Legally Blind Mom Sees New Baby With Special Eyewear

A specialized piece of eyewear gave a legally blind woman from Ontario, Canada, the opportunity to do something that new parents may take granted — see her baby hours after his birth.

Kathy Bietz, 29, was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a genetic condition that causes macular degeneration, when she was 11. While she has some peripheral vision, she developed a blind spot in the centre of her field of vision and is legally blind.

She has had a big change in her life since using a device produced by the firm eSight, highlighted by the moment she first saw Aksel, who is now a few weeks old.

After wearing them for the first time, Kathy said she could notice that the baby had her husband’s feet and toes, while he has her lips. The glasses made it possible for her and her husband to have the family experience of looking at their brand new baby, and bonding with him.

The eSight device is equipped with a video camera that sits over the bridge of the wearer’s nose. The images captured from the camera are enhanced and projected onto high definition screens in front of the eyes.

According to Taylor West, a spokesperson for eSight, the patient's eyes perceive more when they look at the screen than they can with their natural eyesight. While the device would not be able to help people who have no vision, it can be customized to suit a variety of eye impairments. A user can adjust contrast, brightness and shadow depending on his or her preferences.

The device, launched in 2013, sells for $15,000. The company has a fundraising department that helps people purchase the eyewear. Those efforts include helping people with crowdfunding efforts, grant applications and a new campaign centred on Beitz's story, dubbed #MakeBlindnessHistory.

Source: CBC News