Healio: Wearable vision enhancement, AI help patients with AMD reclaim quality of life

Even in an era of remarkable therapeutics for neovascular age-related macular degeneration, there remains a lack of therapies to improve vision in dry AMD.

Many patients continue to live with central vision loss that erodes independence and quality of life.

They may be “stable” anatomically, yet functionally they struggle: recognizing faces, reading mail, managing medications, cooking safely, shopping, paying bills, using a phone or navigating unfamiliar environments. For the clinician, this creates a familiar gap — patients who are doing everything “right” medically but still feel they are losing their lives.

Wearable technology is emerging as a practical bridge between disease management and day-to-day function. One notable example is Eyedaptic’s line of smart glasses, designed specifically for central vision loss, to provide real-time visual enhancement and an AI-powered visual assistant that can help patients interpret what they see.

Enhanced vision plus visual assistance

Traditional low vision aids (handheld magnifiers, closed-circuit readers, high-add spectacles) can be helpful but often fall short in the moments patients care about most: moving through the home, identifying faces, reading labels on the go or performing tasks that require both hands. Wearable electronic vision enhancement systems aim to address these limitations by capturing the environment with an onboard camera, applying image processing and presenting an optimized view to the patient in real time.

Eyedaptic’s platform, for example, uses a forward-facing camera and proprietary patented software that manipulates and enhances the image to better leverage the patient’s functional retina, with hands-free control options and modes to magnify and enhance contrast for common daily tasks.

Where things get especially interesting for ophthalmology is the addition of AI as an assistive layer. Eyedaptic’s platform includes “Ivy,” a generative AI visual assistant built on multimodal large language models that can converse with the user and help with tasks such as reading text, describing a room, locating objects and providing interactive guidance. This is a meaningful evolution from “making the image sharper” to helping the patient interpret and act on visual information.

Function, not just visual acuity

Patients with AMD who have central scotomas often have a frustrating clinical paradox: Best corrected visual acuity may not fully reflect functional disability, and patients can be left without a clear next step after injections, supplements and monitoring are optimized. Wearable enhancement devices are built for this “in-between” space, in which the disease may be advanced or stable but the patient’s ability to live independently is compromised.

Eyedaptic is a wearable vision aid intended to both enhance vision and provide AI-powered assistance for patients with AMD and other retinal disorders. In addition, published clinical studies examining home trial experiences with Eyedaptic add context to how patients use these systems in real-world settings and what barriers (training, comfort, task fit) can influence adoption.

What can patients do with the technology?

Ophthalmologists do not need to become low vision device experts to counsel patients appropriately. A helpful framework is to describe two complementary benefits:

1. Visual enhancement (“seeing more”):

• Real-time magnification for distance and near tasks.
• Contrast enhancement and image optimization for low-contrast environments.
• Hands-free viewing for activities such as cooking, walking and social interaction.

2. AI visual assistance (“understanding more”):

• Conversational support to read or interpret text and objects.
• Environmental descriptions (helpful for orientation and safety).
• Object finding or task guidance (eg, “Which bottle says … ?”).

The second category is particularly relevant for patients whose remaining vision is inconsistent — variable lighting, glare sensitivity or significant distortion — because “bigger” is not always “clearer.” AI assistance can complement the enhanced image as well as compensate when the image still is not enough.

Practical patient selection

No device is universal, and setting expectations is crucial; however, Eyedaptic covers the widest range of use cases. In general, candidates often include patients who have:

1. Central vision loss from advanced dry AMD (including geographic atrophy), scarred/wet AMD, and other central vision loss such as Stargardt and Best disease.

2. BCVA of 20/70 to 20/400 in their better eye.

3. Motivation to regain function and willingness to practice.

4. Goals tied to specific activities (reading, seeing faces, watching TV, cooking, shopping).

Patients with severe cognitive impairment, inability to tolerate a head-worn device or unrealistic expectations such as “restore normal vision” may struggle. The most satisfied users frequently have concrete goals, are adaptable and motivated, and have a supportive family member or staff “coach” involved early.

Integrating technology into ophthalmology workflow

A streamlined model can work well in retina and comprehensive practices:

1. Identify functional need, such as reading mail, seeing faces or taking medications.

2. Target patients with disease states that affect central vision and BCVA between 20/70 to 20/400 in their better eye.

3. Offer a structured demo (ideally with staff who can run the device and document goals).

This approach positions the technology as an extension of patient-centered care rather than a retail add-on.

The takeaway

For patients with AMD, quality of life often declines long before clinical encounters reflect it. Wearable vision enhancement, especially when paired with AI-based visual assistance, offers a practical way to address the “life impact” side of central vision loss. Eyedaptic’s platform illustrates how this category is evolving from real-time magnification and contrast optimization to interactive, task-oriented support through a visual assistant.

For ophthalmologists, the opportunity is simple: When treatment cannot restore the macula, we can still help restore function — and hope — by connecting patients to tools that make daily life possible again. With cuts in reimbursements, this gives ophthalmologists another opportunity to find a pathway to help with those cuts and take care of a population they already see in their typical practice.

For more information:

Kelley Sheets, vice president of sales at Eyedaptic, can be reached at kelley.sheets@eyedaptic.com.

Karl G. Stonecipher, MD, clinical professor of ophthalmology, University of North Carolina, clinical adjunct professor of ophthalmology, Tulane University, and medical director of Laser Defined Vision, can be reached at stonec@gmail.com.

Read the full story via OSN.