Thanks to a very generous anonymous donor, the Library now offers a Video Eye, a reading and magnification device. It is intended primarily for people with macular degeneration or other vision problems, but it is a useful aid for anyone who wants to see an object under magnification. The Video Eye consists of a viewing head mounted on an extendable arm with a four-foot reach and an attached monitor. Reading material or anything else that is placed under the viewing head appears on the monitor up to 100x larger and in sharp focus. You can switch back and forth between color and black and white. The Video Eye was designed mainly to help with reading, but the extendable arm, self-focusing feature, and color display make it perfect for looking closely at pictures, objects, needlepoint or other hand-work and even your own handwriting. The Library’s model has a “PowerZoom” feature for maximum flexibility. The auto focus system continually renders a sharp image as the viewing head is moved to different positions and adjusted to different degrees of magnification. The librarians and volunteers will be glad to assist you in using it.
