Trains, Cafes and Waiting Rooms

One of the hardest things to do is participate in life’s activities as we lose our abilities and particularly when we want to read menus, mail, instruction manuals and fill in time sitting in doctors’ waiting rooms. This was the case for Graham living on the mid-coast of New South Wales with the onset of macular degeneration.

Graham has had a keen interest in model trains since the early ‘70’s, and still owns an original Hornby train set complete in its original packaging. Graham has always been a keen do-it-yourselfer and possesses many skills in building and making whatever was required around the home and at work. Perhaps his proudest and most complicated build was renovating his ocean-going yacht, which he and his wife Thalia used to sail up and down the east coast.

Eventually the yacht was sold, as it was unable to sail through the silted mouth of the Manning River. Graham, not able to sit still for too long, returned his efforts to creating a world of trains in his beloved shed. Unfortunately, Graham was walking down to his shed one day when he noticed something in his vision.

Later he discovered that he suffered a ‘bleed’ in his left eye and so began his journey into vision impairment. Over the years he also had cataracts and an infection in one eye which left opacities, which Graham describes as a ‘heavy grey fog’. Still, undeterred, he continued to work on his trains and other projects around the home, but he was having trouble seeing well enough to do many of his tasks.

Graham had heard about Quantum’s products from a friend and after discussing his requirements with Quantum’s Low Vision Consultant, he purchased a ClearView WideView desktop electronic magnifier to assist all his daily reading and ‘train’ tasks in 2018.

As Graham’s world of trains increased, so did the level of his vision impairment and he found himself spending more time in doctors’ waiting rooms unable to keep his mind active. After reading LiveWire, and again discussing his needs, he chose an OrCam Read which takes a picture of printed text and reads the text aloud to him. He can also use headphones at the doctor’s surgery.
Graham can now listen to café menus and his train magazines using OrCam Read and see his trains and does the fine work required in building his train set with his ClearView WideView.

“I’ve just got to keep busy and these devices are what keep me sane.”