Most people will rank losing eyesight as something they believe would have a tremendous impact on their lives.

And while most will never have to deal with total blindness, almost everyone over the age of 50 will experience some vision impairment, even if it is difficulty reading small type.

Fortunately, technology has advanced to provide solutions for those experiencing any degree of vision loss.

The downside is that there is often a hefty price associated with the technology.

Carolyn T. Krick, vice president of operations for the Vision Resource Center of Berks County, said sometimes the answer is considering used equipment.

"Over the years, when a particular device becomes ineffective to the user, many will donate it," Krick said. "We have some used devices available for people who qualify for services."

Mark Levengood, a blind counselor at the Vision Resource Center, said one piece of useful equipment is a CCTV, or closed-circuit television system.

"This is a desktop piece with a monitor, which serves as a video magnifier to assist with reading books and magazines," Levengood said. "It can adjust font sizes and coloring, as some seniors see certain colors better than others."

A new CCTV could cost between $2,750 and $4,000.

Adjusted for viewing

A CCTV operates with cameras and zoom lenses, providing variable magnification, which can be adjusted for comfortable camera-to-target distance viewing.

Similar in function, but portable, is a device called the Pebble, Levengood said.

"This can be carried in a pocket and pulled out as needed, such as when looking at a menu," Krick said.

The Pebble uses a high-definition camera that can adjust magnification up to 20 times, with an extended zoom feature.

The Pebble costs about $500.

But Levengood and Krick said that seniors also have the option of making use of their smartphones with text-recognition apps.

Levengood said two popular apps are Seeing AI and KNFB Reading.

"These apps use OCR, or optical character recognition," Levengood said. "The app takes a picture using OCR and converts the text to speech."

And even though using a smartphone requires some technology savvy, Krick said seniors are becoming more open to the possibilities.

"Seniors are realizing the benefits and are not so much intimidated by smartphones," Krick said.

Restore ability to read

Founded by John Poth Jr., Sage Vision Technology Inc. is a company dedicated to helping people find equipment to restore their ability to read.

Headquartered in West Chester, it has sales representatives throughout Pennsylvania.

Heidi Wert is the distributor representative for Lancaster and Berks counties.

"When people have reduced vision, so many choices are taken away from them," Wert said. "We represent so many different companies, and I like that people have so many choices."

The company grows through word of mouth and offers in-home demonstrations or presentations at nursing homes and health/senior expos.

"Clients don't know what direction to go in because of the big array of technology available," Wert said. "I help to find the best solutions for the problem they want to solve."

The company is based on private-pay access, although Wert said the Department of Veterans Affairs will cover 100 percent of costs.

But if non-veteran seniors can't afford new equipment, Wert said the company also offers used equipment, including warranties.

While hundreds of pieces of equipment are available, Wert suggested two of her favorites.

The Topaz OCR, or optical character reader, is a closed-circuit television system desktop video magnifier that allows for comfortable reading and reads print aloud.

"If the person is exhausted and doesn't want to read anymore, they can touch anywhere on the article and the device will read to them," Wert said. "It also captures photos in full color and reads the captions."

Exciting to see

Wert said that with magnification abilities up to 67 times, it is very exciting to see someone use the Topaz for the first time.

"You can get reactions, anything from breaking down crying to wanting to look at directions on food items or pill bottles," she said. "Any low-vision program is about finding ways for someone to be independent and safe."

The Topaz sells for $3,895.

Wert also recommends the hand-held Ruby XL HD. The Ruby features a 5-inch-wide screen with 2- to 14-times continuous zoom.

"This is great, if you miss reading in bed," Wert said. "Sitting at the desktop is not the same as curling up and reading yourself to sleep."

Wert said it can be used for looking overhead at items in a grocery store and has a freeze-frame feature.

Wert pointed out the benefits of working with Sage Vision.

"We provide local service beyond the technology," she said. "You can buy something from Amazon, but it arrives in a big box, and you are on your own trying to figure it out. I stay with a person until they are comfortable using the equipment."

The Ruby sells for $895.

While some of the pricing on vision enhancement technology could deter some seniors, sometimes free is an option.

Clear Captions is a company headquartered in Roseville, Calif., and has regional reps throughout the country.

Joe Natiello is the rep for this area.

Large captions

The company features the Ensemble amplified phone, which displays real-time phone captions on a large 8-inch color touch screen.

While the phone is specifically for the hearing impaired, Natiello said there are ancillary benefits to help people who struggle with eyesight.

The best part, however, is that the phone is free from the federal government to those who qualify.

To qualify, you must have a medically approved hearing impairment, internet access and a landline.

But Natiello said the third point can be waived if the individual has a modem with a teleport.

"The benefits for vision impairment is that this has the fastest capturing time for voice to text," Natiello said. "It only takes three to four seconds, while some other phones on the market take up to 60 seconds. For a senior who has mild cognitive issues, a longer delay puts their stress level through the roof.

"One of the best details for people 50 and above is the features can change so that you can read black on white or white on black, whatever you can see better," he said. "The phone is like an enlarged iPad and is visually easy to work."

Natiello said seniors can use the Ensemble phone even if they haven't been able to use a regular phone for years.

"That's when you see them physically light up," Natiello said. "There is a huge market for this."

Natiello said the No. 1 question he gets from clients when making presentations is that they don't believe they can actually get this for free.

For more information, contact Carolyn T. Krick, Vision Resource Center of Berks County, 610-375-8407, ext. 110, ckrick@vrcberks.org or www.vrcberks.org; Heidi Wert, Sage Vision Technology Inc., 717-371-7569, heidiwert@gmail.com or www.SageVisionTech.com; or Joe Natiello, ClearCaptions LLC, 484-577-6440, joe.natiello@clearcaptions.com or www.clearcaptions.com.

Contact David A. Kostival: specialsections@readingeagle.com.