ERGONOMIC MAGNIFIERS FOR IMPROVED READING AND WRITING

STAND MAGNIFIERS ARE FREQUENTLY DISPENSED TO LOW-VISION PATIENTS AND THE AGED FOR READING AND OTHER NEAR WORK. MOREMAGNIFIERS COULD BE DISPENSED AND USED WITH BETTER EFFICIENCY IF THEY WERE DESIGNED WITH ERGONOMIC FEATURES. THESE NEW MAGNIFIERS, DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE PARTIALLY SIGHTED, OFFER A WIDER FIELD OF VIEW, A COMFORTABLE VIEWING ANGLE, AND THE CAPACITY FOR READING AND WRITING WITH THE SAME MAGNIFIER. THESE FEATURES AND OTHERS PERMIT HIGHER READING SPEEDS, LONGER READING DURATIONS, MORE COMFORTABLE USE, LESS FATIGUE, AND GREATER ACCEPTANCE AND UTILIZATION. A PROTOTYPE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED OF EACH OF THREE MAGNIFIERS: (1) A SPHERICAL MIRROR MAGNIFIER THAT READS ONE-COLUMN WIDE,(2) A MAGNIFIER WITH A CYLINDRICAL MIRROR THAT READS ONE-PAGE WIDE, AND (3) A REFLECTING PRISM MAGNIFIER. IN PHASE I, IT IS PLANNED TO MAKE MORE PROTOTYPES OF THESE THREE MAGNIFIERS, PERFORM A STUDY TO EVALUATE THEIR ADVANTAGES AT THREE INDEPENDENT TESTING SITES, AND DEVELOP FOLDING AND FRESNEL VERSIONS OF EACH MAGNIFIER TO MAKE THEM MORE COMPACT. IN PHASE II, THE RESULTS OF THE PHASE I STUDY WILL BE USED TO REDESIGN THE PROTOTYPES WITH RESPECT TO OPTICAL AND PHYSICAL PARAMETERS, AND THEN TO DEVELOP INEXPENSIVE PRODUCTION PROTOTYPES TO BE SOLD TO THE PARTIALLY SIGHTED FOR READING AND WRITING.