eSight Eyewear
New Horizons in Vision Technology

The majority of cases of vision impairment and blindness stem from uncorrected refractive errors and cataracts. According to WHO, at least 2.2 billion people worldwide suffer from vision impairment, facing restrictions in their independence, mobility, and educational achievement, as well as an increased risk of falls, fractures, and injuries. Canadian electro engineer Conrad Lewis witnessed this struggle first-hand as both his sisters were legally blind. He wanted to make life easier for them by creating a device to help them see, work, and independently perform all activities of daily living (ADLs). This laid the foundation for eSight Eyewear—a company dedicated to helping people with low vision and legal blindness explore new possibilities. Currently, the company is on the fourth iteration of its feature product, eSight4.

“Unlike other assistive wearables that allow people to sit at their desk and perform certain activities, eSight prioritizes its design for mobility and ease-of-use,” states Brian McCollum, the Chief Commercial Officer at eSight Eyewear. “Across the board, we’ve seen the eye wearable segment continue to rely on the classic CCTV concept. While many devices allow users to magnify and change the color of objects under the camera lens, they’re not portable.”

Other more rudimentary tools for those with ophthalmic conditions include handheld magnifiers. Although they can be cost-effective and largely portable, they limit users’ movements significantly, making it difficult to multitask. eSight Eyewear sought a way to blend the various assistive devices, creating a specific standalone hardware and software to enhance the ability for users to perform all tasks with ease, hands-free and untethered.

eSight is a Class-I FDA-registered device used by people with central vision loss resulting from macular degeneration, Stargardt disease, and those with blurry vision, blind spots, and more.

eSight’s technological approach has been clinically validated by six leading low vision institutions that proved a seven-line gain in distance acuity, 100 percent mobility retention, improved facial recognition, and a 12-letter contrast improvement. It captures high-quality video and images using a small camera installed on the device and displays it on two high-resolution OLED screens, directly in front of each eye. Weighing less than a pound, its patented bioptic tilt, and advanced algorithms enhance and optimize the live footage before displaying it on the two screens, thereby transmitting more visual information to the brain for maximum functional vision. eSight works in tandem with the wearer throughout the day and operates wirelessly with built-in vision control features, allowing the users to manipulate the image by magnification, color, and contrast changes. The visor of eSight incorporates wearers’ natural peripheral visions, supplying a high-definition visual range for any task, from sitting to reading, commuting to work, or exploring a new place.


“Our mission at eSight Eyewear is to educate the greater low vision community about the technologies available to improve vision,” says McCollum. “Initially, we utilized a direct-to-consumer approach, organizing online demonstrations for potential clients. Our feedback was good, but due to the nature of the product, we found better success working with low-vision specialists and optometrists to better connect with candidates best suited for the device.”

eSight Eyewear continues to expand its outreach by creating a strategic partnership with Gentex, a technology company and long-time supplier of electro-optical products for the global automotive, aerospace, and fire protection industries. Together, they plan to come out with its next generation of product by leveraging Gentex’s technical expertise in optimizing lightweight and accessible cameras, sensors, and batteries.

“We will be launching the next eSight device along with our unique platform to partner with the ophthalmology segment, connecting with those early in the vision loss journey and in the low vision optometry setting,” concludes McCollum.