New Electro-Optic and Display Technology for Visually Disabled People

Abstract

The aim of the chapter is to review the most recent advances in electro-optical technologies applied to visually disabled people. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the number of people in the world with some kind of visual impairment is 285 million, with 246 million of these persons in a partially sighted or Low Vision (LV) condition. The top three causes of visual impairment are uncorrected refractive errors, cataracts and glaucoma, followed by age-related macular degeneration. On the other hand, Head Mounted Displays or electro-optical materials used in liquid crystal or electrochromic devices can be used in technical aids for LV. In this chapter, the authors review how disabled people receive real world information using these new technologies, how the recently developed electro-optical technical aids can improve visual perception, and how these LV aids do work, from a technological point of view.