An Aberdeen man with sight loss has praised a charity for helping him set up AI glasses which have enabled him to become more independent.
David Cox, 78, said he was “stunned” by the difference the Meta Ray-Ban glasses made, adding they have “really boosted” his confidence.
He has been supported by North East Sensory Services (NESS) for several years, after being diagnosed with central vision loss caused by macular degeneration in 2017.
The condition is the most common cause of registrable sight loss in the UK, affecting more than 700,000 people across the country.
It involves a loss of central vision, caused by damage to the cone cells in the macula, a tiny area at the back of the retina.
Mr Cox has around 45 per cent of his vision, all in the peripheral areas, so anything he looks at straight on “disappears”.
An Information Communication Technology (ICT) officer at NESS stepped in when Mr Cox, a keen bowler, bought a second-hand pair of the glasses after trying on a pair from a friend at his bowling club.
NESS supports thousands of blind and deaf people, and those with visual and hearing impairments, across Angus, Dundee, Moray, Aberdeen, and Aberdeenshire.
The charity’s main objective is to help people with sensory loss live as independently as possible.
Mr Cox said: “The setup was easy. My glasses were second hand, and the ICT officer at NESS wiped the previous settings, added my details, linked my phone, and showed me how to say: ‘Hey Meta, look – read.’
“When I first tried the glasses on, I was stunned. They described everything in the room. I could see the people there, the bowls, the jack and the green itself. I was amazed, I couldn’t believe that a pair of glasses could tell me so much.
“I’d used assistive tech before, but the glasses felt different. I’m walking down the street and they’ll tell me what’s around me, that there are cars ahead, or bushes to my side. In shops, if I ask the glasses what’s in the vegetable rack, they’ll list what they see.
“At home, I hold up seed packets in the greenhouse and they read them out. I even learned the name of a tree that’s been in my garden longer than I’ve lived here, all in a couple of seconds. I can use them in the house to find something small that I wouldn’t otherwise find.
“Day to day, they’ve changed how I move through the world. I wear them all the time when I’m out now. With the glasses, I can walk further into town on my own. In familiar areas, and for short distances, I’m using a smaller cane, and using my long cane in unfamiliar environments and at night.
“If a bus is coming, I ask for the number when it’s close. I’ll use it to describe unfamiliar places. If a pavement is uneven or a hedge is overgrowing the path, the glasses describe it so I know to adjust where I’m walking and with my cane I can feel for any obstacle. It’s like having a companion who notices the things I can’t. It’s really helped my confidence.”
A former mechanical and structural engineer who worked around the world, Mr Cox first discovered his macular degeneration when he was unable to spot the ball when golfing.
He later rekindled an earlier passion for bowling, and plays in sighted and blind bowling championships across Scotland. He is president of the visually impaired section of the Summerhill Bowling Club.
He said: “I’m teaching the glasses to recognise the game, and to identify the bowls and the jack, as well as distances. I’m planning to try them in a friendly Friday session with our visually‑impaired group. They wouldn’t be allowed in competition, but for a friendly it might work.”
Mr Cox believes many others could benefit as he has from the technology.
“The glasses have made a huge difference to me, they do really help. I was never much of a believer in AI, but these glasses have changed my mind,” he said.
“If your eyesight is like mine, and you can’t clearly see what’s right in front of you, they can give you back information you’ve been missing. They’ve changed me altogether and really boosted my confidence.”
Carla Marchbank, statutory services manager at NESS, said: “It is fascinating to learn about David’s experience using the Meta Ray-Ban glasses, and how these complement the use of his long cane.
“Often, we can feel uncertain about technological advances, but in this case, we have seen how helpful they have been for David and the difference they have made to his independence.
“Having the right support from our ICT team means people can quickly learn to get the most out of their devices, and so their life becomes easier.”