understanding low vision: a daily challenge
Low vision affects millions of people around the world, limiting their ability to perform essential tasks such as reading, recognising faces or getting around safely. Unlike complete blindness, people with low vision retain partial vision, but this is insufficient for independent daily living. This condition is often the result of diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy.
Imaging as a lever for autonomy
Imaging plays a central role in low vision solutions. By capturing, amplifying and transforming visual information, it can compensate for the limitations of the human eye. For example, camera systems coupled with image processing algorithms can:
- Amplify details: Text or images that are too small to be perceived can be enlarged with optimum precision.
- Modify colours, brightness and saturation: These settings allow the display to be adapted for maximum legibility according to the specific needs of the user.
- Deliver a smooth experience with low video latency: Very low latency is essential to ensure that movements or adjustments translate instantly to the screen, making playback smooth and comfortable.
- Improve contrast: Visually impaired people often struggle to distinguish nuances; automatic contrast adjustments enable better perception.
examples of innovative solutions
Today, a number of imaging-based innovations are transforming the lives of visually impaired people:
- Electronic magnifiers: These devices use miniature cameras to display amplified images on a screen in real time, with options for customising colour, contrast and brightness.
- Connected glasses: Equipped with high-resolution cameras and image-processing software, they can read text, detect obstacles and interpret complex visual environments.
- Voice-reading devices: These devices scan a written document, convert it into digital text using imaging, and then play it back to the user by voice. They are particularly useful for tasks such as reading books, invoices or letters, offering a fluid and intuitive solution for the visually impaired.
the importance of image processing and latency
Image processing plays a key role in exploiting the full potential of low vision imaging systems. As well as reducing noise or improving sharpness, latency management is a critical factor. Low latency ensures that adjustments (e.g. zoom or colour changes) appear instantly on screen, avoiding frustration for the user. This is particularly essential for reading, where a smooth transition is needed to follow a line of text or explore a document.
i2s’ commitment to low vision
At i2S, we firmly believe that imaging can transform the daily lives of visually impaired people. Working with market-leading partners, we are actively integrating our imaging skills into solutions for this sector. Our expertise in low-latency imaging, combined with our know-how in image processing, enables us to create innovative tools that meet the specific needs of users.