The most obvious task that was difficult without my Optacon was reading the mail--seeing who it was from, especially frustrating was when I would receive Christmas or birthday cards from people who used return stickers which are usually quite readable. Also, I use raised-line checks for some of my financial management, and I always like to make sure my typing was correct. I realize that with online banking, automatic withdrawal etc, there would be a way around that challenge. I sometimes use the Optacon to read package directions if I have forgotten how to prepare some pre-packaged foods. One can sometimes ask a neighbor or friend for help with those, but it's fun to see how readable they are. Also, just the ability to quickly pick up a piece of printed paper and try to see what it is will be very wonderful to do again.My mother knows that I have an Optacon and even when it had stopped working, she always printed on cards for me and tried to select ones she thought I'd be able to read. Hopefully she'll still do that. I have a scanner with openbook, but it's not the same as the spot checking we can do with the Optacon. I hope this info is helpful. Lerae To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject. Tell your friends about the list. They can subscribe by sending a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "subscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject.