Sane.initiate() works but no scanner detected

Hey, 
I'm working on a project where I create an app that uses python-sane that detects scanners and scans, etc. The scanner I have works by itself if I use the program that comes with the scanner. However, `sane.get_devices()` does not recognize any scanners and returns an empty list. I'm a bit confused why this is happening amd how to troubleshoot it. TIA