Being able to see is something that many of us may take for granted, but it’s something that a local student will never overlook. On Friday, he received a gift that has him seeing the world in a whole new way.
Music for Martin Velasco is truly a journey of sound. Unlike his fellow band mates at Robstown High School, the 15-year-old learns music by hearing it instead of reading it because he’s legally blind.
Martin had problems with his vision since he was three years old, and it took a recent turn for the worse. That makes routine things much more difficult for him.
"Walking, doing classwork — a whole bunch of other stuff i can’t really explain," Velasco said.
That’s why when martin’s aunt found out about eSight, she knew it could be life-changing. The electronic glasses include a camera that delivers real-time images to h-d screens in the lenses. People can then use a remote allows people to zoom in and out of those images, and to adjust things like color and focus. The found out firsthand how powerful the technology is when Martin tried on the high-tech device during a demo.
"Marty’s vision is 20/400. When he put the glasses on, he was able to see the second to last line on the eye chart," Gloria Martinez told KRIS 6 News of her nephew’s experience. "Since then, I told my brother-in-law, ‘I don’t care what I have to do. I’m getting him those glasses."
That would prove to be a tall task since the eSight glasses cost $10,000. But with the company’s help, and to the family’s surprise, the money was raised in just a week. That led to the moment that Martin was surprised with his eSight glasses on Friday.
The teen got emotional as he talked about how we felt wearing them, saying through tears, "Finally, being able to see."
Nick Flores, who is both a user and advocate of eSight, helped Martin and his family on this journey. He was part of Friday’s surprise.
"I know those emotions when, you know, all of a sudden it’s like, ‘Wow. This is going to help me see for the rest of my life.," Flores said.
Martin Velasco says, for the rest of his life, he’ll be grateful for those who helped him.
"Just all the effort they put into getting me these glasses — they really care."
eSight and Velasco’s family was able to get the glasses to Martin before the family’s big trip to Disney World. Here’s to wishing Martin a great summer vacation.
