Gary

MagniVox – Android Magnifier

Posted on by Gary

I have been working on an Android Free Magnifier App.
It uses your Mobile Phone camera to either freeze, magnify up to 8x and freeze so you can view the image. It also allows ‘pinching’ to make larger or ‘2 Finger’ Swipe to move the image around the screen. Not only is it designed for The Visually Impaired Community but can even be used by those that are of the age that may need readers đŸ˜‰

To get the Magnifier into production Google require a minimum of 14 people sign on a closed testers and use the app each day for a few minutes – along with reporting any issues.
If you have an Android phone and gmail account please use the following to help me get it into production.

PLEASE FOLLOW THESE EASY STEPS

1 Join the Google Group   https://groups.google.com/g/MagniVoxApp

Google make it a little hard as the join button is at the top of the page and the centre says you can’t view. Please use the join group link. Any updates are sent to you using this group. You can leave at anytime.

2 use the link to download as a closed tester please
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aistudio.vipssmagnifier.v1.eagrah

This app uses the Device camera , it can freeze the image and magnify , it can change the colour of the image too. Spoken magnification settings.
No images stored or sent outside the device.
Barcode scanner for food – will look up any allergies.

I work both as an independent Optometrist and with The Partially Sighted Society uk

Gary

How Can I Help My Struggling Reader Without the Stress of Traveling to a Clinic?

Posted on by Gary

For a child who is already overwhelmed by school and reading difficulties, dragging them to a sterile, bright clinical environment can spike their anxiety and skew test results. Testing a child where they are most relaxed—and where they actually do their reading—provides a much more accurate picture of their daily visual challenges. Factors like your home lighting, posture, and environmental setups play a huge role in how their eyes and brain interact.

Check out the home visit option we provide

Gary

My Child Passed a School Eye Test but Still Struggles to Read. How?

Posted on by Gary

A standard school eye test or high street optician exam primarily checks “eyesight”—meaning, can your child read static letters on a wall from 20 feet away? But reading a book requires complex, close-up “vision.” The eyes must work as a perfectly coordinated team to focus, aim, and scan across lines of tiny print. A child can easily have perfect 20/20 sight while simultaneously suffering from a massive functional vision or visual tracking deficit.

Check out the home visit option we provide

Gary

Why Does My Child Remember a Word on One Page but Forget It on the Next?

Posted on by Gary

It can be deeply frustrating when your child sounds out a word perfectly, only to act like they’ve never seen it before on the very next paragraph. This layout-dependent memory failure is often a symptom of visual fatigue. If the brain is working too hard to integrate visual data from the eyes, it cannot successfully move that word into long-term visual memory. The word looks completely different to them because the text has distorted in a new way on the new line.

Check out our home visit option

Gary

What Is the Difference Between Dyslexia and Visual Stress?

Posted on by Gary

While dyslexia is a language-based learning difference, Visual Stress (sometimes called Meares-Irlen Syndrome) is a neurological visual processing issue. The two can overlap significantly, and up to 80% of children with dyslexia also suffer from visual abnormalities. If a child is misdiagnosed with only dyslexia, phonics tutoring may fail because the underlying visual environment—the words moving, vibrating, or glaring on the white background—remains untreated.

Check out the home visit option

Gary

Why Does My Child Guess Words Based on the Pictures or First Letter?

Posted on by Gary

When a struggling reader looks at the word “boat” and blurs out “ship,” or looks at the first letter and guesses wildly, they are using coping mechanisms. They aren’t being lazy; they are trying to bypass a page that looks visually overwhelming or unstable. If the letters inside a word are overlapping or shifting, looking at the picture or guessing by context clues feels much safer to their brain than trying to decode a moving target.

If your child is guessing instead of reading, let’s identify the underlying root cause.

Check out the Home visit we provide

Gary

Can a Child Be Smart but Still Struggle with Reading and Spelling?

Posted on by Gary

It is incredibly confusing when a child is highly articulate, creative, and bright, yet falls apart when asked to decode a printed page. This “gap” between intelligence and reading ability often points to a functional vision problem rather than a lack of capability. When a child has to use 100% of their brainpower just to stop the letters from moving around, they have no mental energy left to actually comprehend or remember the words they are seeing.

Help your child unlock their true academic potential without the frustration of tired, overworked eyes.

Gary

The “Where” Pathway: Why You’re Bumping Into Door Frames

Posted on by Gary

We have two main visual pathways: the Ventral (“What”) and the Dorsal (“Where”). Many neuro-optometry patients have a perfectly functioning “What” system (20/20 vision) but a compromised “Where” system.The Symptoms: This leads to poor spatial awareness, clumsiness, and difficulty with fast-moving sports.Sports Photography Connection: To capture a high-speed action shot, your Dorsal stream must be primed to anticipate where the athlete will be. Training this pathway is the secret to both elite sports performance and post-stroke safety.

Gary

wibbly wobbly vision!

Posted on by Gary

“Child says the words are moving on the page.”

“Why does my child rub their eyes when reading?”

“My 6 year old says the letters are dancing.”

“Child skipping lines or losing place when reading.”

“Why does my child get headaches after school?”

“Words look blurry or wiggly to my child.”