We agree this would be a great stocking stuffer for a nearsighted loved one in your life.
The MagRX Medicine Bottle Magnifier clips onto a prescription or medication bottle, providing 3X magnification for easier reading.
An adjustable arm lets you move the magnifier closer for a larger view of the print.
For nearly 10 years now, Janet and Don Burleson, of Kittrell, N.C. have been training pygmy horses - who wear sneakers - as guide animals for the visually disabled.
At first the idea of tiny sneaker-wearing guide horses seemed far-fetched to us, but as we read the Burleson’s Web site and learned more we saw how guide horses could be exceptional assistance animals.
Apparently, there is strong demand for guide horses among horse lovers who are blind, those who are allergic to, or fear, dogs and those who want a guide animal with a long life span.
And yes, we know what you’re thinking: can they be house-broken? To answer that click here.
Cait’s parents introduced us to these wonderful polarized sunglasses called Cocoons.
They fit so comfortably over your regular prescription eyeglasses that you don’t know you are wearing two pair.
Cait’s mother, Joan, says she actually feels her eyes and facial muscles relax when she wears them because she no longer squints and strains against the sun. Joan says everyone in her crowd who has had cataract surgery wears Cocoons.
Stylish Cocoons come in various discrete styles and are a big improvement over the old post-surgical eye wear that wrapped around your head and virtually told everyone you had eye issues.
If you’ve read us for any length of time, you know we have a thing for Gimpliments with LED lights.
Well check out these illuminated knitting needles and crochet hooks!
Their inventors say they are great for working with dark yarns, knitting at the movies or camping outdoors under the stars. 
They’d be a fun gift for someone who loves needlework but needs a little help identifying where the tip is in fuzzy yarns.
Eds note: Cait and Marty don’t knit. Marty is, in fact, knitting impaired. She tried to learn to knit and her project morphed from what was supposed to be a sweater into a poncho that grew so out of control that Marty abandoned it and her cat then claimed it as his bed for the rest of his life. Eddie loved that sweater-poncho-shawl-bedspread-tarp.
Cait is sporting a new watch that makes her feel like a spy. This watch has a bright LED light and a 3X magnifying glass that pops up to help you read smaller type.
The first time she wore it out, Cait used the LED to locate the light switch in a dark bathroom at a restaurant and soon after needed it to read a map. She simply popped up the magnifier, hit the LED button and the map’s detail was made clear - even without her reading glasses.
The watch would be useful for reading ingredients on products in grocery stores, locating a key hole in a dark car or door and - as Cait notes - lighting a signal fire with the magnifying glass when she is lost in the wilderness during a trip home to Canada.
Cait wears this watch daily now and says the only flaw appears to be its cheesy wrist band, which she plans to change. Click here to watch a video of the watch, which comes in two sizes.
Eds. Note: According to Cait, it is no coincidence that the man known as “Intrepid,” Sir William Stephenson - the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s James Bond - and Cait were born in the same city. Therefore, Cait wishes to be known by her espionage name - the “Intrepid Invalid.” (That noise you hear is Marty groaning at having to write this.)
Panther Vision has a interesting lineup of LED lighted caps, reading glasses and safety glasses.
They seem perfect for those little jobs when you need more light. We could see ourselves wearing the reading glasses on airplanes and trains - or in bed when you don’t want to disturb your partner by having a lamp turned on.
The safety glasses are ready-made for our friend Jeannette, a jewelry maker who needs extra light and extra safety when working close-up with wire strands.
Click here to read a self-proclaimed Redneck’s view of the Panther Vision cap.
Scientists at the University of Tokyo have developed a pair of intelligent glasses that remember where people last saw things such as their keys, handbag, or mobile phone.
Future - and more refined - versions of the glasses could aid people who suffer from regular “senior moments”, as well as those suffering from serious memory problems caused by dementia.
The Smart Goggles contain a video camera, a computer and a viewfinder. The wearer first wanders around a house or workplace looking at the objects he or she may later want to find in a hurry. Each time the camera focuses on a object - such as a set of keys or a purse - the wearer says the name aloud and it is recorded and stored into the memory.
Later, if the wearer is trying to find their keys, they simply name the object, the glasses search its video memory and show its last known location on the display.
Given the right programming, the glasses could allow wearers to walk through gardens, stare at unfamiliar plants and find out their names instantly or use them to help remember names in awkward social situations.
Scientists plan in the next few years to shrink the camera and viewfinder to a more sensible - and fashionable - size.
(via Daily Mail)
Odd as it sounds, a surprisingly large number of people who lose their sight start seeing things.
Ophthalmologists call it Charles Bonnet Syndrome, a condition that often affects people with macular degeneration or diabetic eye disease.
David Stewart, a former executive with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, first experienced it when he was listening to a book on tape about sailors crossing the Hudson River.
As Stewart, who is blind, mused about the sailors, one of them appeared in his head - not a dreamy fantasy, but a vivid, highly detailed, very real-like hallucination.
“He had on a cap, a blue cap with a polished black beak and he had a pipe in his mouth.” The sailor gazed right at Stewart. Then the sailor winked.
To learn more about Charles Bonnet Syndrome, Click here to listen to, or read, Robert Krulwich’s story on National Public Radio.
As our eyes age, it becomes more difficult to tell a 3 from an 8 when playing cards.
The solution is a deck with larger numbers and there are some great decks to be had. If you or someone you know quit playing cards because of aging eyes, buy them a deck of these
Warning: These may make it easier for your sneaky friends to cheat.
Solmates for men and women were born when Cathy and her friend Rick were in a park trying to read and watch their children play in the distance at the same time.
It seemed both tasks could only be accomplished by wearing two pairs of glasses, one for the sun and one for reading.
Cathy and Rick, both style-conscious, however, nixed the overlapping glasses look.
Rick then gave Cathy a pair of sunglasses that were non-corrective on the top with reading capability on the bottom. But they were ugly - so ugly Cathy wouldn’t wear them in public.
Cathy showed the glasses to Liz, who embraced the concept, and the two of them established SolMates - elegant sunglasses for men and women with plain vision on top and magnification on the bottom to make reading or seeing the numbers on your cell phone easier.
For $140, each pair is made to your specification of frame color, design, lens color and type and magnification in any increment from 1.0 to 3.0. Made from Italian frames with ophthalmic quality progressive lenses and a guarantee of a 100 percent refund if the glasses don’t exceed your expectations.
Solmates: Suitable for the backyard or the Riviera
