Be My Eyes – Lend Your Eyes to the Blind
Be My Eyes is an new app which connects blind or visually impaired children and adults with sighted volunteer helpers from around the world using live video chat. By downloading the Be My Eyes app you could start helping blind people see.
How does the app work? A blind or visually impaired person requests assistance through the Be My Eyes app. They might request help with the expiry date of a bottle of milk, or ask for help navigating their surrounds. A volunteer helper then receives the video and describes it.
The benefits of volunteer work are well known. This could be the start of a new form of volunteer work – virtual volunteering. Be My Eyes is a great way to join a group of volunteers, help when you have time, and be a part of real change in people’s lives. The app allows you to earn points for helping.
The Be My Eyes project and app was created by Hans Jorgen Wiberg who himself has a visual impairment.
For more information on the Be My Eyes program or the Be My Eyes app, please visit http://www.bemyeyes.org
Our staff challenge for 2015 is to get as many sighted helpers from our team at Sydney Ophthalmic Specialists on board helping the blind and visually impaired.