Magnifiers come in many different shapes and sizes. They can make reading mail, paying bills, or enjoying hobbies easier for people with low vision.

This page will tell you about electronic magnifiers. You may also be interested in learning about non-electronic optical magnifiers.

Electronic magnifiers use a camera to capture and zoom in on the image in front of you. They come as upright desktop systems or portable models. Both types allow for either a preset magnification level or a zooming feature much like a zoom lens on a camera. Both types can offer additional features such as contrast settings, color modes and other visual settings. Some models also include the ability to take a picture of the text under the camera and have it read back using a computer voice.

You can buy these devices from companies like Freedom Scientific, Enhanced Vision, Optelec, or Humanware.

What kinds of electronic magnifiers are there?

Desktop Magnifiers

Desktop magnifiers are sometimes called CCTVs or video magnifiers. These machines frequently have a monitor and a camera mounted above a movable tray where material is placed. Some desktop models have cameras that are on an extended arm in front of the monitor which can be rotated downward for reading papers, backwards for viewing distant objects, and front-facing to provide magnification for personal care. Desktop models come in various monitor sizes and configurations. Electronic magnifiers can also be connected to a computer and use the computer monitor as the display screen and can switch between computer screen and magnification screen.

Portable Magnifiers

Portable and handheld electronic magnifiers include a camera located on the back face or on the bottom of the device and a display screen where the magnified view will appear. The portable devices range in size of approximately 3 inches to 10 inches depending upon the model. The larger the screen the more can be viewed or the higher the magnification power.