People who are legally blind do have some sight, but it is very limited. There are many different kinds of vision related tools that can be used to help a legally blind person to see some things a bit better. Finding the right tool, the one that works best for a specific person, is extremely helpful.
A bookstore might be the last place one would think of shopping for a person who has is visually impaired. However, Barnes & Noble has a good selection of hand held magnifiers. My mother prefers the page magnifier. This is a flat, plastic magnifier that is slightly larger than 8 ½” by 11” size that printer paper comes in. To use this tool, it is best to place the book, newspaper, magazine, or document that you are trying to read on a flat surface. Next, hold the page magnifier over the text you want to read. You can adjust the size of the magnification by moving the magnifier closer to or farther away from the page itself. She is a teacher’s aide, and uses this magnifier at school. It can easily be slipped into a book bag when not in use.
You can also find smaller, pocket sized magnifiers at Barnes & Noble. Some of them have small LED lights attached, with can help give better contrast to the text on a page, and make it easier to see. There are a few round magnifiers that look similar to what one might expect to see Sherlock Holmes using. Bar shaped magnifiers are useful for increasing the size of just one or two lines of text at a time.
LS&S (Learning Sight & Sound) is a company that specializes in products that assist people who are blind, as well as people who are deaf. My husband, who is legally blind, bought a dome shaped magnifier from this company. It looks something like a crystal ball that has been cut in half, and is sized to fit nicely into the palm of your hand. Place the dome magnifier directly onto the page of text, and slide it along as you read. These magnifiers can be purchased in different sizes. Some are clear, to allow the most light to get in. Others are shaded except in the center, which makes it easier to see a specific line of text.
He also uses a loupe magnifier that he got from LS&S. It looks a bit like one of those lenses people put on the end of of a camera. Hold the loupe up to your eye, and it acts something like a telescope, allowing you to see farther away than you normally would be able to. He uses this to see street signs when he is taking a walk. It also helps him see when the crosswalk signs are lit, indicating that it is safe to cross the street. These are just a few of the many useful tools that LS&S carries. Check out their website to see more.
Image by Scott Chang on Flickr