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Smartphone apps are a game changer for patients

Smartphone accessibility options, now a standard, have also been a real game changer for people who are blind or visually impaired. One of the first questions I ask a low vision patient is, “Are You Using A Smart Phone?” If not my follow-up question is, “Why Not?” Siri voice recognition alone makes it easy to make phone calls and obtain information by just asking.

Screen reader functions like VoiceOver on the iPhone and TalkBack on the Android have made the smartphone a must-have device. Paired with the smartphone camera some app developers have created some amazing apps that are now used daily by people with low vision. App functions include reading printed text from a page, providing navigation/directions and object, product, money and color recognition.

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Bryan Wolynski
Co-Associate Editor, Retina & Low Vision for odsonfb.com. Bryan Wolynski is a 2000 graduate of NECO and completed a residency in Primary Care at NOVA. Bryan has been in the eye care field for over 25 years and currently maintains a practice in New York City where he provides primary eye care and low vision evaluations. Bryan consults on mobile eye care for the Florida Heiken Children’s Vision Program and on Low Vision for the Miami Lighthouse and OrCam Technologies. He has presented cases at SECO, AAO and has spoken at AOA. He has provided CE lectures to Optometrists, Opticians and to the Association of School Nurses. Bryan has also spoken to the Florida State Senate and the Department of Health for children’s eye care advocacy and mobile eye care. He has also spoken on the topic of low vision at many low vision conferences throughout the country as well as internationally including the United Nations. Bryan is a Fellow of the AAO, a member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals, The Optometric Society, and the AOA.

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