See the World through Someone Else's Eyes

Sometimes you need to see the world from someone else’s point of view—literally. These three conditions are among the leading causes of blindness and vision loss in the world.

This useful tool allows you to virtually walk around streets with the vision of someone affected by cataracts, glaucoma or retinopathy. You can also adjust the severity of each condition so you can be more sympathetic to others who are affected by degenerative eye disease.

Here is what the street will look like with the three conditions:

• Cataracts. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye. Seeing through the cataract lens makes the street look fuzzy and blurred.
• Glaucoma. Glaucoma refers to a family of diseases that damage the optic nerve when eye pressure increases to a dangerous level. Using the glaucoma lens makes the street look bright in certain areas and darker in others.
• Retinopathy. This condition is characterized by blood vessel damage or leaking blood vessels in the back of the eye. The retinopathy lens shows spots or dark strings floating in your visual field.

Jeff Todd, the COO and vice president of partner organization Prevent Blindness said, “The simulator is one way to bring attention to these problems so someone with normal vision can type in their home address and see how much more challenging it is to see what you see on a daily basis.”

Keeping your vision healthy and strong is just a phone call away. The best way to prevent these three eye conditions is by scheduling regular comprehensive eye exams with your doctor. A comprehensive eye exam includes screenings for all three of these conditions. Vision damage from certain degenerative eye diseases can be irreversible, so get screened regularly to preserve your precious gift of sight (Source: Daily Mail).