VR makes a legally blind man see for the first time

Virtual Reality has spawned new innovations in this new field of electronics and computing. With dedicated hardware made available for the public like the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR, virtual reality is indeed made for all.

This means even more to Jamie Soar, a legally blind man who have been suffering from retinitis pigmentosa. This makes him near-sighted which makes him lean over and closer to anything just to see clearly. He also sees double. Much worse, during low light conditions like at night, he needs to use a blind cane to get around.

However, after putting on a virtual reality headset loaded with a demo, Soar was able to see as clearly as if nothing was wrong with his eyes. This is because the VR headsets, along with the images they are flashing, are uniquely designed to be able to trick the eyes. The illusion of depth created by VR, as well as the dual-screen projection method employed by his headset (an HTC Vive), was able to reverse his visual impairment.

HTC Vive has always been associated with virtual reality gaming and entertainment, but this isolated story shows VR can be so much more.

Other special use cases for Virtual Reality

• As early as 2014, scientists proposed creating events and scenes using VR to give members of the jury a deeper understanding of the crime on trial.
• TeenDrive365, meanwhile, developed a virtual reality distracted driving experience to help push its campaign for safe driving.
• It could also be used to provide a safe environment for people to confront their phobias, like this app that can help individuals overcome their fear of public speaking.