Low vision is a journey

 

Trevor Watkins is a semi-retired professional who reviews hardware products for both the company he works for and also of competitive products. A few years ago, he developed macular degeneration in both eyes and is now legally blind in one eye and has a level of useful vision in the other.

When his macular degeneration started impacting his ability to read and see small detail at close range, Trevor purchased good quality lighting and positioned them at various locations to allow him to see the level of detail he required to continue his career. As his vision deteriorated further, Trevor used low powered magnifying glasses to enable reading, and being portable, he was able to carry them between various locations. He was also having difficulty using his computer so purchased a larger computer screen and large print keyboard with white letters on a black background which made a big difference to his ability to write his reports efficiently.

Having been in contact with Quantum for a while, Trevor understood the value of electronic magnifiers and purchased a Clover 3. The Clover 3 is a small, pocket-size, handheld electronic magnifier with a 3.5” screen. The advantage for Trevor was that it provides its own light source and variable magnification which allowed him to read and see almost any detail on any item, no matter where he was located. Having discovered how beneficial electronic magnifiers were, he purchased the big brother to the Clover 3, the Clover 10 to improve his ability to read documents for a prolonged period.

It turns out that Trevor also likes building models of World War II aircraft and other military items. Neither of the Clover devices would be suitable for this purpose so Trevor solved this problem, after talking to Leon from Quantum’s Melbourne office, by purchasing a MagniLink Vision Basic desktop electronic magnifier.

Trevor can now do a variety of tasks, at home or when away from home using a variety of devices and states:

“I am now able to continue all my private and professional tasks, no matter what I need to do, or where I am. I am so well set up with thanks to Leon at Quantum.”

So what’s instore for Trevor in the future? He has started looking at improving his ability to continue using his computer with magnification and increased contrasts, mouse pointer and cursor enhancements using Zoom Text Screen Magnification software. Zoom Text gives the ability to enhance almost every aspect of what is seen on a computer screen and can be totally customised to suit the user.

Let’s see where Trevor’s low vision journey takes him next.

If you would like to discuss the next step of your journey with low vision, give your local Conultant a call on 1300 883 853, or visit our website for more information.