A Legally Blind 12-Year-Old Sees Mother For First Time With eSight Glasses

Fifth grader Christopher Ward, Jr. was visually challenged. But electronic eSight glasses helped him to see his mother, Marquita Hackley, for the first time ever. This new wearable technology was being used by the 12-year-old for the first time in his life.

The wearable, hands-free headset has a small, high-speed camera that is able to capture a live video and send it to an LED screen before the user's eyes. This can give the user visual clarity.

Hackley found her son's experience "overwhelming and exciting."

"The very first thing he did was turn to me and say, 'Oh, Mommy! There you are!" Hackley said. "And then to hear him say, 'I saw my mom, and she was very pretty,' was so heartwarming. And aside from pretty, just the fact he could even see me meant the whole world to me."

The reason for Ward's visual challenge was optic nerve hypoplasia, stemming from an underdevelopment in the optic nerve that reduced light perception in his right eye and led to low vision.

"Something has to be up in his face, almost touching for him to see it," said Hackley. "And even though Ward wears glasses on a daily basis, they're more for protection than vision because there is a strong possibility he could lose the little sight he does have if were to get hurt or hit in the face."

The eSight glasses cannot work for 14 percent of the world's sight-impaired population. People who are completely blind or severely sight-impaired cannot use them. However, those who are legally blind and with low vision can see the world once more.

The first eGlasses were offered as a free demo by the company for Ward, who travelled from Forest VA to Washington DC for the trial.

Though they were priced at $15,000, Hackley was determined that she was going to somehow raise the money to get the glasses.

"Whatever it takes to raise the money for it, that's what I was determined I was going to do," Hackley said.

A crowdfunding campaign that she set up raised $25,241 from 565 donors before she put a closure to it. She now feels overwhelmed, and said, "All the messages that we've gotten on Facebook and emails, I mean it's just amazing."

She has set aside the extra money for a trust to fund his college tuition.