Skip to main content

Could these electronic glasses change a blind person’s life?

“Oh Mommy, there you are!” 12 year old Christopher Ward Jr. said as he saw his mother for the first time. He was born with optic nerve hypoplasia, so his view of the world ended about five inches from his nose. Luckily his mother learned about eSight glasses, and took him from Forest Virginia to Washington, DC to try them out.

“When I looked at her she was pretty,” the young man said, bringing half of us to tears.

Related Videos

eSight glasses use a small, high resolution camera and live streams enhanced video directly in front of the user’s eyes. Software ensures there’s no lag time allowing the wearer to seamlessly go from reading a book to looking at someone sitting across the room, then out a window. eSight Eyewear helped a mother see her baby for the first time, and kids as young as six years old see a world they’ve never been able to view before. “Pretty cool glasses huh?” Chris said, drawing a laugh.

Yes, indeed. They won’t work for everyone — for 14 percent of the world’s sight-impaired population, those completely blind or severely sight-impaired, eSight glasses are ineffective. But they do work for legally blind and those with low vision, like Chris.

Unfortunately, one pair of eSight glasses carry a $15,000 price tag, though the company offers free demos. Ward’s mother Marquita Hackley told WSET, “Whatever it takes to raise the money for it, that’s what I was determined I was going to do.”

The difference these glasses can make in Chris’ life is painfully evident. Because he can’t see the words on a printed page, he learned Braille and uses a special typewriter to turn in his school assignments, but even now, some textbooks aren’t available for him. As he moves on in life, specifically to high school, sticking to paper and a typewriter will become more difficult; for instance, his high school primarily uses computers, which Chris can’t see at all.

So Chris’s mother set up a crowdfunding campaign for him. 565 donors raised $25,241 before Ms. Hackley closed the fundraiser. She’s overwhelmed by all the well-wishers. She said, “All the messages that we’ve gotten on Facebook and emails, I mean it’s just amazing.” The extra money will go into a trust fund for Ward’s college tuition.

Editors' Recommendations

This Microsoft Teams exploit could leave your account vulnerable
A video call in Microsoft Teams is displayed on a laptop.

According to analysts from cybersecurity company Vectra, there's a massive vulnerability within Microsoft Teams, and countless users could potentially be affected if hackers gets their hands on it.

The program has a flaw that makes it possible for attackers to steal the login credentials of users and log into their accounts. Unfortunately, Microsoft is not planning to patch this right now, so read on to make sure you're staying safe from this unexpected Microsoft Teams issue.

Read more
Logitech’s new webcams are an alternative to Apple Desk View
logitech brio 500 alternative to apple desk view 2

Logitech unveiled its newest Brio 500 webcam and Zone Vibe headphones today, taking aim at the large workforce still stuck at home using Zoom and Teams.

BE YOUR BEST SELF ON EVERY VIDEO CALL | Brio 500

Read more
How much storage do you need on your new iPhone 14? Here’s how to decide
The five Apple iPhone 14 colors.

The new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are finally available, and Apple is again offering a selection of storage tiers. The big question is just how much storage do you need on your iPhone 14? Similar to last year, the iPhone 14 series lets you choose as little as 128GB and as much as 1TB. This means that if you want to get a new iPhone, you'll need to pick between 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB options. Bigger isn't always better, nor is it always excessive. Only you know how you use your phone, but here's a quick guide to help you pick which iPhone size is the best option for you.

Model
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max

Read more