Light at the end for tunnel vision

Scientists at Harvard University’s Schepens Eye Research Institute have invented a visual aid which they say promises to improve the visual abilities of people with tunnel vision.

In their studies using the device, the research team saw a significant increase in the effectiveness and speed with which visually impaired individuals found objects. This device, which combines a tiny camera, pocket-sized computer and transparent computer display on a pair of glasses, may offer the most effective assistance to date for sufferers.

Residual tunnel vision occurs when peripheral or side vision is destroyed by disease, leaving only a small window of central vision. Tunnel vision can often cause the individual to bump into or trip over obstacles.

Glasses that act as reverse binoculars, miniaturising and pulling in the missing parts of their visual field, were tried in the past, but make things so small that detailed visual information is sacrificed.