iSee, the vision simulator

For many it is hard to imagine how it is like for persons with a vision impairment.

How do you see ? What do you see ? Why can you read this but do not see that ?

Often that are questions when you meet a person with visual impairment but very often the answer is almost impossible to give. It is hard for one, who has no comparison, to describe what he is seeing and how it is different from what you see.

We developed iSee to raise awareness on vision impairments and hope to help for better understanding in what it means to have a sight limitation. ISee is a simulator using the rear camera of your phone or tablet, displays the captured live image and adds one of the most common sight illnesses. The intensity of the sight loss can be regulated. It is possible to chose among Macular degeneration, Retinitis Pigments, Glaucoma or Cataract. Besides the simulation iSee includes to each illness information on treatments, causes and a description on its impact on the sight.

iSee was developed in cooperation with ophthalmologists. IRIFOR Macerata and the Italian Blind Union in Macerata is working close together with hundreds of persons with vision limitations and the experiences can be found in this application.

IMPORTANT: Advices and information provided by this app are for personal orientation and no medical advice. Each person experiences the disease differently. Please, when you experience any symptoms, contact a professional physician.

Included Eye diseases:

• Macular degeneration - Macular Degeneration usually occurs at people over 60. There are two types of macular degeneration: atrophic ("dry") and exudative ("wet"). As people age, parts of the retina may deteriorate. Although the cause of this condition is not clear, possible causes and risk factors may include: lack of certain vitamins and minerals, breakdown in circulation to the retina, untreated health conditions such as high blood pressure, excessive exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun, heredity, and smoking. The eye care doctor can diagnose macular degeneration during a comprehensive eye examination. Ophthalmoscopy is a procedure that allows the doctor to view the back of the eye, including the macula. If macular degeneration is suspected, a fluorescein angiogram may be performed. In this procedure, dye is injected into the arm and travels to the eye. Damaged areas become highlighted to help determine which type of macular degeneration is present, wet or dry.

• Retinitis Pigments - Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of inherited eye diseases that affect the retina. RP causes the breakdown of photoreceptor cells and the patient experience progressive vision loss. The first signs of retinitis pigmentosa in affected children are identifiable by a doctor as early as age 10. In most cases, the disorder is linked to a recessive gene, a gene that must be inherited from both parents in order to cause the disease. But dominant genes and genes on the X chromosome also have been linked to retinitis pigmentosa. In these cases, only one parent has passed the disease gene. In some cases, a new mutation causes the disease to occur.

• Cataract - A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye leading to a decrease in vision. They may affect one or both eyes and often develop slowly over time. Cataracts are commonly appearing while aging. They may also occur due to trauma or radiation exposure. In some cases they also can be present from birth or occur following eye surgery. Risk factors are diabetes, smoking, extensive exposure to sunlight, and alcohol. Either clumps of protein or yellow-brown pigment may be deposited in the lens reducing the transmission of light to the retina at the back of the eye.

• Glaucoma - Glaucoma is the name of group of several diseases that damage the eye’s optic nerve and can result in vision loss and blindness. However, with early detection and treatment, you can often protect your eyes against serious vision loss.