Eye disease affects millions of people. But describing vision loss is difficult. With NEI’s virtual reality (VR) app, you can experience what it’s like to live with vision loss from common eye diseases.
To get started, download the NEI VR: See What I See app on your smartphone.
The app also features 4 quizzes to check your knowledge about age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy.
Disclaimer: The See What I See Virtual Reality Eye Disease Experience mobile application does not currently comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Preview the See What I See VR Experience
Explore these images and videos from the See What I See app. Be sure to download the app for the true VR experience!
AMD
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes blurriness or spots in the center of your vision.
Cataracts
When you have a cataract, the lens of your eye gets cloudy. The view is like looking through dusty glass.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy can cause vision loss and blindness in people with diabetes. People with diabetic retinopathy may see floaters (dark spots that move around) and have blurry vision.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma causes vision loss by damaging the optic nerve in the back of your eye. One of the first signs of glaucoma is loss of peripheral (side) vision. Eye exams can catch glaucoma early, before it affects your vision.
Mobile App Privacy Policy
NEI developed the See What I See mobile app, which is available through the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. We do not collect any PII, such as names, phone numbers, mailing addresses, email addresses, or precise location information, when users download or use the app. The app does not require users to create accounts, and therefore NEI does not maintain account information for app users.
To help us understand how the public uses the app and improve its functionality, we use Google Firebase Analytics and Firebase Crashlytics. These services collect limited technical and diagnostic information, including device or app identifiers, app interactions, app version, device model, operating system version, and crash information. This information is used solely to evaluate app performance and improve user experience in support of the NIH mission. It is not used for commercial advertising or marketing purposes.
Analytics and crash-reporting information is securely handled through the Google Firebase services used by the app. Crash-reporting data is generally retained for up to 90 days. Analytics data associated with device or app identifiers is retained for 14 months, after which eligible data is deleted in accordance with the analytics service’s data retention and deletion process.
The app does link to the NEI website. If you choose to access the NEI website through the app, information about your visit to the website will be collected in accordance with the applicable NEI and NIH website privacy policies. Read NEI’s complete Website Privacy Policy.