In the United States there is a large and rapidly growing population of people with age-related visual diseases such as age-related maculopathies (ARM). A primary result of this central vision loss is the inability to read and write, even with normal corrections. Currently available video magnifiers provide some help, but reading performance is still far below normal. Previous research has shown that reading performance can be improved through the use of individualized spatial compensation filters; but the equipment used in this research is too expensive for widespread application. Researchers are developing efficient methods of evaluating a user's vision, determining a corrective spatial filter, and implementing that filter in practical systems for reading and writing. The user's contrast sensitivity function (CSF) is used to determine the filter parameters for image enhancement to be used in the system. The first part of the system involves image acquisition, enhancement of the image, and storage for easy access. The second part consists of accessing portions of the stored enhanced image, zooming, and display. The result should be a significantly better reading performance than that obtainable by magnification alone.The potential commercial application as described by the awardee: Currently the world-wide annual sales of video magnifiers is about 60 million. During the next decade this number is expected to increase several fold because of the increased number of people with low vision due to aging of the population. The research could result in greatly improved products which will capture a large share of this market.
