vision insurance wouldn’t cover them even if you had it.

Also, there’s not much a vision enhancing device can do to help. Cataracts are a clouding of the natural lens. It’s like looking through a dirty windshield, only the dirt is embedded in the glass and can’t be cleaned.

12

If you haven’t checked recently, take another look. There aren’t all that many books on literal tape, but a lot of books have downloadable audio versions (available from sites like audible.com), and many audiobook apps allow you to adjust the playback speed.

13

And if you’re frugal, the public library probably has a large selection of books on tape.

14

The public libraries have a great collection of ebooks that are free. You might have to download a software like Overdrive to read them. Many are downloadable on Kindle too.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

15

Exactly - RAM memory is so cheap today, you could take pictures of each page (or two-page spread) in turn and then just flip through them on your tablet. 200-page book in 100 photos. If you made a habit of this, you could set up a tripod-type arrangement to take a picture of the entire book in one sitting, an half-hour or less, and then flip through the pictures - expand or contract view as required.