Are there solutions out there for people with low vision to help them see things around them much more clearly than they are used to? We know there is the eSight eyewear available that captures images via a camera and displays them in screens housed in the eyewear. Although a viable solution, one big downside is that eSight is extremely expensive - $15,000, and is currently available only in the US. But is there anything else available that is substantially cheaper, easier to setup and use, and available wherever you are?

Near Sighted VR Augmented Aid,  an Android app meant to be used on a phone housed in a virtual reality display (read: any cardboard enclosure!) , is a very good workaround  for people who have low vision. The app, when turned on, produces stereoscopic images side by side (one for each eye) captured by the front camera of the phone. The phone, enclosed in a cardboard casing, once worn on the head using a headband, can act as eyewear that magnifies objects around the user, thus letting them see and experience their surroundings in more detail.

This app + Cardboard combo may not be practical for all day, every day purposes, but it can certainly let users do and experience a lot more in an indoor setting - chatting with friends, reading books and magazines, doing chores inside the house, etc.

The app developer indicate on their page that it may help people with the following conditions:

Macular Degeneration

Stargardt’s Disease

Ocular Albinism

Some Forms of Glaucoma

Optic Nerve Hypoplasia

Optic Atrophy

Diabetic Retinopathy

Retinitis Pigmentosa

Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

Cone-Rod Dystrophy

Nystagmus

Retinopathy of Prematurity

Watch the following video to see what a person with low vision thinks of Near Sighted.

Google has a DIY kit that can be purchased from various online websites starting at around $4. Several sellers also sell pre-built Cardboard kits, and their prices may range anywhere between $15 - $30.