Written by Brittany Ferri, OTR/L
As an occupational therapist, I know how difficult it can be to find reliable adaptive technology, especially for those living with visual impairments. If you or someone you know experiences health concerns that make it difficult to read or see, you may have used low-tech devices with limited success or found that high-tech devices are too complex or inaccessible. The good news is that an organization called OrCam makes evidence-based, high-tech products that are an ideal way to compensate for vision impairments (and beyond!).
Today, we’ll be telling you about two specific products that can revolutionize the lives of individuals who need help reading signage around them. The OrCam MyEye Pro and the OrCam Read Smart are sophisticated low vision devices that help people engage in meaningful activities and explore their surroundings more independently.
 | OrCam MyEye PRO - AI Smart Reading Device for the Blind and Visually Impaired View Product |
The OrCam MyEye Pro is a wearable device for individuals who have difficulty reading and seeing items in their surroundings. This adaptive technology utilizes audio descriptions to convey details about text, faces, colors, money, and more. This assistive reader can easily be magnetically mounted to someone’s glasses for a more convenient option that allows them to freely use their hands.
If you’re not convinced of how detailed the imaging on the OrCam MyEye Pro is, it’s also an effective way to read barcodes and tell time! This makes it an excellent option for people who quickly fatigue in the presence of busy, bright, and overly visually-stimulating environments. The OrCam MyEye Pro responds to voice commands, can be connected to Bluetooth devices for more discreet use, and has offline usage capabilities.
 | OrCam Read - Portable Text Reader Assistive Technology View Product |
The OrCam Read Smart (Reading Pen) uses intuitive laser guidance and smart reading technology to read specific words, sentences, or blocks of text aloud. This user-friendly device is capable of reading a range of print material, including but not limited to newspapers, menus, signs, labels, and books. What makes the Read Smart especially high tech is its ability to read text off screens! This makes it a great option for people who are not satisfied with their computer or tablet’s default text-to-speech programming.
Another feature that sets the Read Smart apart from other assistive readers is full-page capture technology, which allows for more efficient reading of large blocks of text. This helps individuals more effectively use their device and determine what information is most meaningful to them.
The Read Smart caters to a range of individuals by incorporating voice commands to help people more easily use the device. This makes it equally suitable for individuals with vision impairments as well as cognitive deficits or dyslexia. Clearly, everyone is able to see the benefit of the Read Smart, since this assistive reader was a finalist in the 2021 EdTech Cool Tool Awards.
Truthfully, the Read Smart and MyEye Pro are both excellent assistive devices for anyone who has mild low vision. For those who are in need of a device that exclusively helps them discern text, words, and other literature, the Read Smart is the best option. For example, my husband can hardly grocery shop without his glasses because he cannot read the small text on most packaging labels (e.g., product weight and unit cost). The Read Smart would also be appropriate for someone who frequently reads or uses the computer (for work or leisure).
For individuals who also need help recognizing faces, or they need their device to be hands-free, then the MyEye Pro is the better option. This may be best for someone who attends a lot of social events or work gatherings and interacts with many people.
Some people with partial vision loss might only struggle to discern individual letters and words, making the Read Smart a better fit for them.
However, people who are diagnosed as blind or visually-impaired would greatly benefit from the MyEye Pro, since they will likely need help identifying a wider range of objects and people.
If a reading difficulty is your only concern, then choose the Read Smart. There is research supporting the effectiveness of the Read Smart for people with dyslexia. This is especially helpful for students or anyone who must do extensive reading as part of their job.
If your main vision-related concern is reading fatigue, you are not alone. The Read Smart is the best low vision device for you, since it hones in on making text more easily identifiable, which prevents the amount of strain your eyes will experience.
The comprehensive features associated with the MyEye Pro make it the best fit for someone who is memory-impaired. This is because you can program people's faces into MyEye Pro. When those people approach you, the MyEye Pro will announce just which friend, family member, or co-worker you're speaking to. In instances like this, the MyEye Pro does not necessarily compensate for someone’s vision, rather it helps people better understand what are who are around them.
The esteemed Time Magazine recently named the Read Smart one of the best inventions of 2021. They were especially impressed with the Read Smart’s functionality across multiple languages and its “remarkably natural voice” for audio descriptions.
This is yet another well-known figure that has remarked about the Read Smart. Dr. Phil spoke with Ashley, a woman who lost her vision due to an autoimmune disease, about how using the MyEye Pro has allowed her to recognize her children’s faces again. She then stated, “just because she lost her vision, it doesn’t mean she’s lost her life.”
Sam is a vision-impaired blogger who reviewed the MyEye Pro and Read Smart to compare and contrast these devices to his readers. He noted the utility of both devices and how it’s especially useful that they can each be connected to a hearing aid for improved usability.
Since these are high-tech, advanced devices, they are priced accordingly. They are more expensive than standard text readers, but that's because they do SO much more!
OrCam enforces a Minimum Advertised Price (MAP), which sets a rock-bottom price for all online sellers. Rehabmart prices all OrCam products at MAP, ensuring that we give you the lowest price possible.
After reviewing the literature and features associated with each of these products, I can confidently say that they have the ability to make a dramatic impact on the lives of those with vision impairments. Both the Read Smart and the MyEye Pro have many accolades that distinguish them and set them apart from other high-tech, adaptive reading devices.
Each of these devices is especially helpful since they offer multiple impactful features for the price, making them highly accessible for individuals with a range of vision-related concerns.
RehabMart is owned and operated by a team of physical and occupational therapists who have dedicated their careers to helping people achieve independence. As a result, you can trust our professionals, who have their fingers on the pulse of innovative, evidence-based products that can help people perform better and change the lives of individuals with a range of health concerns.
The Read Smart and MyEye Pro are outstanding devices that take low vision devices to the next level. In order to get these products in the hands of the people who truly need them, there are payment plans available. This allows anyone to buy these adaptive readers now and pay in installments over a set period of time. If you purchase either of these OrCam products, RehabMart is able to offer qualified customers financing through Affirm and New Lane Finance.
At RehabMart, we strive to make medical equipment more accessible for individuals with disabilities. We stand behind these products and want to help them get in the hands of people who can benefit from them the most.
The OrCam Read reading pen and MyEye Pro are two outstanding adaptive readers. Both products assist individuals with reading fatigue, dyslexia, diminished memory, mild low vision, blindness, and other visual impairments. OrCam products have won awards, received recognition from major media outlets, and been proven effective through multiple research studies. Based on the information available, therapists can confidently recommend these products to individuals with any of the above vision-related concerns. Similarly, patients are likely to find these products as user-friendly ways to enable their function across many areas of their life.
Brittany is an occupational therapist who has worked in a variety of rehab facilities. She has always expressed an interest in patients’ internal motivation for therapy and the use of assistive devices, which led her to pursue a PhD in Integrative Mental Health. This research-based training has also led her to develop her writing career to educate patients of all ages on how to improve their health. Brittany has published four books, written over 300 articles, and has been quoted in media outlets such as WebMD, Healthline, and NBC News.
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