Wearable enables legally blind to see

|16 February 2017|

North America

The legally blind can see again thanks to game-changing wearable technology.

eSight electronic glasses enable those who are legally blind, or have low vision, to take part in sport, watch television, go for a walk and do all the other things people with normal sight do every day.

Labeled an “engineering breakthrough” eSight “is a unique wearable medical device that enhances the functional vision of a person who has low vision or is legally blind,” according to the company’s website.

“eSight houses a high-speed, high-definition camera that captures everything the user is looking at. eSight’s algorithms enhance the video feed and display it on two, OLED screens in front of the user’s eyes. Full color video images are clearly seen by the eSight user with unprecedented visual clarity and virtually no lag.”

Founder Conrad Lewis, an engineer, was inspired to develop the breakthrough tech by his two sisters – both are legally blind.

He said: “If I can assemble teams of engineers who can build incredible products for the commercial market, why not assemble an engineering team that can build electronic glasses that would let my sisters see?”

While eSight can’t currently help those who are profoundly or totally blind – a figure put at less than 15% of the 300 million people worldwide categorised as blind by the World Health Organisation, “eSight works for most” of the remaining group.