OrCam MyEye - Jan Regains Her Independence
Janette Walter, who lives in Hervey Bay Queensland, lost her sight to Stargardt’s disease, a form of macular degeneration in her early 40s after years of failing sight. She first noticed the deterioration in her vision when she was a young adult. As a seamstress making theatre costumes, involving very close detailed work, Jan attributed her failing eyesight to eye strain. Jan shares her thoughts on coming to terms with her vision loss.
“Macular disease has affected my life enormously, as I lost the ability to read, sew and drive which was a big issue, as I used to enjoy driving so much. I also lost my independence which was just devastating.”
In 2015 Jan was introduced to OrCam MyEye, a revolutionary voice activated wearable device for people who are blind or have a vision impairment. Jan found the device had a profound affect on her life. “I couldn’t believe how much different my life became when I bought it.” She was able to use OrCam for daily chores, to read emails, all correspondence and finally after many years be able to devour books as she once did.
Late last year Jan upgraded to an OrCam MyEye Pro, which has taken her use to another level.
Whilst she has people helping her, especially doing shopping, she says “I like to be independent and the OrCam helps me do that. Friends or family can direct me to the shelves in the supermarket, but then I like to check out products myself and read directions and ingredients.”
For navigating large shopping centres and getting out and about, Jan takes her OrCam which discreetly reads the street names, direction signs and more. OrCam’s R&D team have worked to develop an exciting new face recognition feature which Jan is keen to explore.
To sum up her experience with assistive technology, Jan says “I don’t rely on my husband John as much anymore now that I have OrCam.”