The SilverEco 2026 trade show took place at Porte de Versailles from February 18 through 20. With 12,000 visitors and 350 exhibitors, it has become Europe's largest event devoted to the silver economy, a sector worth about €130 billion in France, according to a 2025 DREES report. Vision loss occupied a central place this year, with an entire themed pavilion. Here is what we saw and what it means for the older adults affected.
1.7 million people in France affected by AMD
Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, remains the leading cause of blindness after age 50 in France. Official figures updated by INSERM in 2024 count 1.7 million people with the condition, including about 200,000 at a severe stage that qualifies as low vision. AMD affects more than one in four people after age 75 and more than one in three after age 85.
The pressure will grow. Combined INSERM, INSEE, and CNSA projections presented at SilverEco indicate that more than 2.5 million people in France could have AMD by 2050. Two factors overlap: an aging population, about one-third of people in France will be over 60 in 2050, and longer life after diagnosis. People live longer with AMD than they did 20 years ago, which mechanically increases prevalence.
Beyond AMD, there is glaucoma, with about 800,000 diagnosed cases and as many thought to be undiagnosed; diabetic retinopathy, affecting one million people as type 2 diabetes grows; cataracts, very common after age 75 but fortunately operable; and several rarer conditions. In total, more than one in four older adults lives with significant visual impairment.
The four major challenges for older adults identified at the show
Everyday independence
Making coffee, identifying medication, paying for groceries, or walking down stairs: every ordinary task becomes negotiable when vision declines. Occupational therapists at the show emphasized that loss of independence is often less closely tied to the objective severity of an impairment than to the absence of appropriate assistive technology. Someone with moderate AMD and the right equipment may live better than someone with mild AMD who does not know solutions exist.
Reading
Reading is the activity older adults with low vision most often describe as “lost”: the newspaper, a recipe, mail, or medication instructions. It is also among the easiest to compensate for through optical magnifiers, electronic video magnifiers, reading machines, and now mobile apps that read any photographed text aloud. Lumyeye belongs to this last category: it is a software alternative to dedicated reading machines that often cost €2,000–€4,000.
Social connection
No longer recognizing your grandchildren at a glance, seeing the expression on another person's face, or reading a text message immediately makes vision loss a powerful driver of social isolation. INSERM reports that the risk of major depression among older adults with low vision is two to three times that of the general population of the same age. Voice tools that make it possible to keep calling, messaging, and sharing photos with family therefore become mental-health tools, not merely technical ones.
Safety
Falls at home are the leading cause of accidental death after age 65 in France, according to Santé Publique France in 2024. An older adult with low vision falls 1.5 to two times more often, on average, than a peer with typical sight. Solutions at the show included fall detectors, automatic nighttime light paths, and mobile alert apps. For everyday safety, knowing what is in your hand, checking an expiration date, or identifying a household product, AI vision apps such as Lumyeye provide complementary help.
Innovations seen at SilverEco 2026
The “Vision and Independence” pavilion brought together about 30 exhibitors. Six innovations particularly stood out to us:
- Next-generation portable video magnifiers, manufacturers including HumanWare and Eschenbach showed lighter models with seven-inch OLED screens and five-hour battery life, able both to read text and display reverse-contrast images for atrophic AMD.
- Mobile AI vision apps, Lumyeye, Seeing AI, Be My Eyes, Oorion, and Envision were all represented. See our solution comparison for details.
- Devices eligible for MDPH funding, an entire booth run by CNSA and several regional disability agencies explained how families and professionals can use the PCH benefit to finance assistive technology.
- Smart-building systems for nursing homes, sensor-controlled adaptive lighting, higher-contrast signs, and audio wayfinding in hallways were demonstrated by several pilot facilities.
- Desktop 3D braille printers, solutions priced below €3,000 for libraries and nonprofits, making local production of accessible documents more widely available.
Madame Lapierre's story: a 78-year-old Lumyeye user
Madame Lapierre, whom we met at our booth, agreed to share her experience. “I was diagnosed with wet AMD in 2022. Two years later, despite the injections, my left eye had fallen below 1/20. The right one is holding. I have lived alone in Rambouillet since my husband died in 2019.”
“My daughter installed Lumyeye on the iPhone she gave me for my 75th birthday. At first I barely opened it. Then one Sunday, I had to read the dosage for a new medication and could not manage it. I tapped Lumyeye, photographed the leaflet, and it read it aloud. The voice was gentle, not mechanical. Since then, I use it every day: letters, grocery labels, the weather, and even Spotify to play the music I used to dance to with my husband. I do not know how to use ‘real’ computers, but I know how to use Lumyeye.”
Her story represents an audience app designers often overlook: older adults who did not grow up with digital technology but can adopt it when the interface is voice-based, simple, and free of complicated menus. That is precisely the idea behind Lumyeye Pro for iPhone.
Possible funding: MDPH, PCH, AAH, and APA
Too few older adults know that France's public programs can fund much of the cost of visual-assistance technology. These are the main routes.
APA, the personalized independence allowance, is for people over 60 who have lost autonomy. It does not directly fund assistive devices, but covers human assistance and minor adaptations. PCH remains the priority for specific visual aids before age 75, while APA applies to older applicants.
AAH, the disabled adult allowance, is not funding for assistive technology but an income-replacement benefit for people whose ability to work has been permanently reduced. Under certain conditions, it can be combined with a pension.
What comes next?
The organizers announced a 2027 show, with the date to be confirmed in October 2026. Priorities identified include integrating smart glasses into nursing homes, systematically training home-care aides in digital independence tools, and shortening MDPH processing times for visual-assistance technology. Lumyeye will follow all three areas closely.
In the meantime, if you are affected or support someone who is, the best starting point is to try several solutions for free. Our 2026 visual-aid buying guide maps the market, while our app comparison helps with software choices.