Which Electronic Magnifier Model Should You Buy

Contents

    – Digital magnifiers for the visually impaired

    – Visually impaired and the Internet: software to facilitate navigation

Digital magnifiers are electronic magnifiers that allow you to enlarge the text according to the degree of blindness.

Equipped with a screen or to be connected to your television, they allow

    – greater magnification than optical aids (3 to 70 times larger);

    – the adjustment of contrasts and luminosity;

    – the choice of a colored background.

Let’s look at these magnifiers that guarantee reading comfort for the visually impaired.

Digital magnifiers for the visually impaired

Electronic pocket magnifier

The electronic pocket magnifier is equipped with a small screen of about 10 cm to assist you in all your movements:

    – it is battery operated;

    – it is compact and light, so it doesn’t take up too much space;

    – you can use it outside or at home.

Once out of your pocket or bag:

    – your magnifier lets you read:

        ◦ price tags,

        ◦ food packaging,

        ◦ restaurant menus,

        ◦ administrative forms, etc.;

    – the purpose of this equipment, with its reduced dimensions, is to make you more independent:

        ◦ place the pocket video enlarger on the text or image to be observed;

        ◦ choose the contrasts, brightness, and magnification that suit you best;

    – some of these devices can magnify up to 22 times: thus, even information unreadable with a conventional magnifying glass is accessible.

Good to know: for such a device, count between $300 and $1000.

Portable reading aids

Delivered without a screen, these electronic aids

    – Connect easily to any screen (television, computer monitor, etc.):

        ◦ via their SCART socket,

        ◦ video jack,

        ◦ or with the help of a converter;

    – are delivered with their carrying case;

    – weigh about 2 kg: they can therefore follow you in all rooms of the house or different places;

    – have a powerful autofocus zoom that allows you to read and perform your daily tasks efficiently;

    – can be easily connected to a computer.

These magnifiers connected to your screens are pretty expensive: up to $700 for an electronic magnifier, while a classic magnifier costs about $90.

Video magnifiers

With a screen from 17 to 22 inches and a large number of functions, they meet all daily needs:

    – Some are equipped with a tray to facilitate the reading of documents.

    – They have high magnifications and different colored backgrounds.

    – Lineage and windowing functions make reading easier:

        ◦ lineage allows two horizontal or vertical lines to be displayed on the screen;

        ◦ windowing hides areas and displays only a strip on the screen;

        ◦ these tools will help you not to lose track when you read something: you can move this lineage and windowing to adjust the distance between lines or hidden areas and change the positions on the screen.

    – The text can also be displayed on a computer screen, and some of them can also have a voice synthesis.

Good to know: count about $3 500 for this type of digital enlarger.

Visually impaired and the Internet: software to facilitate navigation

If accessing the information on the Web could be a problem for a person, thanks to a magnifying glass software installed on his computer, this is no longer the case:

    – the installation is simple;

    – you can choose your language;

    – this magnifying glass allows you to enlarge from 1 to 64 times the desired content;

    – this software is available for Windows computers;

    – he can add to this an adapted keyboard:

        ◦ large print,

        ◦ or Braille.

Some of this software is free! For blind people, a voice synthesis reads the data present on their screen, which allows them to navigate independently.