When she was 16, Rose Sarkany was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that causes a loss of peripheral vision. Since then, her sight has faded to about five degrees of peripheral vision (compared to about 170 degrees for most people).
Despite her vision loss, Sarkany, who lives in Port Alberni, B.C., runs a lot, and while she used to require a guide, she can now run solo thanks to a navigation app called RunGo.
Unlike other fitness apps that just track runs, RunGo’s voice navigation system guides users through every turn. Sarkany has enough vision that she can see any obstacles in her way on the road or trails, but she says it takes a lot of concentration, and RunGo helps her a lot.