"What's the smallest line on the chart that you're able to read?" says optometrist Dr. Jeffrey Sonsino of Vanderbilt University.
"O, K, S, V, Z," says Sue Martin.
Sue loves to read, but macular degeneration makes seeing the words a lot harder.
"Now, I have to read with a magnifying glass and a bright light. And I love to read, so I still read books and magazines, but it is, does takes longer," says Sue.
Sue is one of the millions coping with low vision.
"Low vision is technically defined as somebody who is best corrected to 20/60 or worse in the better seeing eye," says Dr. Sonsino.
Low-tech reading aids like a bright lamp and a magnifying glass are commonly recommended.
"The problem with that is that it's not very portable. So somebody has to be sitting in the same spot to be able to use that strategy effectively," notes Dr. Sonsino.
So the doctor came up with a solution - low vision eyeglasses.
He says, "The glasses combine three aspects. The first is magnificaion, the second is a little prism to allow the eyes to stay straight, instead of curving in, and the third is LED lighting."
The combination of lighting and magnification provide the boost these patients need.
"In the clinical trial, we found an 89 per cent improvement in reading over what the patient is currently using, where that's reading glasses or their bifocal lenses," says the doctor.
Vanderbilt is helping bring these eyeglasses to market through their technology transfer office.
They should be available later this year, and will cost around the price of a pair of bifocals.
For more information, go to www.lowvisionreaders.com.