India is home to one of the largest populations of visually impaired individuals, with over 50 million people affected. Despite this staggering number, only 6–8% have access to white canes, and access to advanced assistive devices is almost non-existent for the majority. The current market offerings are either too expensive, impractical for real-world use, or fail to meet the daily mobility challenges faced by the visually impaired. Smart devices that do exist are often noisy, unreliable, or not designed with user comfort and affordability in mind. Furthermore, the public support system for vision-related causes is weak—many people refrain from donating due to distrust, lack of awareness, or personal financial constraints. This lack of accessible tools and societal support has left millions without the ability to move independently or live with dignity and safety in their everyday environments.

RETINA (Real-time Environment Tracking & Intelligent Navigation Assistant) is an affordable, intelligent smart glasses solution designed to empower the visually impaired with safe and independent navigation. Priced at just ₹3000–₹4000, RETINA combines the power of computer vision with practical hardware including a Raspberry Pi, camera module, GSM, MPU for fall detection, vibration motors, and lithium-ion batteries. The glasses offer human proximity detection with haptic feedback, real-time traffic light recognition with text-to-speech guidance, and a dedicated emergency alert system that sends the user’s location to caretakers and helpline centers. In addition, RETINA includes a web-based caretaker ecosystem that provides live location tracking and video streaming for remote monitoring and assistance.