eSight: Vision for the (Legally) Blind

During our time in California with Uncle Brian, we had the chance to visit his work place. Uncle Brian is the President and CEO of a company called eSight which is a Canadian company that makes glasses for legally blind people. The glasses are actually made in Ottawa which is very close to home!

eSight glasses are made to improve vision for people who are legally blind. They are made with 2 organic LED screens as lenses and high definition cameras to display what the wearer wants to look at on the screens. The eSight glasses are worn on top of normal glasses with a strap around the head. The strap is used to distribute weight around the head instead of only on the nose.

The glasses come with a little control box which is completely mobile. With the controls, the wearer can zoom in and out, change the contrast, and fix in on little details.

The glasses can also take up to 1000 pictures which can also be stored and viewed. Another cool feature is being able to hook up the glasses to a computer, television, or laptop to watch movies or videos.

Current owners of the glasses say they still do many activities they did before. For example, younger people who wear eSight still play sports. At the moment, one can’t drive with the glasses but the company is working towards achieving this in their updated models.

Quotes from users on the eSight website

“Working in an office is a breeze with eSight and I couldn’t imagine work without it. I’m a user for life!”
– Leslie (kitchen designer)

“Now that I can see, it’s the first time I truly feel part of my classroom.”
-Carson (Elementary school student)

“I saw a face for the first time in ten and a half years. I literally broke down crying… it’s like a gift for the rest of my life.”
-Shera (Retiree)

When we were in the office, Uncle Brian let us watch a patient get the glasses for the first time so we were able to see how they work. The patient was amazed when he put on the glasses and was able to see clearly. It reminded me of when I got my first pair of glasses and how incredible it was to be able to see the world around me without having to squint.

It is incredible to see how these glasses are able to give legally blind people the ability to see. Maybe in the future people who are fully blind will be able to have the gift of sight as well. Uncle Brian has dedicated his whole life to giving people the ability to see which is the best gift one can ever give.  He has totally inspired me!