Low Vision Resources in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia: Your Complete Guide
When you’re dealing with vision loss, knowing where to turn for help can feel overwhelming. You need medical care, but you also need practical support
When your eye doctor first told you that you have macular degeneration, your heart probably sank. Maybe you’d already noticed that reading was getting harder, or that faces looked blurry even when people were standing right in front of you. Hearing the diagnosis made it real.
If this sounds familiar, please know that you’re not alone. More than 11 million Americans are living with age-related macular degeneration, and that number is expected to nearly double by 2050. It’s the leading cause of vision loss for people over 50.
But here’s the thing: a macular degeneration diagnosis doesn’t have to mean giving up the activities you love. Technology has come a long way, and devices like Vision Buddy electronic glasses are helping people with AMD read books, watch television, recognize faces, and maintain their independence.
Your macula is a tiny spot in the center of your retina, and it’s responsible for your sharp, straight-ahead vision. When you read these words, you’re using your macula. When you look at someone’s face, your macula helps you see their smile. When you watch television, your macula lets you follow the action.
As macular degeneration progresses, that central vision becomes blurred, distorted, or dark. You might notice a fuzzy area right in the middle of your vision. Straight lines might look wavy. Colors might seem faded.
The frustrating part is that your peripheral vision usually stays intact. You can see that there’s a person standing in front of you, but you can’t make out their face. You can tell there’s text on a page, but you can’t read the words. It’s like trying to watch your favorite show through a smudged window.
There are two types of AMD. Dry macular degeneration is more common and progresses slowly as the macula thins over time. Wet macular degeneration involves abnormal blood vessels growing beneath the retina, causing faster and more severe vision loss.
Both types benefit from visual enhancement technology like Vision Buddy, though the amount of remaining vision varies from person to person.
Vision Buddy electronic glasses work by capturing images with a high-definition camera, enhancing them with smart software, and displaying them on screens directly in front of your eyes. For someone with macular degeneration, this technology can be life-changing.
Vision Buddy offers up to 10x magnification. That means details that your damaged macula simply cannot resolve become visible again. Text that looked like a blur becomes readable. Faces that seemed fuzzy become clear.
Many people with AMD struggle with contrast sensitivity. It’s hard to tell where one thing ends and another begins. Vision Buddy’s image processing boosts the contrast between text and background, between light and dark, making everything easier to see.
Every person’s macular degeneration is different. What works for your neighbor might not work for you. Vision Buddy lets you adjust magnification, brightness, contrast, and color settings until you find the combination that works best for your eyes.
So many people with macular degeneration tell us they miss watching TV. They can hear the dialogue, but they can’t see the actors’ expressions or read the captions. They feel disconnected from the story.
Vision Buddy has a dedicated TV mode that connects directly to your television. You can magnify the picture, enhance the clarity, and actually see what’s happening on screen. Imagine watching the Steelers or the Browns and actually being able to follow the ball. Imagine seeing your favorite characters’ faces clearly for the first time in years.
For many people, losing the ability to read is one of the hardest parts of macular degeneration. Books you wanted to finish sit on the shelf. Birthday cards from grandchildren go unread. Bills pile up because dealing with them is so frustrating.
Vision Buddy transforms reading by magnifying text to whatever size you need and enhancing the contrast between letters and background. Users tell us they can read for longer periods without the eye strain that traditional magnifiers cause.
Not being able to recognize your own grandchildren’s faces is heartbreaking. It’s one of the things people with AMD tell us bothers them most.
With Vision Buddy’s live mode, you can look at the people around you and actually see their features. You can see your daughter’s smile. You can see your grandkids’ excitement when they run up to hug you. These moments matter, and Vision Buddy helps you experience them fully.
Crossword puzzles. Knitting. Model building. Painting. Whatever you love to do with your hands, macular degeneration probably made it harder or impossible.
Electronic glasses let you continue these activities by providing the magnification you need to see fine details. Your hands work just as well as they always did. Now your eyes can keep up.
All of our Vision Buddy models help people with macular degeneration, but different models might suit different needs.
The Vision Buddy 4 Max offers the most advanced technology and features. If you want the best possible visual experience and plan to use your glasses for everything from TV to reading to general vision enhancement, this is an excellent choice.
The Vision Buddy 4 Mini is lighter and more compact. It delivers the same powerful magnification in a form that’s easier to take with you when you leave home.
The Vision Buddy 4 Viewer with optional CCTV accessory is ideal if reading is your main concern. The CCTV provides a stationary camera setup that’s perfect for books, mail, and documents.
We believe the best way to know if Vision Buddy will help you is to try it yourself, in your own home, with your own activities. That’s why we offer a 14-day trial program.
During your trial, you’ll use Vision Buddy with your actual daily routine. Read your mail. Watch your favorite shows. Try your hobbies. See how it feels to see clearly again.
Allstar Visionary Solutions serves macular degeneration patients throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.
In Pennsylvania, we work with patients in Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Johnstown, Indiana, Butler, Washington, Uniontown, Erie, and communities throughout Westmoreland, Allegheny, and surrounding counties.
In Ohio, we serve Cleveland, Columbus, Youngstown, Akron, Canton, Steubenville, Cincinnati, Dayton, and everywhere in between.
In West Virginia, we’re proud to help patients in Wheeling, Morgantown, Charleston, Parkersburg, Weirton, and across the Mountain State.
Don’t Let AMD Hold You Back
Schedule your consultation today and discover how Vision Buddy can help you get back to living.
Phone: (724) 327-3553
Email: support@allstartherapies.com
When you’re dealing with vision loss, knowing where to turn for help can feel overwhelming. You need medical care, but you also need practical support
There’s something special about settling into your favorite chair to watch a good show. Maybe it’s the evening news to stay connected with the world.
If you’ve been living with low vision for a while, you’ve probably tried a few different devices. Maybe you have a handheld magnifier in your
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with macular degeneration, glaucoma, or another condition that affects your eyesight, you already know how frustrating