2023.
A BLIND MAN IN COLORADO
SPRINGS CAN SEE TONIGHT--THANKS
TO NEW TECHNOLOGY FEW PEOPLE
KNOW ABOUT IT.
A COMPANY CALLED "E-SIGHT"
SAYS THESE GLASSES CAN BE A
GAMEME-CHANGER FOR BLIND PEOPLE
AROUND THE WORLD...
AND OUR ERIC ROSS IS HERE
TO SHOW US HOW IT WORKS....
THERE ARE MORE THAN 250 MILLION
PEOPLE WHO ARE EITHER LEGALLY
BLIND OR HAVE SOME TYPE OF
VISION LOSS.
AND WHILE THERE IS NO "PROVEN
CURE"...THERE IS A PROMISING
ALTERNATIVE THAT COULD HELP MORE
THAN 80-PERCENT OF THE BLIND
POPULATION.
DANIEL RATCLIFF WAS BORN WITH
STARGARDT'S DISEASE.
"IT'S BASICALLY MACULAR
DEGENERATION, BUT THE JUVENILE
FORM." THE DISEASE CAUSED HIM TO
LOSE HIS CENTRAL EYESIGHT....BUT
KEEP PERIPHERAL VISION.
"I WENT THROUGH LIFE KIND OF
JUST PARDEN THE PUN "FEELING" MY
WAY THROUGH AND TRYING TO FIGURE
IT OUT AND ADAPTING." PEOPLE
WITH 20-20 VISION...ALSO KNOWN
AS PERFECT EYESIGHT....
HAVE NO ISSUES DISTINGUISHING
VARIOUS COLORS, TEXTURES, AND
SHAPES....
BUT THIS IS WHAT DANIEL'S VISION
LOOKS LIKE WITH STARGARDT'S
DISEASE.
"THINGS LIKE READING, WRITING,
RECOGNIZING FACES---BEING ABLE
TO SEE INTO THE DISTANCES---IT'S
PRETTY NON-EXISTANT FOR ME.
WHEN I LOOK DIRECTLY INTO YOUR
FACE, IT WILL BE A BIG BLUR
RIGHT OVER YOUR FACE."
HOPING FOR A "CURE", DANIEL
STARTED DOING RESEARCH AND
STUMBLED ACROSS A COMPANY CALLED
"E-SIGHT".
"THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF
THOSE WHO ARE SIGHT IMPAIRED
HAVE SOME REMAINING RETINA
FUNCTION.
E-SIGHT CAN HELP ABOUT 86
PERCENT OF PEOPLE DEALING WITH
BLINDNESS THE 14-PERCENT OF
PEOPLE WHO ARE COMPLETELY
BLIND--WE CAN'T HELP BUT FOR THE
MAJORITY OF THE LEGALLY BLIND,
E-SIGHT HAS A REALLY GREAT
CHANCE OF WORKING FOR THEM." THE
CANADIAN COMPANY DOES TRADE
SHOWS ACROSS THE
GLOBE---AND WHEN DANIEL FOUND
OUT THEY WERE MAKING A PIT-STOP
IN DENVER----HE WENT.
WITH THESE E-SIGHT GLASSES, THE
MOMENT I PUT THEM ON I WAS ABLE
TO SEE MY CHILDRENS FACE AND
GIRLFRIEND'S FACE FOR THE VERY
FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE."
WITH THE HELP OF A GO-FUND-ME
PAGE AND GRANT MONEY FROM THE
INDEPENDENCE CENTER---A LOCAL
ORGANIZATION HELPING THOSE WITH
SPECIAL NEEDS LIVE INDEPENDENT
LIVES---DANIEL GOT THE $10,000
HE NEEDED TO PURCHASE THE
GLASSES JUST IN TIME FOR
CHRISTMAS.
"BEING ABLE TO SEE THEIR SMILE
WHICH I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE
IS....CAN YOU IMAGINE NOT BEING
ABLE TO SEE YOUR LOVED ONE SMILE
AND ONE DAY BEING ABLE TO? I
DON'T THINK WORDS CAN DESCRIBE
IT."
