Countywide : Braille Institute Offers Low-Cost Magnifiers

For about $2, county residents who can’t see well enough with glasses can buy a magnifying lens. For about $75 to $100, they can buy a magnifying screen to fit their television sets.

The Braille Institute offers free consultations about these and other visual aids at its Orange County center, 527 N. Dale Ave., in Anaheim.

“Special magnification devices often enable people of all ages to read, knit or watch television. Many people with failing eyesight are unaware that visual aids exist, or how to obtain them,” said Jamie McAllister, visual-aids consultant at the Orange County center.

With a written referral from an ophthalmologist, optometrist or general physician, residents can make an appointment for a test to help determine the degree of magnifying necessary.

Hank Estrada, a vision consultant in the institute’s Los Angeles office, said the price of an aid depends on the item and its enlargement capacity. A magnifying lens, for example, can cost $2 or as much as $75, Estrada said.