A mom who has been going blind for years is getting a fresh sense of freedom — thanks to Meta glasses that help her navigate daily life.
Charlotte Sterling, 64, from Memphis, Tennessee, began losing her vision when she was 17 years old, having been diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease.
Later in life, when she was in her 50s, Charlotte also discovered that she had additional degenerative eye conditions, Retinitis Pigmentosa and Glaucoma, and so she can now only distinguish between light and dark and make out some objects.
These three completely different eye conditions have left Charlotte barely able to see and will eventually lead to her going completely blind.
RELATED: Kind-Hearted Firefighters Surprise Blind WWII Veteran By Painting Home
Losing her vision slowly has been tough, Charlotte said, as even tasks that others might take for granted – “like simply making out a can of green beans in a grocery store” – are becoming impossible tasks.
But Charlotte recently found a new hope in a pair of the Meta Gen 2 Skyler glasses, by Ray-Ban.
The glasses’ technology read out what Charlotte is looking at and describe the object in detail.
This has allowed Charlotte, for the first time in decades, to visit the grocery store, hold an item in her hand, and have an awareness of what she is set to purchase.
The 64-year-old’s daughter, Kat Conner Sterling, was so impressed by how the glasses have given her mom a new level of independence, that she decided to record one of her mom’s recent visits to the grocery store.
Kat shared that clip on social media, where it soon went viral and received a number of amazed comments.
The glasses have been able to recognize other everyday items for Charlotte, too – mail, cooking seasonings, food packaging, credit and insurance cards – and because the glasses can describe color, Charlotte has feels she has regained control of her wardrobe and what to wear each day.
Kat, speaking of the videos she’s been sharing, said: “I was incredibly excited, but it also felt long overdue.
“My mom began losing her vision at 17, so I’ve grown up with her being blind my entire life.
“I’ve seen firsthand how limited accessibility options still are for the blind and visually impaired.
“We’ve done everything we can to make our home accessible using tools like Alexa, Siri, and other iPhone features, but it hasn’t been enough.
“Any new technology that could make her life easier has always mattered to our family.
“I knew this would be a game changer for her.
“She isn’t able to read labels, identify clothes, or recognize everyday items on her own, which is frustrating.
“She deserves, like everyone else, to do these things independently.
“Independence is something people often take for granted, and being able to give her something that helps her more fully experience the world means a lot to our family.
“I hope people take away that accessibility isn’t a luxury or a bonus feature.
“It’s freedom.
“Tools like this can give people with disabilities more independence, confidence, and dignity in everyday moments.”
