New Optaro device transforms iPhone into a video magnifier
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Eschenbach Optik of America has launched Optaro, an attachable video magnifier designed for use with an iPhone to aid those with vision impairment, the company announced in a press release.
“Some people with vision loss don’t want to bring around both a video magnifier and their smartphone, so we decided to make a device that has a camera, software, hardware and a stand, but uses the screen of the iPhone,” Tim Gels, Eschenbach’s director of marketing, told Healio. “That is what’s novel about this device: It allows an iPhone to turn into a full-featured video magnifier.”
According to the release, Optaro can attach to an iPhone via a custom-fit integrated case or through a MagSafe universal stand, which magnetically attaches an iPhone to the Optaro camera module. The device communicates with the smartphone via Wi-Fi and the free Optaro app.
Features include a full HD image, up to 15-times magnification, 14 color mode options, contrast enhancement, adjustable LED illumination, reading lines or blinds and a read aloud function, all of which can be customized through the app.
Gels said the device was designed to have an integrated stand, considering the needs of older patients who may have tremors and those who want to read for extended periods of time without holding up a phone. Furthermore, he said that clinicians can help older patients by demonstrating all the features of the app during an office visit.
“The settings can then be customized by the practitioner, who can ensure each patient has the settings that provide them the most benefit,” Gels said.
The device is compatible with iPhone models 12 through 15 and must be run on iOS 16 or later, he said.
Collapse
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts