pat_healy_visionize_macular_degeneration
SEEING: Pat Healy explored the world through a virtual reality headset on Saturday. The device is paired with a program developed by Marshall resident Frank Werblin to help people with macular degeneration.   David Briggs

A new smartphone app that helps people with low-vision underwent a successful litmus test in West Marin last week.  If the app—designed by a former professor who lives in Marshall—secures federal approval, it could provide millions with a relatively affordable option to remedy failing eyesight.

Created by Frank Werblin, a Marshall resident and former professor at the University of California, Berkeley, the app treats macular degeneration, an incurable eye disease that severely impairs vision. His…