Legally blind Bryan man details journey to 20/20 vision with technology

BRYAN, Ohio — For Bryan resident Benjamin Murray, life is finally clear - but for the first 26 years of his life it wasn’t.

He was born legally blind with optic nerve atrophy.

"I was passed from doctor to doctor, ophthalmologist to ophthalmologist," Murray recalled.

In August 2015, he heard about a breakthrough technology called eSight, an additional pair of smart glasses that gives the visually impaired 2020 vision. It fits to a patient's head and can be worn over glasses.

Murray says he was skeptical about testing out the technology, but eventually made the trip to Dayton with his family to give it a try.

"They had me look over at my dad and all I could was just stand there and sob," he said. "Once I got a hold of myself and realized what just happen, she [an eSight representative] goes, 'you just saw for the very first time in your entire life.'"

Thanks to a community fundraiser, Benjamin was able to raise $15,000 for his first pair of eSight glasses.

Six years later, now at 32-years-old, he owns the most updated pair, and is on a mission to spread the word of eSight.

"Ben’s heart is bigger than Ben, and he’s a big boy," said Jim Funderburg, Benjamin’s friend and coworker.

Funderburg says eSight has completely changed his life.

"For Ben, anything that he does takes him a little longer because of the vision. The help with the eSight has been wonderful because he's caught on a lot quicker."

Although Ben is still legally blind without eSight, he's still hopeful for his own future.

"I want to be an eSight coach. They teach people over Zoom and the telephone how to use these."

But it's not just his future that he cares about.

eSight isn't widely covered by insurance.

Benjamin says he want to petition insurance companies to try to change that.

"There is hope and don’t give up because if you give you might’ve missed a great opportunity."