A blind veteran is regaining his independence after being given a cutting-edge vision device by sight loss charity, Scottish War Blinded.
Rod MacLaren, of Auchterarder, was diagnosed with Stargardt disease in 1994 and for the past two decades, the 83-year-old retired farm worker, has adapted well to his diminishing eyesight. Then last year he found he was beginning to rely more and more on friends and family for help.
But now MacLaren says he is regaining his independence after being presented with an Orcam MyEye by the sight loss charity, that gives free support to ex-servicemen and women of all ages.
Orcam features a discreet camera which is fixed to the arm of a pair of glasses and turns text into speech, reading it aloud to the wearer.
MacLaren said: ‘When I was first told about the OrCam I thought it wouldn’t be for me – I thought it would be a great big thing. But I was sold on it as soon as I had the demonstration. It’s incredibly clever and very easy to use.’