A fifth grader had the chance to see his mother clearly for the first time in his life thanks to electronic glasses. The 12-year-old boy traveled from Virginia to Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago to demo a new wearable device called eSight. The gadget's headset contains a high-speed camera that first captures live video then sends it to a LED screen located in front of the user's eyes.
Christopher Ward, Jr. has been legally blind his entire life. His mother Marquita Hackley explained that it was exciting to watch her son see clearly for the first time in 12 years.
Hackley shared the first thing Ward did after putting on the e-glasses was to turn to her and say "There you are!" She said it was heartwarming that he could see her and tell her she was pretty, according to ABC News.
Ward was also able to use the smart glasses watch his favorite TV show "SpongeBob." Hackley explained that he could watch TV in the past but the images were unclear even when he sat directly in front of the screen.
Ward was born with a condition called optic nerve hypoplasia, which prevented his optic nerve from developing fully before birth. He has a little light perception in his left eye and very low vision in his right eye.
Hackley shared that her son can only see objects if they are so close they are almost touching him. The 5th grader wears eyeglasses on a daily basis mainly to protect his eyes instead of improving his vision.
Ward's mother believes that the electronic glasses would give her son more opportunities in life. He could stay in regular school classes and learn how to read and write print. Ward explained that reading print books would make him "home free."
He now uses a braille typewriter to communicate via text and an abacus for math problems, according to ABC 7.
Hackley is in the process of raising money to buy an eSight unit for Ward. They have a $15,000 price tag and are not covered by insurance.
She describes her son Christopher as a loving child who is always happy and never complains. Hackley has started a page at crowdfunding site YouCaring, while Ward's classmates have launched a school fundraiser.