VISTA ---- As the population ages, there's a growing number of baby boomers who strain to read newspapers, make out the small symbols on maps and peer at their computer monitors.
That's good news for Optelec US Inc., a seller of devices for those with vision problems.
The company's line of magnified displays enlarge text and images and allow colors and contrast to be adjusted as desired. They're made both for desk use, such as at a computer, and for use on-the-go use, such as reading a restaurant menu. Optelec sells these and other devices for the vision-impaired, including such low-tech necessities as easy-to-read measuring cups, at www.shoplowvision.com and through dealers.
The company is the U.S. division of Optelec International, based in the Netherlands. The parent company says it pulled in revenue of $18 million to $20 million in 2009, and has 35 to 40 percent of the U.S. market, and 65 percent of the global market for low-vision devices.
The purpose of Optelec's products is to enable those with low vision to lead as independent a life as possible, said Andre Hardy, president of Optelec US. Optelec sells to customers with "low vision," formerly called the legally blind. They are somewhere in the middle between 20-20 vision and complete blindness.
"If someone has a retinal disorder and their vision is to the point where regular glasses won't help them, then we have products, then we have products that fall into the category of assistive technology," said Hardy, a former NFL running back who was named president in January. "It's much like someone with low hearing who needs a hearing aid. We distribute visual aids."
Price for the products can reach into the thousands of dollars. An Optelec ClearView+ 19-inch high-contrast flat-screen magnifier costs more than $3,000. The magnifier can enlarge the apparent size of objects placed under it by up to 65 times. For portable use, the Optelec Compact Mini sells for about $400.
About 35 people work in the Optelec U.S. headquarters in Vista, Hardy said. The Vista headquarters handles U.S. and Latin American sales. Products are sent to Vista for inspection before being shipped to customers.
Those with low vision typically have trouble reading the text in a newspaper or on a document, Hardy said, and their vision cannot be brought to near-normal with corrective lenses.
Many are elderly; about 6.5 million Americans older than 65 have low vision, according to the American Foundation for the Blind. The causes include glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. Others are not age-related, but genetic, such as retinitis pigmentosa, Hardy said.
Visit www.optelec.com or call 800-826-4200.
Call staff writer Bradley J. Fikes at 760-739-6641. Read his blogs at bizblogs.nctimes.com.