THE GLASSES HAVE A LIVE VIDEO
CAMERA THAT CAPTURES WHAT
YOU AND I ARE ABLE TO SEE WITH
CENTRAL VISION.
THOSE IMAGES ARE THEN PROJECTED
ONTO TWO LENS SCREENS AND CAN BE
MAGNIFIED TO ESSENTIALLY
"REPLACE" THE CENTRAL VISION
DANIEL LOST.
"BEING ABLE TO SEE STREET SIGNS
AND PICK UP A BOOK AND READ IT
TO MY SON, HELP WITH HOMEWORK,
HELP WITH COOKING AND MAKING
SURE MY FOOD IS DONE, I COULD GO
ON FOREVER WITH THE THINGS THESE
GLASSES HELP ME WITH."
"THE FIRST DAY HE HAD THEM ON,
HE WAS SPEECHLESS.
HE WAS JUST TOO BUSY LOOKING
AROUND.
WHEN YOU TALKED TO HIM HE COULD
HEAR YOU BUT HE WAS JUST IN
"AWWW" OF WHAT HE COULD SEE."
"WE ALL CRIED.
WE ALL WERE SO TOUCHED BY HIS
REACTION TO WHAT HE WAS SEEING.
11:02 "TECHNOLOGY CAN REALLY
TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND AND KEEP
YOU FROM BEING ISOLATED."
2:21
ERIC: WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT ME
WITH THESE GLASSES ON, CAN YOU
SEE ME CRYSTAL CLEAR? DANIEL:
YES.
CRYSTAL CLEAR.
ERIC: WHAT AM I WEARING?
DANIEL: I CAN'T TELL IF THAT'S
DARK BLUE OR BLACK BUT I'M GOING
TO SAY DARK BLUE.
ERIC: HE'S RIGHT ON TARGET!
AND I WANTED TO TEST HIS SIGHT
FROM A DISTANCE----ASKING
HIM TO DESCRIBE OUR CHIEF
PHOTOGRAPHER WHO IS STANDING
ABOUT 8 FEET AWAY.
HE'S WEARING A CHECKERED-PRINTED
SHIRT.
I CAN TELL YOU HAVE ON BLUE
JEANS AND SNEAKERS."
MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE HOW
MANY PEOPLE ARE LEGALLY BLIND
AND MOST DON'T REALIZE THERE'S
TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD HELP
PEOPLE SEE."
ALREADY---THE POSITIVE
TESTIMONIALS ARE FLOODING THE
INTERNET-----
AND DANIEL'S CASE----IS JUST ONE
EXAMPLE....
==============================
THE IDEA TO CREATE THESE GLASSES
STARTED BACK IN 2006 WHEN AN
ENGINEER WAS RESEARCHING WAYS TO
HELP HIS TWO LEGALLY BLIND
SISTERS...
7 YEARS LATER IN 2013---THE
FIRST MODEL LAUNCHED----
OVER THE YEARS THE PRODUCT HAS
BEEN PERFECTED AND THE ESIGHT
GLASSES DANIEL HAS HIT THE
MARKET JUST LAST YEAR....
AND YOU MENTIONED EARLIER--- 250
MILLION PEOPLE LIVE WITH SOME
TYPE OF
VISION LOSS--- HOW WILL THEY
KNOW IF THESE GLASSES WILL WORK
FOR THEM?
WELL THE FIRST THING IS TO BE
EVALUATED BY A DOCTOR SO YOU
KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TYPE OF
CONDITION YOU HAVE...
THIS WILL NOT WORK FOR PEOPLE
WHO ARE COMPLETELY BLIND...BUT
THOSE WHO MAY HAVE STARGARDST'S
DISEASE LIKE DANIEL COULD BE
GOOD CANDIDATES FOR THIS
PRODUCT.
IT'S COMPLETELY WIRELESS AND
USES A RECHAREABLE BATTERY
BACK...
THERE'S ALSO A CONTROL KNOB LIKE
THIS ONE THAT CLIPS ONTO YOUR
POCKET...
AS I WALK BACK OVER THE SMART
BOARD YOU CAN SEE BY ADJUSTING
THE KNOB---YOU CAN MAGNIFY THE