Low Vision Aids in 2026: What Helps People With Macular Degeneration and Retinal Dystrophies
By Dr. Mayank Bansal, Vitreoretinal Surgeon, Claritas Eye and Retina Institute, New Delhi
In my retina clinic I see many people with macular degeneration, Stargardt disease, retinitis pigmentosa and advanced diabetic eye disease. Once we have done everything possible to treat or stabilise the disease, one question comes up again and again: "Doctor, is there anything that can help me see better with the vision I still have?"
In 2026 the answer is yes, and there are more choices than ever before. Some are simple and inexpensive. Some use artificial intelligence. A few involve surgery and are still available only abroad. This guide brings together the published research and the main developments of the past year, in plain language, so that you and your family can make an informed choice.
What Is Low Vision?
Low vision means vision that cannot be fully corrected with glasses, contact lenses, medicines or surgery, and that makes everyday tasks difficult. Retinal diseases are among the commonest causes.
The type of vision loss matters when choosing an aid:
Central vision loss (macular degeneration, Stargardt disease, diabetic maculopathy) affects reading, recognising faces and seeing fine detail. Side vision is usually kept, so people can often walk around on their own.
Peripheral vision loss (retinitis pigmentosa, advanced glaucoma) affects walking, crowded places and night vision. Reading may stay possible until late.
The scale is large. The World Health Organization estimates that at least 2.2 billion people worldwide have some form of vision impairment. Figures from a 2025 Indian Journal of Ophthalmology paper put India at about 4.80 million people who are blind and 4.69 million with severe visual impairment.
Aids Work Best When Someone Teaches You to Use Them
The strongest evidence in this field comes from two randomised trials in the United States, called LOVIT and LOVIT II. In the first, people with macular disease who went through a structured rehabilitation programme improved their reading ability by a large margin, while those on the waiting list got worse during the same four months. The researchers concluded that low vision services should be offered as early as possible.
In LOVIT II, 323 people with macular disease were given low vision devices either on their own or together with sessions with a rehabilitation therapist. Those who received training improved more in reading and in overall visual ability, and the cost of the two approaches was similar (about USD 1,788 versus USD 1,662 per patient).
The lesson is that the device is only half the answer. Training, practice at home and a clear goal make the difference.
1. Simple Optical Aids Still Help Most People
Before any technology, I ask patients to try the basics:
Handheld and stand magnifiers, ideally with built-in light
Reading glasses with high magnification, prescribed after a low vision assessment
Small telescopes for seeing bus numbers, signboards or the TV
Strong, direct lighting on the page, and anti-glare filters for people sensitive to light
High contrast at home: bold felt pens, large-print calendars, contrasting tape on stair edges, a dark plate for rice and a light plate for dark food
These cost little, need no battery and do not break easily. For many people with mild to moderate vision loss, this is all they need.
2. Electronic Magnifiers and Wearable Screens
Electronic magnifiers use a camera and a screen to enlarge text and increase contrast. They include desktop video magnifiers, handheld digital magnifiers and the free magnifier already built into most smartphones and tablets.
Head-mounted versions (worn like a headset or thick glasses) give hands-free magnification and can help with distance tasks such as watching TV. The research is mixed. In a 2025 randomised crossover trial from the UK, 34 people with macular degeneration (average age 80) used a wearable device at home for 12 weeks. It improved their self-reported visual ability compared with their existing aids, but it did not improve quality of life, none of them chose it as their preferred aid, and satisfaction fell as the weeks went on. A 2024 Lighthouse Guild study of four headsets found better contrast and near vision, but no gain in reading speed, and low satisfaction scores.
My advice: these devices are expensive and heavy, and a short demonstration in a clinic can be misleading. If you are considering one, ask for a home trial of a few weeks.
3. AI Glasses That Read Aloud: Smart Vision Glasses From India
A different approach is to describe the world through sound instead of making it bigger. This suits people who have very little usable vision.
Smart Vision Glasses are made by SHG Technologies, a Bengaluru company founded in 2020 by Ramu Muthangi after his sister lost her sight to diabetic retinopathy. A small camera unit clips onto the side of a spectacle frame. There is no screen. The device works with a smartphone and speaks to the user through an earpiece. Its main functions are:
Reading printed text aloud, in several Indian languages and English
Describing objects around you
Recognising faces you have saved
Warning about obstacles while walking
Recognising currency notes (in the newer Ultra model)
What the research shows
A multicentre study published in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology in 2025 followed 90 users from five vision rehabilitation centres across India for a month. Ninety percent of them were blind by the WHO definition. The study version could read nine Indian languages. Users reported a positive experience with reading in 72.9% of cases, with describing things around them in 44.7%, face recognition in 36.5% and walking assistance in 22.4%.
