- My next guest,
30 year old Ashley married her high school sweetheart,
Mike and they have three adorable young sons.
Now Ashley loved photography
and started a successful business.
But two years ago,
Ashley noticed something happening with her vision.
She went to her doctor
and the news was devastating.
- Hi mommy.
- My life was a juggling act.
I have a beautiful family and a career that I love.
I really didn't think life could get any better than that.
My world turned upside down due
to an auto-immune disease.
I was losing my sight. - I felt like it was
on my shoulders to fix
what Ashley was going through.
It was rough.
- I was devastated.
I wasn't going to be able to see my family's faces again.
Please don't take your vision for granted.
I found a purpose in life with social media.
You can see my everyday life
from cooking to changing a diaper.
This is called an OrCam.
The OrCam My Eye device has given me independence
that I really never thought I could have.
- [Computer] Thinking back
to the time I could see things.
The OrCam has allowed me to interact with my kids.
Yeah, this is my life,
Oliver, Bentley.
Just because you lost your vision,
doesn't mean you lost your life.
(camera clicking)
- Well Ashley is joining me virtually
so nice meeting you, Ashley.
- Hi, Dr. Phil,
thank you so much for having me.
- Well listen,
I am such a big fan
of this technology that is so life changing.
And what was the first thing you thought
when you learned
that you were losing your sight?
- Dr. Phil,
I was so scared.
Even though I knew I had such
a great husband and children,
I just didn't feel like I could be
a wife or a mom anymore.
I couldn't even read books
to my kids.
My whole career with photography came to an end.
I sank into such a deep depression.
I could barely get out of bed,
but eventually I found a way to make it work.
- Well, I can just imagine
because being a photographer and all
of the activities of daily living
that are disrupted.
And Ashley,
we saw you are definitely making it work.
And a big part of that is this OrCam MyEye
which I'm such a huge fan of.
Tell us about that and how it's impacted you
- About a year ago,
I had on your show
and I heard about the OrCam MyEye
for the blind and visually impaired.
- Let's take a look.
Maya,
how has this OrCam device changed your life?
- It can help me read books.
- Is there anything you can't do?
- It's not about what I can't do,
it's about what I can do.
(audience applauding)
- So Ashley when you saw that,
how did it affect you?
- As soon as I heard all the independence
that this little girl got
from the OrCam MyEye,
I just knew I was gonna have to have one.
Now I can do things
that I didn't even think were possible.
- Of course.
And can you show us
how the OrCam MyEye let's you read,
give us a demonstration if you will.
- Sure, let me show you parts from this newspaper
that only interest me.
(machine beeping)
Smart reading. - Ready?
- Read the headlines.
- [Computer] Found two headlines.
First result,
transform the way you read.
Second result,
top tips for working from home.
- Read second article, - Top tips
for working from home.
Working from home for many people is not the norm
but in this current situation,
we are far away from normality.
- Exit. - That is amazing.
(audience applauding)
Joining us to explain how it works is OrCam consultant
and spokesperson,
Dr. Brian Wolynski.
Good to see you again.
This device is amazing.
So tell us about it.
- Sure, good seeing you again too to Dr. Phil.
The OrCam MyEye gives people
who are blind,
visually impaired
or have reading difficulties independence
in their daily life.
Just as Ashley showed us,
she was able to read only the texts
that she wanted with OrCam's smart reading feature
which could be used to read from books,
newspapers and even digital screens.
OrCam also recognizes products
for shopping and people in your daily life.
- Well, I would think
OrCam MyEye would be great in the workplace
as well, right? - Absolutely,
it's why OrCam is available
in many state vocational rehabilitation agencies,
helping people succeed in work,
meet their reading challenges
and just succeeding and achieving in anything they want.
- Yeah, Ashley,
now that you're a social media influencer
with a hundred thousand followers
what is your main motivation online?
- I really want to be a voice
for the blind and visually impaired.
And I want them to know that just
because I'm blind didn't mean my life was over.
I just had to learn to do things differently.
And always remember y'all,
you can do hard things.
- Yeah, no doubt about it.
And if you or someone you know is interested
in purchasing an OrCam MyEye,
just go to orcam.com for all the details,
you will be absolutely astounded.
And just for my viewers,
there is a limited time $500 promotional package discount
but it's only valid for the next two weeks.
I want to thank all of my guests today
and a special thanks to OrCam consultant and spokesperson,
Dr. Brian Wolynski.
And Ashley,
thank you for sharing your inspiring story.