I guess it depends on what country you live in as to what vision aids are offered/available or within your price range. I have lived in England and Canada and now live in Sweden and have always been offered great vision aids that work well for me. In all of these countries, I was able to have the adaptive equipment on long loan, returning them when they were no longer of use for me, or replacing them with modern alternatives. As my vision has deteriorated through the years, I have had to try new devices. At first I could easily read text with a loupe but now I need a CCTV. No two of us have the same visual acuity so, of course, one has to try out the device(s) that could help with just your acuity/needs.
Maybe a good start would be to read the Guide to Buying Low Vision Magnifiers and What are Low Vision Optical Devices.
Loupes
A good selection of these can be seen via Magnifying Aids as well as many other options.
Other hand-held magnifiers/vision aids
One that I now have is the i-loview 7 HD which is a nifty device I can have in my pocket/handbag. The i-loview 7 HD is a high definition video magnifier that has a 7 inch screen which can be used for both close up and distance viewing too. For example, if I cannot read a street sign, I can take a photo of it and then zoom up to a size that I can read … great for anything that is hard for me to see, e.g. bus numbers and any type of signage. See a demonstration video on You Tube. I also use my iPad in the same way, take a photo and zoom in for detail … but my iPad is heavier 🙂
CCTV
I have used a CCTV to read text for many years. Right now, I use one from Low Vision International which I am really happy with. Check out their other great products too.
At work, I have used a desktop CCTV system that goes via my computer that divides the normal computer screen to show one half as your computer work area and one half as the document that you are viewing via the CCTV. See a list of camera units which share a computer’s monitor on via the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired website.
Another piece of adaptive equipment that I acquired recently is the VisioBook. This I can take with me to meetings/courses and read even text on the white board. However, I do find that I have to have such a high magnification that not everything fits on the reading screen therefore I have to move the whole device around to read everything …. a drawback. However, this could be a super choice for those of you who do not need a high magnification. It can even be used when seeing to apply make up!
This information just scrapes the surface of what is available for us with low vision/Stargardts. As I mentioned, after trying out various devices, I am sure you will find a device that suits just your acuity/needs 🙂