Technology has helped people with sight problems overcome their disability, the Bermuda Society for the Blind said yesterday.

Vince Godber, a vision rehabilitation therapist, said a woman who was heartbroken that her deteriorating eyesight had stopped her from reading, was overjoyed by assistance from a special machine.

He said: “Not only did she need to read for practical purposes, she read for pleasure.

“She read political books, she read religious books, but she had not been able to read independently for four or five years.”

Mr Godber said: “Within the space of ten minutes, we enabled her to actually read independently by adding one machine and teaching her how to use it.

“She was tearful. It was very emotional. Reading is a powerful thing.”

He was speaking as the BSOB prepared to highlight a range of tools designed to help people with impaired vision at a technology fair tomorrow.

Mr Godber said the fair will include a variety of hi-tech and simple solutions for people who struggled with eyesight problems.

He said: “That can be simple things like talking clocks or talking watches.

“We have orange stick-on markers which help people locate buttons.

“But we are also trying to introduce people to the latest technology that is available which includes things like scanners that when you press a button can read everything out to you.”

He added: “That technology is now migrating to the internet and smartphones.

“There’s an app now by Microsoft called Seeing AI, which allows you to hold your phone over text and it will read it to you. You can photograph a bar code and it can tell you what the product is.”

Mr Godber said advancements in technology had completely changed opportunities for people with impaired vision.

He said: “The society used to have a workshop where people could build stools.

“That was appropriate because most of the skills people needed were practical skills, so there was value in that because there were very few opportunities for people with visual impairments to work.

“Now, with technology, there aren’t many jobs that really present a barrier for people.

“You can work in all sorts of industries with a visual impairment or no sight. It has opened things up for people, especially younger people. If your sight is going at 20 and you’re looking at 60 years of visual impairment, there is a future for you.”

Dionne Glasford, office administrator for the BSOB, added that new technology had helped people with limited sight keep their independence.

She said: “It makes them confident. Once they learn different things and they realise they have accomplished a goal, it changes their attitude.

“It also helps change their mindset. When they start to lose their eyesight, they might be depressed and angry, but when they realise life can go on with assistance, it becomes easier for them.

“At the end of the day, even some of the simplest things can make a difference.”

Ms Glasford said she once got a phone call from a mother whose visually impaired child was frustrated after accidentally putting orange juice in tea instead of milk.

She explained the solution was to put a rubber band around milk cartons. Ms Glasford said: “She was overjoyed. Even something as simple as being able to make a cup of tea without needing to ask someone for help made her so happy.”

She added: “It doesn’t always have to be an expensive piece of technology. Sometimes it’s just a little bit of advice.”

The fair will be held at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute on Crow Lane, Hamilton, from 10am to 4pm. The event will feature a 10am presentation by ophthalmologist Jakob Smith about advancements in treatments for eye conditions.

The society will screen the documentary Riding Blind at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. The film tells the story of Billy Baxter, who battled to break the land speed record on a motorcycle after he lost his sight.