What happened in 2026
SHG launched the Smart Vision Glasses Ultra at Narayana Nethralaya in Bengaluru on 22 January 2026. Dr Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital hosted the North India launch in Delhi in February. In May, AIIMS New Delhi distributed 40 pairs free of cost under a CSR programme, at about Rs 35,000 each, and announced plans for about 1,700 more for visually impaired people in Delhi-NCR. In July, the University of Hyderabad distributed 100 Ultra devices valued at about Rs 48,000 each.
Who it suits
The evidence is strongest for reading in people who are blind or close to it. Walking assistance is an add-on and should never replace a white cane or mobility training. If you can still read large print with a magnifier, magnification may serve you better. Ask for a trial before buying, and ask whether a CSR or NGO programme near you is distributing the device.
4. Everyday Smart Glasses: Ray-Ban Meta With Be My Eyes
Ray-Ban Meta glasses look like ordinary sunglasses or spectacles but have a camera, microphones and small open-ear speakers. Their built-in assistant, Meta AI, can describe what is in front of you or read text aloud when you ask, for example, "Hey Meta, what am I looking at?" The second-generation model was launched in India in December 2025, starting at Rs 39,900, with Hindi support for the assistant.
Be My Eyes is a free app that connects blind and low vision users to sighted volunteers through a live video call. In 2025 it reported more than 900,000 users and 8.8 million volunteers across 180 languages. On Meta glasses, the call is hands-free: you say "Hey Meta, Be My Eyes", a volunteer sees through the glasses' camera and talks to you through the speakers, and a double press switches to your phone's camera when you need to read fine print. Be My Eyes lists India among the countries where this works. Since March 2026, users can also call a private group of family and friends, or the support desk of participating companies, in the same hands-free way.
How to set it up
Install the Meta AI app on your phone and pair the glasses.
Install the Be My Eyes app and create an account as someone who needs visual help.
In the Meta AI app, open the settings for your glasses and connect Be My Eyes. The menu names change with app updates, so ask a family member or our team if you cannot find it.
Say "Hey Meta, Be My Eyes" to start a call with a volunteer.
Practise at home first, with a family member nearby: read food labels, sort currency notes, find items in the kitchen.
Things to keep in mind
The glasses need your phone and a mobile data connection.
AI descriptions can be wrong. Do not rely on them alone for medicine names, doses or expiry dates; confirm with a person.
They do not warn you about steps or potholes the way a cane does.
The camera is visible, and some people around you may not be comfortable being filmed. Use it with consideration.
Battery life is limited, so carry the charging case on long days.
A 2026 review described Meta glasses, the iPhone Magnifier app's detection mode and the AI assistant in Be My Eyes as examples of low-cost, everyday technology that is reshaping assistive care, while noting that proper clinical studies are still needed.
5. Free Phone Apps: A Sensible First Step
Before buying any wearable, try the free apps on the phone you already own:
Seeing AI (Microsoft): reads short text and documents, describes scenes, identifies currency
Lookout (Google, Android): reads text and labels, describes surroundings
Be My AI (inside the Be My Eyes app): gives detailed descriptions of photos you take, and you can ask follow-up questions
A 2025 study at Lighthouse Guild in New York compared two smart glasses (OrCam, about USD 4,250, and Envision, about USD 2,499) with two free apps (Seeing AI and Lookout) in 25 people with vision loss. Seeing AI and Envision improved performance on the most tasks, and participants were highly satisfied with all four. In other words, a free app can do much of what an expensive device does.
6. Implants: Beyond External Aids
Implantable telescope (SING IMT). This is a tiny telescope, 3.6 mm wide, placed inside one eye during cataract surgery. It magnifies the central image about 2.7 times, so that it falls on healthier retina around the damaged macula. The manufacturer reports an average gain of three to four lines on the eye chart. It carries a European CE mark but is not approved by the US FDA, where a trial called CONCERTO is under way. Patients need rehabilitation training afterwards, and not everyone is suitable.
PRIMA retinal implant. This is the development that has drawn the most attention this year. PRIMA is a wireless chip, 2 x 2 mm, placed under the damaged macula in geographic atrophy (the advanced dry form of macular degeneration). The patient wears glasses with a camera that projects the image as invisible near-infrared light onto the chip, whose 378 light-powered pixels then stimulate the remaining retinal cells.
In the trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 38 people received the implant and 32 were assessed at one year. Of these, 26 (81%) had a clinically meaningful improvement in vision. The company reports an average gain of 25.5 letters (more than five lines) on the eye chart, and that 84% of patients could read letters, numbers and words with the device. There were 26 serious adverse events in 19 participants; most occurred within two months of surgery and resolved. An editorial in the same journal called it the first treatment to restore vision in geographic atrophy.
