COSMETIC CONSIDERATIONS IN DESIGNS OF TELESCOPIC SYSTEMS

WHILE THERE ARE NEW OPTICAL SYSTEMS FOR PERSONS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS APPEARING ON THE MARKET, THESE NEW ADVANCES CONCENTRATE ON THE OPTICAL AND FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF THE SYSTEM WITH MINOR CONCERN GIVEN TO THEIR APPEARANCE. THE MOST COMMON REASON FOR REJECTION OR UNDERUTILIZATION OF OPTICAL AIDS IS DUE TO THEIR APPEARANCE. IN PHASE I DESIGN OF COSMETICALLY ACCEPTABLE TELESCOPIC AIDS WILL BE PURSUED. THE DESIGNS WILL LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EXPERIMENTAL MODEL OF BEHIND-THE-LENS OPTICS UTILIZING THE KEPLERIAN AND GALILEAN FOLDED OPTICS CONCEPT AND UNIQUE COMBINATIONS OF LENSES, PRISMS, AND MIRRORS. THIS CONCEPT WILL ALSO BE UTILIZED TO ADDRESS THE NEXT LARGEST PROBLEM IN LOW VISION^REDUCED PERIPHERAL FIELDS. AN EXPERIMENTAL MODEL OF A MINIFYING SYSTEM WILL ALSO BE DEVELOPED. PROTOTYPES WILL BE FIELD-TESTED WITH CLINIC POPULATIONS IN PHASE II. BECAUSE OF THE INCLUSION OF COSMETIC CONSIDERATIONS IN THE DESIGN OF TELESCOPES, IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT A GREATER NUMBER OF VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSONS WILL USE TELESCOPES. THROUGH INCREASED LEVEL OF USAGE THESE PEOPLE WILL ENJOY AN OPTIMUM LEVEL OF RESIDUAL VISION AND BECOME MORE ACTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE.