6 visual impairment breakthroughs you need to know

March 22, 2017 By Danielle Kirsh

[Image courtesy unsplash.com]

About 285 million people have some form of visual impairment in the world, according to the World Health Organization. Of that number, 39 million are considered blind, and 246 million have low vision. Three-fifths of all vision impairment can be prevented or cured. Uncorrected refractive errors are one of the main causes of vision impairment in the world.

There have been a host of recent breakthroughs, however, that offer hope for the visually impaired. There’s a smart watch that relays smartphone notifications using braille and retinal prosthetics that could restore sight.

Here are 6 recent vision impairment innovations and breakthroughs you should know.