A Scots mum has been able to "read" a letter from her daughter's school for the first time thanks to a life-changing device.
Jolene Whyte, from Aberdeen, who suffers from severe sight loss, had to give up her job as a carer in January due to agonising headaches and being left unable to see.
The 36-year-old was born with a congenital eye malformation in her right eye which has left her with Corneal scarring in both of her eyes.
But now a state-of-the-art device is helping restore her independence so she can get back to navigating her busy life as a mum-of-two, Aberdeen Live reports.
The OrCam MyEye allows Jolene to use vocal commands to find specific information on a page and reads it out loud to her through the “Smart Reading” function.
The device which can be attached magnetically to any pair of glasses, also helps her know where her young children - aged three and seven - are when they are out together at the park through facial recognition technology.
It can tell her what items she is looking at in her cupboards or while out shopping by reading barcodes, and it recognises the value of different bank notes.
The OrCam MyEye, which comes at a cost of £3,700, was given to Jolene after North East Sensory Services (NESS) received funding from the Rotary Club of Aberdeen designated to the purchase of two devices.
NESS supports thousands of people across Scotland who struggle with visual and hearing impairments, with their service stretching across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Dundee, Moray and Angus.
Jolene said: “I’m still learning about everything the OrCam MyEye can do, but I know it’s going to be life-changing.
“It’s scary having two kids and losing your sight. My son is three so he is at that age where you really need to know exactly what he’s up to.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen and just have to take every day as it comes. The OrCam MyEye will look for my kids when we are at the park and tell me where they are in proximity to me.
“One of my biggest problems has been with travelling, but now the device will read the boards at the train station and everything is much easier.
“There are so many different things I can use it for, it really is amazing. I’m so grateful to everyone at NESS for all their support, and to the Aberdeen Rotary for the donation that has made this possible.”
