From: Michael Almquist <squish@hitl.washington.edu>
Subject: APPS: Sight for the visual impaired
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 93 18:06:45 -0800



Sorry to waste the bandwidth you all but I lost the email address of
the person that would be MOST interested (he lived on the east coast
in NJ?!).  Anyways, someone approached me a LOOOOONG time ago about VR
helping his wife.  I believe she has some disease that affects here
sight (genetic?).  His wife was losing her sight and there son also
had the same genetic traits.  Something along those lines.  I was
deeply touched but had NO immediate answers.  The only answer I could
give was - time.  Technology someday will come to their aid.

WEEEEELL, I am happy to announce that I have found something and I
hope that this person is still out there reading sci.vw.  The article
is in "NASA TechBriefs", Feb. 1993, Vol. 17, No.2.

pg. 20, "High-Tech Help For Low Vision"

To put it simple, its "A device incorporating NASA image processing
technology enables low vision suffers to better accomplish everything
from reading to walking to working on a computer.  Worn as a
head-mounted video display, it serves as a real-time electronic
telescope and allows the user to `tune' the focus and magnification to
specific tasks."  However, at the moment, this devices is particularly
suited for 20/100 to 20/800 visual acuity range - they estimate 1.5
million potential users.  There was also a note: "For more information
about the low vision system, contact Dr. Robert Massof, Wilmer Eye
Institute, Johns Hopkins University Hospital, 550 North Broadway, 6th
Floor, Baltimore, MD 21205, Tel: 410-955-9653.

Hope this helps and hope you find it interesting.  Its not REALLY VR
but an alternate use of a HMD.

- mike