An App to magnify phone screen

An application that can magnify a smartphone screen to potentially benefit low-vision users has been developed by researchers. The smartphone application projects a magnified smartphone screen to GoogleGlass, which users can navigate using head movements to view a corresponding portion of the magnified screen, researchers said.

The technology can benefit low-vision users, many of whom find the smartphone’s built in zoom feature to be difficult to use. “When people with low visual acuity zoom in on their smartphones, they see only a small portion of the screen, and it is difficult for them to navigate around – they do not know whether the current position is in the centre of the screen or in the corner of the screen,” said Gang Lou from Harvard Medical School. People with low vision often have great difficulty reading and discerning fine details. Magnification is considered the most effective method of compensation for visual loss, researchers said.