A local boy who is severely nearsighted is using augmented-reality technology to see the world more clearly.
Felix Regis, 10, from Reston, Virginia, has had severely impaired vision his entire life. But this past summer, he received a pair of augmented reality glasses.
“They film the outside world and they project it on the electronic screens right here, in front of the user's eyes,” said Kristi Moor, with NuEyes, the company that created and manufactures the glasses.
“What this does is it gives him the ability to actually see, outside of what for him is just a gray area,” said Glenn Regis, Felix’s dad.
“Especially faces, he had to be two feet away,” said Ina Laemmerzahl, Felix’s mother.
Anyone who is legally blind or severely visually impaired is eligible for these glasses.
A few hundred people now have them, and the cost is just under $6,000 a pair. The glasses are wireless and voice-activated.
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They have changed Felix’s life.
“For the first time, he went to his class meeting with his peers, and he was able to see their faces,” said Whitney Kiper, a teacher for special education in grades 3 through 6. “He knew their voices, but he didn't know their faces.”
His teacher said he used to have to sit right up next to the board to be able to see just a little bit.
“He loves the glasses a lot, and he's been sharing them with his class, showing them how they work,” said Kiper.
“I think this opens up his world in a way that so far we have not had,” Laemmerzahl said. ”Any technology like this in all the ways that this helps.”
Felix's parents said he feels like one of the other kids now.
