Novartis Pharmaceuticals launches the first app for visually impaired people for use with the Apple Watch and other smart watches

Novartis International AG / Novartis Pharmaceuticals launches the first app for visually impaired people for use with the Apple Watch and other smart watches . Processed and transmitted by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

• New features of the ViaOpta apps, previously available for iPhone and Android^TM mobile phones, are also available to enhance the daily lives of people with visual impairments
   

These apps foster independence through step-by-step navigation and help facilitate recognition of everyday items such as money, colors, objects and people
 

ViaOpta apps are currently offered in several  languages including English, German, French, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, Greek, Portuguese, Dutch, Italian and Hungarian

The digital press release with multimedia content can be accessed here:

 

Basel, June 30, 2015 - Novartis Pharmaceuticals announced the release of new features for its ViaOpta applications, and the extension for use with smart watches. The discreet, hands-free nature of using ViaOpta app with wearable devices, such as Apple Watch and Android Wear, provides users with an experience that seamlessly fits into their existing routines allowing those with visual impairments to navigate daily life with even greater ease. To see these applications in action, click here for a short video demonstration.

Real-World Patient Benefits
"With the help of ViaOpta apps, people with impaired vision can do things such as walk to a nearby café, go to the pharmacy, and pick up their grandchildren at the kindergarten - helping to increase confidence and independence and maintaining discretion," explains Ian Banks, Chair, The European Forum Against Blindness (EFAB).

ViaOpta Nav is the first turn-by-turn navigation app available for a wearable device designed specifically for visually impaired people, providing voice guidance and vibration settings, which alert the user to upcoming intersections and landmarks. The users can ask for their exact position, add waypoints to a calculated route, and find nearby destinations or landmarks and save them as favorites. Users and their caretakers can also share and access a person's exact location.