English

Be My Eyes was created to help people who are blind or low vision. The app is made up of a global community of blind and low vision people and sighted volunteers. Be My Eyes captures the power of technology and human connection to bring sight to people with vision loss. Through a live video call, volunteers supply blind and low vision users with visual assistance for tasks ranging from matching colors to catching the right bus to preparing dinner. The app is free to use and available on both iOS and Android.

970,000+

Volunteers

BLIND

How it works

Blind and low vision users can request help from a sighted volunteer, who is notified on their phone. As soon as the first volunteer accepts the request for help, a live audio-video connection is established between the two parties. Through the blind or low vision user’s rear-facing camera, the volunteer can see the item or subject the user needs assistance with and provide the visual description.

Live audio-video connection between the two parties
90 % of calls answered within 30 seconds
Add the languages you speak in settings

How you can join

To join the Be My Eyes community, download the Be My Eyes app from App Store or Google Play and sign up as a blind/low vision user or as a sighted volunteer.

hand holding a smartphone showing the Be My Eyes interface

For blind and low-vision users

As a blind or low vision user, you can request assistance through Be My Eyes at any time of the day, from anywhere in the world, in more than 180 languages. Be My Eyes connects you to a sighted volunteer who speaks your language and can help you with anything from simple tasks, like checking expiry dates, to more complicated situations, like navigation or finding a lost item.

10 common ways people use Be My Eyes

You can use Be My Eyes for anything that requires visual assistance. Here are some common examples of how people use Be My Eyes:

Finding lost or dropped items
Describing pictures, paintings or other pieces of artwork
Matching or describing colours
Reading labels
Fixing computer issues
Shopping for groceries
Identifying the expiration date on food products
Familiarizing yourself with new surroundings or navigating in a new place
Distinguishing between different items
Determining public transportation arrivals and departures

Specialized Help feature

With the Specialized Help feature, you can receive help directly from our partner companies and organizations if you have issues or questions regarding their specific products or services. Just tap the Specialized Help option and choose a company from the menu to call through Be My Eyes. You will be directly connected to a company representative through a live video connection.

Han holding a smartphone showing the Be My Eyes Community tab

For sighted volunteers

As a sighted volunteer, you’ll receive a notification when a blind or low vision user requires some assistance. When a blind or low-vision person request assistance, we send out a notification to several volunteers (usually 10). The first volunteer to answer the request will be connected to the blind or low vision user. Don’t worry if you’re not able to answer the call, another volunteer will step in instead.

The app is set in a way that all calls are connected at random - only based on language and timezone. You will only receive calls in the daytime hours of your local timezone between 8am and 9pm. Be My Eyes only takes a few minutes of your time, making it easy to fit into any schedule and make a real difference in another person’s day.

We are quite overwhelmed by the number of volunteers who want to help. Currently, there are over 1 million volunteers, receiving your first call can take some time.