Electronic glasses helping those with severe vision loss

For those with severe vision loss, what was once just a blur is now clear for the first time.

An electronic glasses device called eSight won't work for people who are completely blind, but for those who have low vision it can provide a life-changing experience.

Eleven-year-old Emily Anderson is legally blind, but she can see her best friend Emmy for the first time with the help of eSight. They use a high-speed camera to magnify and clarify images that were just blurs before.

"I've just always wanted to see normal and I've always imagined it, so I just felt really, really, really happy, more happy than I've ever felt in my life," Emily said.

Registered with the FDA, eSight is a breakthrough for people of all ages. Users control two screens which can zoom in, freeze and stabilize images.

"As long as they have peripheral vision we're able to use that to almost overstep the blind spot," said Alexandra Dalimonte, outreach coordinator for eSight. "We can fill in that gap that their natural sight can't see anymore."

ESight restores sight for three out of four people with macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, Stargard's disease and some forms of glaucoma.

"It made me feel confident and brave, and not feeling like I was going to trip or fall," Emily said.

Emily's mother Kami Anderson said: "She's proved time and time again that she can do whatever she puts her little mind to, but I just think it will be a little bit easier."

ESight will cost Emily's family $15,000, but they say it is worth it.

"I'm pretty determined to show the world what I'm going to do," Emily said.

ESight is a Canadian company. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind said the effect this technology can have on people with vision loss is remarkable. More than 600 people across North America use the technology.