In July 2013 Fatiha’s life changed. This woman who suffers from retinal degeneration is one of three people selected to test a prototype of augmented reality glasses. Because of her retinal disease, this resident of Nancy has a field of vision reduced to 1 / 20th. Visually impaired for years, she is used to going to work at the ERDF training center in Villers-lès-Nancy with a white cane and only distinguishing “light and dark, but not distinctly”.
With the Essilor prototype lenses for the visually impaired, the darkness around him begins to dissipate. She can now admire the faces of those close to her, something a priori harmless but which is a miracle for her. “Oh, of course, I knew them, my children. I touch them constantly, bring them closer to my eyes, but there, yes, I discovered something that I didn’t know about them…”, says she at L’Est Républicain. “It’s like a second birth,” she exclaims.
Glasses that magnify reality
This second life, Fatiha owes it to a strange pair of experimental glasses. They are equipped with a camera which, guided by a remote control, allows it to zoom in as much as possible on people and objects in its environment before capturing the image and returning it to the glass of the bezel. “Now, when I see a sign or a poster, I can zoom in and read what is written. It’s completely new. And I believe that it also completely changes daily life, in the relationship with others”, explains Fatiha , cited by La Dépêche.
She tests the protocol for six months at her work and at her home. Fatiha hopes that the experiment will be conclusive and that these glasses will ultimately be able to permanently change her daily life and that of all visually impaired people.
