One of my most valuable takeaways from CES 2018 was realizing the variety and sophistication of assistive technology for blind or visually impaired people that is now available. Mixed in among the smart devices, self-driving cars and wearable tech were innovative products and systems designed to help blind or visually impaired people be more independent. Here are three examples.

Ici Vision, an Israeli startup, showcased its Enhanced Vision Engine (EVE), which it describes as “a fusion of both software and hardware systems, brings together artificial intelligence, computer vision, image processing, retinal projection, mini HD cameras, and proprietary eye tracking algorithms.” EVE takes into account each person’s individual visual condition—and captures an image of what they should be seeing using specially equipped smart glasses. Then it processes the images, fills in the missing visual information for a more detailed view, and projects that image onto the retina.

Eyesynth presented technology that enhances the hearing experience with spatial information. The Spanish company’s smart glasses take the environment in 3D and transform it into audio. The system produces a subtle sound, giving the ability to distinguish shapes, spaces and obstacles with a high degree of accuracy. Eyesynth calls it the Augmented Sense Experience.

Orcam debuted MyEye 2.0 at CES. The artificial vision device features a lightweight smart camera that instantly reads text aloud—in 10 languages—from any surface. It also recognizes faces, products and paper money in real time.

These technologies could be life changing for patients with blindness or significant vision problems. I encourage you to learn more about them.