Be My Eyes

Sometimes it's the most mundane conversations - today I received a call from a lady asking to identify the shampoo and conditioner that she had bought, and it just struck me that sometimes it's the very simple things that could make such a big difference. 

What if you could have a physical identifier for all shampoo bottles, for instance, that would differentiate them from the identically shaped conditioner bottle? 

There are small things that could make differences to differently abled communities, and wouldn't necessarily need much changes. 

We often take our lives for granted, the physical and mental gifts that we are given; and just like Sheryl Sandberg in her own realization of the struggles that everyday women went through in their pregnancy, we all take for granted how things are supposed to be. 

We assume that others should conform to a medium, instead of trying to make a world for everyone. 

When I first joined the app, I thought I would do it just to help some people out, but I'm learning so much from it than I ever expected, and I'm thankful for that.

Be My Eyes

When I first downloaded the Be My Eyes app, I didn't expect to get a call so fast - after all, some people wait ages before they even get a call; and yet just days after registering for an account, I received a call from a young Indian gentleman asking me if I could help him check if his printout had printed correctly. 

Unfortunately the camera wasn't able to focus too well, but I could make out that he had printed out some sort of email and a receipt, and told him. He was so excited, and kept repeating that this was such a cool app, and I couldn't help smiling at his excitement. 

I've had patients who've had to deal with losing their eyesight, and sometimes, I wish we had more resources to help with their everyday adaptation. 

Seeing individuals like the gentleman I spoke to earlier, seemingly independent and adapted makes me happy, and having if technology like this can make their everyday lives a little bit easier, it shows that we're heading towards the right direction. 

For those interested, the app is called Be My Eyes, and you can download it to your phone and sign up as a volunteer.