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Blind 12-Year-Old Sees Mom For The First Time Through Electronic Glasses

April 29, 2016

Fifth grader Christopher Ward, Jr., has been legally blind all his life, but he recently got to see his mother for the first time through new electronic glasses.

The 12-year-old from Forest, Virginia, traveled up to Washington, D.C., a few weeks ago to demo a new wearable technology called eSight.

eSight's hands-free headset contains a small, high-speed camera that captures live video, which is sent to a LED screen in front of the user's eyes, allowing them to see with "unprecedented visual clarity," according to eSight's website.

For Hackley, witnessing her son use the glasses and "really see for the first time in his 12 years of life" was "overwhelming and exciting."

"The very first thing he did was turn to me and say, 'Oh, Mommy! There you are!" Hackley, 32, told ABC News. "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."

Hackley is now raising money to buy eSight for Ward, she said, explaining that the glasses cost $15,000 and her insurance doesn't cover it.

She believes the technology could change Ward's life and open up more opportunities, such as getting more chances to stay in regular classes and learning how to read and write print.