Living An Active Lifestyle With Vision Impairment
Living with a visual impairment is a challenging experience in various areas. Whether you’ve had a lifelong vision issue or it’s a relatively recent development, navigating even some of the basic elements of everyday life might be difficult. Indeed, in some ways, you don’t realize just how much you rely on your sight until it begins to deteriorate.
However, coexisting with a vision impairment today is not the same as it was even a decade or so ago. There is a greater range of tools that can help you not just to function but to lead an enriching life.
We’re going to dive a little deeper into how you can live an active lifestyle with a vision impairment.
Everyday Activities
Living a more active lifestyle when you have a vision impairment isn’t just about finding tools for the most extreme or exciting activities. Rather, it’s about making certain you have the right resources to be comfortable and active in your daily tasks first. This gives you the autonomy and confidence to push further. The good news is, there is a growing variety of tools available for this.
Some of these resources are simply geared toward making life more convenient. For instance, many people with vision impairments switch between prescription spectacles and sunglasses. It’s not just impractical, but if you leave your prescription sunglasses at home you may find you need to use regular sunglasses. The lack of vision correction with these sunglasses might compromise your safety. As the technology used to produce sunglasses has changed over the years, you have a greater choice of options here. You can utilize flipper sunglasses that allow you to switch between shade and clear lenses. There are also prescription transition lenses that automatically adjust to suit the lighting conditions.
Going a little more technologically advanced, though, is the development of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms for those with especially low vision. Two key examples of this at the moment are Microsoft’s Seeing AI application and Envision AI from Envision Technologies. Each utilizes the camera on the device you’re using to read text, identify faces, and describe surroundings. The more information these types of applications can gain from you and the wider public, the better they are able to help you navigate and contextualize the world around you. Adopting these tools early on can not just make sure you can perform everyday activities more effectively, the data you provide also contributes to the app’s development and the AI’s learning.
Travel and Exploration
Just because you live with vision challenges, this shouldn’t be a hurdle to your ability to experience what the world has to offer. Indeed, among the various tips and tricks for traveling with low vision is to plan to visit destinations that enrich your other senses, too. Though, this can certainly be made more practical by also targeting cities with grids you can navigate more intuitively. You’ll also find a greater number of transportation options — including planes, trains, and tram systems — around the world that are accessible for those experiencing visual impairments.
From a technological perspective, autonomous vehicles (AVs) are gradually becoming a practical option for those living with sight challenges while on vacation or to simply get around the local area. While we’re not quite at the point in which you can buy an AV for personal use. However, some cities are utilizing them for public transportation. Waymo currently offers an autonomous ride hailing service in some areas of Phoenix, while the French capital of Paris has been trialing driverless shuttle services around the city. Toronto, Seoul, and Singapore are among other international destinations with similar public AV transport infrastructures in development.
It’s also less necessary to rely on tour guides to visit the interesting or even practical elements of the destinations you travel to. More popular cities are starting to utilize Bluetooth beacons. These beacons are placed in various points throughout a city, including indoor spaces like stores, museums, and train stations. You can then tell an application where you’d like to go or what you need, which then interacts with beacons to guide you accordingly. Some of these beacons extend to giving you descriptions of goods inside vending machines and details on departure boards.
Exercise Routines
Exercise is an essential part of an active lifestyle. However, many of the amenities to support healthy routines are geared toward those with typical sight abilities. This includes the rules of sports, the layout of facilities, and the design of equipment. Nevertheless, there are resources that can ensure you have access to positive and enriching exercise routines.
You’ll find many gyms adopt tools and protocols to improve accessibility. It’s worth calling ahead to check what accommodations they have for those with visual impairments. Some facilities with basketball courts or soccer fields keep soundballs that beep, alerting you to their location. Many communities offer specific group classes or one-on-one sessions geared toward empowering locals living with sight challenges to reach their fitness goals.
However, if you want a little more independence, you can also utilize technology to navigate the gym space and equipment effectively. With the rise of wearable gadgets has come options for visual impairments. The Sunu Band is worn on your wrist and uses echolocation and augmented reality. To help you identify obstacles using haptic feedback. While the MyEye 2.0 is a camera with a speaker that attaches to your glasses. It tracks objects, surroundings, and hand gestures before giving an audio description. These gadgets help you to get the most out of your exercise experience with the highest level of autonomy.
Conclusion
Your vision impairment shouldn’t hold you back from experiencing a full and enriching life. There are a greater number of resources to help you live an active lifestyle than ever before. This includes apps that help you to navigate everyday activities. Furthermore, tools empowering your travel plans, and equipment to support a positive exercise regime. Taking a little time occasionally to explore all the options available to you. Moreover, can empower you to bolster your independence and boost your life experiences.
