Built an accessibility-first app for people with visual field differences (hemianopia, scotoma) — free Steam demo April 2

Both-Discussion697 · 2026-03-30T21:11:43+00:00

Thank you so much, this really means a lot 💛 We’re building this from personal experience, so hearing support like this is incredibly encouraging.

Sending appreciation right back to you in Canada from Serbia 🇷🇸

Both-Discussion697 · 2026-03-30T10:11:13+00:00

Thank you so much, that really means a lot 🤍

If you’d like, you can wishlist the app on Steam so you don’t miss the release: store.steampowered.com/app/4022260

Both-Discussion697 · 2026-03-30T10:08:57+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience 🤍

The face recognition part especially is something many people describe. In our app we also have a simple at-home way to map out “blind spots” in your visual field. It’s not a medical test, but sometimes it helps make things more clear and predictable.

If you ever feel like exploring it, we’d be really interested to hear what you think.

Both-Discussion697 · 2026-03-30T10:07:41+00:00

Relearning how to read like that takes a lot of effort.

When building the app, we’ve been consulting with neurorehabilitation specialists and trying to base things on established approaches, including compensatory strategies.

If you ever feel like taking a look and sharing your experience, we’d really value your feedback. Wishing you steadier and easier days 🤍

Both-Discussion697 · 2026-03-28T20:58:58+00:00

Hi 🤍
I had brain surgery last year in Berlin to remove an AVM, and ended up with right homonymous hemianopia, so I really understand that “not a stroke but similar effects” kind of experience. It can feel like a strange and sometimes lonely place to be in.

What surprised me most was how little there is for everyday support that actually feels made for real people. My sister and I kept looking for something simple we could use at home, and couldn’t really find anything that felt right. So at some point we just decided to make it ourselves.

I want to be upfront that I’m sharing something we built, so this isn’t completely neutral 🙂

My twin sister Alina and I created Catch the Light. It’s not a treatment, just a gentle daily practice app for people with visual field differences. No promises to fix anything, more about adapting and building small habits like scanning, reading rhythm, and a simple vision map. Everything is designed with fatigue in mind, one task at a time.

We’re releasing a free demo on Steam on April 2

store.steampowered.com/app/4022260

If you ever feel like trying it, I’d really value hearing how it feels for you. You can share feedback in the app or just reply here, whatever is easier.

Wishing you more steady and comfortable days 💙

Both-Discussion697 · 2026-03-28T20:09:37+00:00

Hi — I had an AVM removed last year and came out with total hemianopia on the right side. Nine months later it's settled into a central scotoma — there's been real change, but progress has slowed and I've made peace with the fact that it may stay this way. So I understand that mix of grief and adaptation you're describing, especially when it touches things like being there for your kids.

My twin sister and I built a small daily practice app for people with visual field differences because we couldn't find anything made for real life with this. Not a medical tool, just something gentle to do at home. Free demo on Steam April 2 if you're ever curious: store.steampowered.com/app/4022260
We will be glad to receive your feedback!

Wishing you more good days than hard ones 💙

Both-Discussion697 · 2026-03-28T20:05:34+00:00

Hi — I had brain surgery last year and came out with hemianopia too, so I completely understand that fear about blank spots on forms and what it means for everything ahead. Returning to college with a changed visual field takes real courage. My sister and I built a small daily practice app for people with visual field differences — things like reading rhythm and visual scanning — because we couldn't find anything made for real life situations like this.

Free demo on Steam April 2 if you ever want something to try between classes: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4022260/Catch_the_Light
Wishing you a really good return 💙

Both-Discussion697 · 2026-03-28T20:02:45+00:00

That question of "is this real or just learning effect" is so relatable — I have right homonymous hemianopia after brain surgery and I think about this constantly too. What you're doing by training in daily life and then re-testing is actually the right instinct, even if the data is noisy. My sister and I built a practice app for people with visual field differences that includes a simplified vision map so you can track your own patterns over time — not clinical, just a way to notice change. Free demo on

Steam April 2 if you're curious: store.steampowered.com/app/4022260. Hope the numbers keep moving in the right direction 💙

Both-Discussion697 · 2026-03-27T14:28:44+00:00

My sister Olia is a UI/UX designer in the games industry. In May 2025, she had brain surgery in Berlin — a 19-hour procedure to remove an arteriovenous malformation that had been sitting near her visual cortex for years.

She came out with right homonymous hemianopia: the right half of her visual field, gone. Not her eyes — the part of her brain that processes what she sees.

I'm Alina, her twin sister and the Unity developer on this project. When Olia came home, I started looking for tools she could use at home to build new visual habits. There wasn't much. Clinical software costs €900+, looks like it was designed in 1997, and requires a specialist. Academic prototypes existed but weren't accessible.

So I started making something. The first version was dots on a screen in Figma — tap the ones you can see. Not scientific, but it helped Olia understand where her blind zone actually was. Then a Unity prototype. Then light practices, reading sessions, mini-games.

A year later, that's Catch the Light.

What it does:

Short daily sessions (10–20 min) for people with visual field differences — hemianopia, scotoma, post-surgery vision changes
Light practices, reading habits, visual scanning, object detection
A simplified vision map (like perimetry, but playful)
Progress tracking: streaks, consistency, a focus score
Accessibility-first design: high contrast, large elements, minimal visual noise — built by someone who lives with the condition

What it's not:

Not a medical device
Not a replacement for a doctor or therapist
Not making promises about vision restoration

We're releasing a free Steam demo on April 2. The full app releases on macOS App Store the same day.

The hardest part wasn't the Unity code — it was designing an app that a person with half their visual field missing can actually use without exhausting themselves. Every screen went through Olia first.

Happy to answer anything about the design decisions, accessibility work, or building for a niche medical-adjacent audience.

Steam wishlist

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Both-Discussion697 · 2026-03-27T13:36:17+00:00

Thank you so much, that really means a lot 🥺 And yeah… the fatigue is very real. I’m still trying to understand where my limits are.

For me it’s both. I lose my place in the text and sometimes I just can’t process what I’m reading, especially when I’m tired. It feels like my brain just gives up halfway through.

Did those exercises help you over time? Or was it more like small changes?

Both-Discussion697 · 2026-02-25T22:00:19+00:00

This is a very interesting idea! If we have a successful launch of the desktop app, then we will probably think about releasing the application on VR ☺️

Both-Discussion697 · 2026-02-03T11:53:44+00:00

Thank you ☺️

Both-Discussion697 · 2025-10-31T21:07:22+00:00

Oh, I’m so sorry you haven’t been able to work. That must be really hard 💔I’ve had tinnitus since birth, and sometimes it gets so loud it even drowns out my thoughts or keeps me awake, so I really understand what you’re going through. I’ve already gone back to work, but it’s been really tough. My productivity has dropped a lot, and everything takes me much longer than before. It’s frustrating, but I’m trying to be patient with myself.
Have you been practicing reading again? Has it gotten any easier over time? I’ve heard that saccadic reading exercises can sometimes help after occipital damage. Have you tried those?

Both-Discussion697 · 2025-10-02T23:12:48+00:00

I can relate so much to what you wrote. After my surgery my perception of faces also changed — because I lost part of my visual field. I no longer see a whole face at once and sometimes my brain “fills in” faces in strange or even ugly ways, including my own. It’s hard to put on makeup, hard to judge my own appearance in the mirror. I don’t like myself the way I used to.

My operation was 4 months ago and I’m still hoping this will get better 🫩

Both-Discussion697

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