Daisy: This is Justin Crilly.
Justin: Okay.
Daisy: He’s legally blind. But thanks to the headset he’s wearing,
he can get around on his own. And see the world just fine.
And this isn’t just some experiment - if you’re legally blind, you can buy it and start seeing
right now. No surgery. No body modifications. All you have to do is put it on.
I’m Daisy Rosario and I’m on a mission to find tomorrow.
In the US alone, one-point-three million people are legally blind. Some can’t see anything at all, but most people have what’s referred to as low-vision.
Dr. Bruce Rosenthal at Lighthouse International is an expert in vision loss.
Dr. Rosenthal: Low vision is a term that’s very misunderstood. It’s irreversible vision loss not in one eye, but in both eyes.
Most people think that when they’re blind, they have no vision at all.
Daisy: But that’s not necessarily true.
And according to Robert Hilkes, a VP at a Canadian company called eSight, this eyewear can help people with all kinds of vision problems.
Robert: So, we work especially well with those diseases that either affect somebody's
central vision so they have this annoying blind spot right in the middle of their field
of view or people who have what we call general field loss which means all your
vision in your entire field is diminished for whatever reason
Daisy: And that's why Justin was excited about eSight. Lower tech tools like magnifiers
and CCTVs weren't helping to make his life better.
Daisy: What was it like for you
before eSight, during the school year or after school one day when you maybe have homework, or you have something. I mean, was that--
Justin: Painful
Six hours a night. So basically 12 hours of doing schoolwork.
Daisy: So now what’s it like?
Justin: Cut it down to one or two hours.
Daisy: I got to try eSight myself, and using it is actually pretty straightforward.
There’s a tiny camera in the nose of the glasses.
The image from that camera is displayed on a small HD screen inside of the headset.
The image is big enough to be visible in the user’s peripheral vision, where they might be able to see more detail.
Yvonne: Like, I can see the corner of this building.
Daisy: And the control unit also allows users to make custom adjustments to things like zoom, focus, contrast, and color.
That can be a huge help for people with limited eyesight.
Daisy: This also reminds me of, like, a 90s idea of virtual reality.
Video: So here we are going into virtual space.
Robert: We kind of like that because the gaming space, and that whole virtual reality, “I wanna watch movies on an airplane or whatever” is kind of normalizing the idea of wearing these electronics on your face.
Justin: You see what I’m saying? They’re singing country songs, but they’re rapping it.
DJ: It’s kind of like… yeah… country EDM maybe.
Justin: Country trap.
Daisy: For Justin, being able to see detail in the world around him lets him do more of what the things he loves, like DJing.
Here at his DJ lessons, he plugs the computer directly into eSight so he can see the screen through the headset.
Daisy: Do you think anyone would even notice what your eSight is for, if you were using it while you’re DJing?
Or do you think they’d think it’s like a DJ outfit?
Justin: They’d probably think I’m a DJ.
Daisy: Yeah, and probably be like, “oh, that’s just his thing.”
Daisy: Do you have a DJ name yet?
Justin: J-Crill
Daisy: J-Crill?
Justin: Yeah
Daisy: Justin’s mom, Stacy, knows how important eSight is to him.
As soon as he tried them on and he looked across the room and was able to see what was on the wall
it was a no-brainer for me you know I knew he needed them
Daisy: But actually getting eSight isn’t always that simple. There’s one big thing holding it back.
So how much does the product cost?
Brian: So the product costs $15,000
Daisy: That's a lot of money for a device that's not usually covered by insurance
Brian: $15,000 is what we have to charge to make this an economically viable business
Nevertheless as we talked about this is a disadvantaged group of people in general
Daisy: To help those people, eSight has started a fundraising program. That's where Yvonne Felix fits in.
She works with people who want eSight but need help with the cost
That can mean helping them set up a donation website or it could mean
convincing their employer to pick up the tab. But Yvonne's passion isn't selling
electronics -- it's making art. She creates sculptures, outdoor installations
And large-scale paintings. So on a personal level
eSight changed her entire world
I went to New York back in February. I went to the MoMA.
And I was literally shaking like a Chihuahua because I thought, "Oh, I’m gonna get to see works that I’ve always looked at when I was in school in books."
And we came around the corner, and then there it was. Oh Starry Night, it’s like my favorite painting, and I was like ‘Oh my gosh, it’s here. And I get to look at it.’ It’s like I get to do all these things in life now.
It really matters.
Now it probably seems like the high price of eSight could be what keeps it from really catching on.
Dr. Rosenthal worries that, since eSight doesn’t require a prescription and hasn’t been tested clinically,
people could spend $15,000 on a device that doesn’t directly address their specific medical problems.
Dr. Rosenthal: I think as a professional, my message is:
get an evaluation, if you’re cleared by the doctor, and you’re taken care of, what you do is fine.
I mean, I’m a professional who’s interested in people not losing their vision, and getting the best care.
But for people who are good candidates for eSight, it might actually be a bargain.
Schools and employers already spend a lot of money on disability services and tools, and that can add up to a lot more than a one-time $15,000-dollar cost.
At the end of the day, eSight is an amazing tool that’s already making life
better for legally blind people, and their families.
Daisy: Do you think he understands at all what it is like for you? 'Cause obviously for him
it’s empowering, it feels confident, but do you think he gets for you how much of a change it’s been?
Stacy: I think at the end of the day, he does. He knows that he’s able to do much more, and he’s
not as dependent. So I think he gets it.
Daisy: You know, is eSight something that’s exciting for you?
Justin: Yeah. Like, for me,
now that I know that it’s… that I have it and everything, it’s made my life a whole lot better.
There are a lot of legally blind people who want their own eSight, but not all of them can afford it.
On websites like GoFundMe, you’ll find plenty of people trying to raise money
to buy the device, and there are potentially millions worldwide who could benefit from it.
Now, it just needs to get to the people who need it most.