Skip to main content

New version of EV News reader for people with age-related Macular Degeneration now available

New version of EV News reader for people with age-related Macular Degeneration now available

  • Date09 January 2020

EV News, a free web app for people with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, has been updated with even more features.

EV News 2 version

A new and improved version, the ‘EV-platform’, which will not only help people with macular disease read the news, but now allows them to read eBooks and emails as well as being able to copy and paste any text they wish to read.

Dame Judi Dench first started using the original version of EV News in 2018, which helped her to learn scripts and read articles.

She said: “The device developed by Robin at Royal Holloway University is enormously beneficial, as it allows you to read as fast or as slow as you want and has a focal point for you to concentrate on.

“It really is a huge help and I hope a lot of other people with AMD find it as beneficial as I do.”

The unique app presents text as a single scrolling line, like a news RSS feed, and was created by Professor Robin Walker, from the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, and is supported by the Macular Society.

It was designed to support the use of reading with the ‘eccentric viewing’ technique, whereby the text is presented as a single line that moves across the computer screen and the individual holds their gaze slightly away from the text that scrolls from right-to-left like a news ticker.

Professor Robin Walker said of his app: “Our research into reading in people with visual loss informed the development of this free reading aid and we are pleased to be able to make it widely available to people with macular degeneration.”

Jonathan Ward, Development Manager from Thomas Pocklington Trust, a charity for people with sight loss, is a fan of EV News which has enabled him to read to his children again, as well as loading his agenda and notes on the app for work.

The latest version is now available to download and is compatible with the latest versions of Chrome, Safari and Firefox on desktop, tablet and mobile.

For more information on how to access the reader, please visit www.ev-platform.org

The EV News reader was first created by Robin Walker, and Codica Ltd, a London-based digital product studio.

Explore Royal Holloway

Get help paying for your studies at Royal Holloway through a range of scholarships and bursaries.

There are lots of exciting ways to get involved at Royal Holloway. Discover new interests and enjoy existing ones.

Heading to university is exciting. Finding the right place to live will get you off to a good start.

Whether you need support with your health or practical advice on budgeting or finding part-time work, we can help.

Discover more about our academic departments and schools.

Find out why Royal Holloway is in the top 25% of UK universities for research rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.

Royal Holloway is a research intensive university and our academics collaborate across disciplines to achieve excellence.

Discover world-class research at Royal Holloway.

Discover more about who we are today, and our vision for the future.

Royal Holloway began as two pioneering colleges for the education of women in the 19th century, and their spirit lives on today.

We’ve played a role in thousands of careers, some of them particularly remarkable.

Find about our decision-making processes and the people who lead and manage Royal Holloway today.