It is unfortunate that with many eye conditions damage is permanent and cannot be reversed. The key is prevention but most people don't know what to look for at onset.

My idea is a 3D simulator (there would be a browser based WebGL version as well as a Virtual Reality one) that would let people see through the eyes of someone with different eye conditions. For example for glaucoma people's peripheral vision goes first so in that simulation you'd see the world through more of a tunnel (perhaps with rainbow halos, that being a symptom of an acute episode). For retinal detachment flashers and floaters would be simulated (one would have to gather good data from sufferers to make it as accurate as possible). For cataracts things getting milky and halos could be shown. Every eye condition could have a simulation and one could sample every simulated condition to see if what they or someone they loved were seeing matched it.

The technology has matured enough where one could do this convincingly with the Unreal 4 engine or something similar.
-- lepton, Feb 25 2016

Visual snow simulator. http://visionsimula...ulators/visual-snow
[2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 25 2016]

Palinopsia simulator. https://www.youtube...watch?v=uNPCLjAxGjw
Really not very accurate yet. [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 25 2016]

Most of the rest of them. http://visionsimulations.com/
[2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 25 2016]

If you use a microscope after someone who needs glasses uses it without their glasses you get to experience how blurry their unglassesed world is. But in the other direction, I suppose.

I think this idea could be adapted so that just like with a microscope, the screen could change focus to the point where people who need glasses can see the screen perfectly even though they never actually bought glasses because they are scared that needing glasses means you are old. And also they are cheap.
-- bungston, Feb 25 2016


Visual simulators are being developed.
So far the one's I've stumbled across center around visual snow and it's associated visual weirdness-es, They are not great to say the least.

I will link to the one's I know of.
(+)

The kids need this to be able to explain to adults what they see.
Yes, I am very sure of this.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 25 2016


// I think this idea could be adapted so that just like with a microscope, the screen could change focus to the point where people who need glasses can see the screen perfectly even though they never actually bought glasses because they are scared that needing glasses means you are old. //

"Use something on a computer screen to make glasses unnecessary" is a common suggestion. Everyone who suggests it seems to have not noticed that glasses have custom-ground lenses in them, while screens do not.
-- notexactly, Feb 26 2016



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