24/04/2015

Digital Glasses Allow Legally Blind Lady To See Her Baby For First Time


There’s no shortage of heartwarming videos on YouTube, and this is no exception. In the short clip, you get to see the moment when a legally blind woman sees her newborn baby boy for the first time, thanks to a pair of innovative electronic specs.


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The woman in the video, Kathy Bleitz, has been legally blind since the age of 11. She suffers from a condition called Stargardt disease, which is an inherited degenerative disease that causes a significant reduction in central vision, but peripheral vision is usually retained. The progressive loss of vision associated with the disease, which usually starts between the ages of 10 and 20, is due to the death of light-sensitive photoreceptor cells in the central portion of the retina, which is called the macula.



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Although Bleitz is not completely blind, she has a blind spot in the center of her vision which means she sees objects and faces as hazy, undefined shapes. While there are currently no treatments to help individuals like Bleitz regain their vision, this smart new invention can help visually impaired people see more of the world using cutting-edge technology.


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