PRIMA received its European CE mark in July 2026 and is available in 30 European countries. In the United States it has FDA Breakthrough Device and Humanitarian Use Device designations, but is not yet approved. Three-year data presented in October 2026 showed no new safety problems between the first and third years. The company is also testing it in Stargardt disease and retinitis pigmentosa in Australia.
It is important to be realistic. PRIMA vision is low resolution and monochrome, it currently applies only to geographic atrophy, and it is not available in India.
2026 at a Glance
January: The PRIMA trial appeared in print in the New England Journal of Medicine. SHG launched Smart Vision Glasses Ultra.
February: North India launch of Smart Vision Glasses Ultra in Delhi.
March: Be My Eyes on Meta glasses added hands-free calls to family groups and company help desks.
May: AIIMS New Delhi began distributing AI smart glasses to visually impaired people.
July: PRIMA received European approval and launched commercially; the FDA granted it two Humanitarian Use Device designations.
September: The FDA accepted Nanoscope's application for MCO-010, an optogenetic gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa.
October: Three-year PRIMA results presented at EURETINA.
What to Watch in 2027
MCO-010 (Mogenry) for retinitis pigmentosa. The FDA decision is expected in the first half of 2027. It is a single injection into the eye that makes surviving retinal cells sensitive to light, and it does not depend on which gene is affected. This approach is called optogenetics.
A US decision on PRIMA, and early results in Stargardt disease and retinitis pigmentosa.
Results of the US trial of the SING IMT telescope implant.
Brain implants for vision. Neuralink has said its Blindsight implant, which stimulates the visual part of the brain directly, is ready for its first human implant pending regulatory approval. No human results have been published yet, and early vision is expected to be very low resolution.
Better AI in everyday glasses, with more Indian languages and faster responses, and more Indian programmes distributing AI glasses through hospitals and CSR funds.
Proper clinical trials of consumer AI glasses for people with low vision, which researchers have called for.
How to Choose: A Practical Checklist
Get the eye disease treated and stable first. An aid does not replace injections, laser or surgery when they are needed.
Have a low vision assessment with an optometrist trained in low vision. Reading vision, contrast and field of vision all affect the choice.
Decide what matters most to you: reading, TV, faces, walking outside, cooking, work or study.
Start simple and inexpensive: magnifier, lighting, phone magnifier, a free AI app.
Try any expensive device at home before buying, and involve a family member in the training.
If you have a disability certificate, ask about government support. Under the ADIP scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, eligible people can receive certain assistive devices, such as low vision aids, smart canes and accessible smartphones, free or at a subsidy through approved agencies and camps. Eligibility rules change, so check the current position.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will using a low vision aid make my eye condition worse?
No. Magnifiers, electronic aids and smart glasses do not damage the retina or speed up macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa. They help you use the vision you have. You still need regular check-ups and treatment for the underlying disease.
Can AI smart glasses replace a white cane?
No. Obstacle alerts are an extra layer of information. They do not detect steps, kerbs and uneven ground the way a cane does, and they can miss things. Mobility training with a cane remains the foundation for safe walking.
Are SHG Smart Vision Glasses useful if I still have some vision?
They have no screen; they read and describe things aloud, and the Indian study was done mainly in people who were blind. If you can still read large print with a magnifier, a magnifier or electronic magnifier may suit you better. A trial is the best way to decide.
Do Ray-Ban Meta glasses work in Hindi, and can they connect to Be My Eyes in India?
The Gen 2 glasses launched in India with Hindi support for Meta AI. Be My Eyes lists India as a supported country on Meta glasses, so you can call a sighted volunteer hands-free.
Is the PRIMA implant available in India?
Not as of October 2026. It is approved in Europe for geographic atrophy and is under review in the United States.
Is there government support for assistive devices in India?
Yes, through the ADIP scheme for people with a disability certificate. The device list and income limits change, so check with the implementing agency or at a district camp.
A Final Word
The aim of a low vision aid is not perfect sight. It is getting back the tasks that matter to you: reading a letter, recognising a grandchild, catching the right bus, managing your own medicines. If you or someone in your family has low vision from a retinal condition, speak to your retina specialist about a low vision assessment. At Claritas Eye and Retina, we can review your eye condition and guide you to the aids and rehabilitation services that fit your needs.
About the author. Dr Mayank Bansal is a vitreoretinal surgeon and Director of Claritas Eye and Retina Institute, New Delhi, and Senior Consultant, Vitreo-Retinal Surgery, at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram. He trained at AIIMS New Delhi, holds the FRCS (Glasgow) and FACS, and completed a fellowship at the Stein Eye Institute, UCLA.
This article is for general information and does not replace a consultation with your eye doctor. Product names are mentioned for patient information. Prices are as reported in 2025 and 2026 and may change.
References
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