An Irish-made device which helps visually impaired people to see a little more clearly is proving to be a big success in the US.
For years people with diabetes, muscular degeneration (including ageing effects) and other diseases have had to accept continual deterioration of their sight, long after normal eyewear is of use to them.
The Quicklook, designed and produced by Naas-based Ash Technologies in Co Kildare, is a hand-held aid that enables users overcome their disabilities by magnifying text to a more readable size.
Quicklook has been in production since October and its success in the US is being attributed to its size, adaptability and affordability.
Several thousand units have been sold worldwide in the first six months of production, and the device is attracting big interest from Brazil, Japan and throughout Europe as well as the US.
In Ireland, Quicklook can be purchased directly from Ash Technologies or through the National Council for the Blind in Ireland.
With a $795 price tag in the US (€695 ex VAT here), it is one of the more competitively priced visual aids on the market.
Ash Technologies is pioneering development of portable visual aids. For the past 10 years it has produced practical devices to help people suffering from uncorrectable vision loss.
According to Hugh Maguire, operations director with Ash Technologies: "This is manna from heaven for people with such problems. We focused on affordability for people who want and need this sort of device."
Earlier products from Ash Technologies needed to be connected to monitors from which readers could see a magnified version of printed text, but obviously this was restrictive for users who wanted portability.
The Quicklook, which was featured in the New York Times recently, is ideal for people who struggle to read small print on labels or menus in restaurants. The device uses a miniaturised digital flip camera, which is adjustable to show enlarged text on the four-inch screen to a size individuals can read without straining their eyes.
It is more practical than previous options such as wearable telescopes and magnifying desktop machines that have been available for years.
The company exports to 35 countries worldwide, with the export market making up the majority of the firm's business. Ash Technologies is planning to expand its workforce of 21 this year to cope with the increased demand for the new product.