BERLIN — Following a miraculous one-week fundraising effort, a local family has taken the funds donated by the community and hopes to within a month have the technology to allow their legally blind son to see what so many take for granted each day.
A beautiful sunset over the bay, a wild horse roaming on Assateague or a crowded beach on a perfect summer day are all images many enjoy on a daily basis around these parts, but for one local teen, legally blind since birth, they are merely blurred visions left largely to his imagination.
Caleb Conner, a 15-year-old sophomore at Stephen Decatur High School, was born premature to parents Robert and Sheri Conner at 25 weeks and weighed just one pound, 13 ounces. Robert Conner is a chef at the Captain’s Table Restaurant inside the Courtyard by Marriott and Sheri Conner is employed through the school system at Ocean City Elementary School.
Caleb spent the first 14 weeks of his life in the NICU, battling and overcoming many life-threatening setbacks, but the one obstacle he could not overcome robbed him of his sight.
Caleb suffers from retinopathy of prematurity, which has left him completely blind in his right eye and severely near-sighted in his left eye. With vision in only one eye, Caleb has limited peripheral vision and no depth perception. His corrected vision is 20/200 and the prescription for his contact is -25. His field of vision is approximately five feet and beyond that small distance is a blurry world that Caleb is missing out on.
For 15 years, Caleb has overcome the obstacle that would have limited the quality of life for most, but instead he is a vibrant, remarkable young man that has heretofore made the most of his life with his visual impairment. However, a recent breakthrough in technology has offered Caleb a chance at a better life. The eSight eyeglasses are essentially electric glasses that enable the legally blind to see.
While they have gained popularity out west where the company launched their product, they are just now reaching the east coast. Caleb and his parents recently traveled to Philadelphia to test the eSight glasses and the results were remarkable. With the electronic glasses, for the first time in his young life, Caleb was able to see details on a car across the hotel parking lot, read the exit sign on the other side of the hotel lobby and actually order a caramel macchiato from a menu board and even commented on its calorie count.
According to eSight’s website, the glasses’ “components work in tandem with the user to enhance the quality of an image reaching the eye, delivering more data and triggering an increased reaction from the cells in the eye.” The device involves a headset, carrier frames, a processing unit and a carrier.
“He didn’t want to get his hopes up prior to the demonstration, but he was rendered speechless by the results,” said his mom, Sheri Conner. “We were moved to tears. It was truly remarkable what the incredible engineers at eSight were able to create.”
The eSight glasses offer Caleb a chance at an enhanced life, but they come with a stiff price tag. The glasses cost $16,500 and are not covered by insurance.
To that end, the family launched a Go Fund Me campaign on April 7 in an effort to raise money to purchase the special electronic eyeglasses. By Monday morning, the typically generous community had already embraced the fundraising effort, with over $7,800, or nearly half of the goal reached, but there was still much to accomplish.
Once further word of his story spread, thanks to an article being posted on The Dispatch’s website and social media outlets on Monday, the fundraising goal was reached by late Tuesday night. As of Thursday morning, the effort had raised $16,855. Over eight days, 167 people donated to the cause for an average donation of $101. Donations as small as $10 were received while others dipped into their pockets to the sum of $1,000 to support the teenager’s dream.
On Wednesday, Rob, Sheri and Caleb Conner said they were overwhelmed and humbled by the amazing generosity of the community.
“We are so grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers and donations from our family, friends and community,” the family said in a statement. “Thank you so much for your generosity that helped us reach our goal in less than a week. We are deeply moved by your thoughtfulness.”
Caleb’s new glasses were immediately ordered once the goal was reached.
“We ordered the eSight today so Caleb will be taking in all the sights in three to four weeks. We look forward to updating everyone when he receives it. Thank you again …” the family said.
For Caleb, his visual impairment has always been just a minor setback. It doesn’t prevent him from leading a life similar to and better than even most kids his age. He is a phenomenal student that loves computer science and biology. Just this past weekend, he competed in the Maryland Science Olympiad hosted by Johns Hopkins University and earned a silver medal in trajectory. He is also an accomplished athlete who runs cross country and pole vaults for his high school track team. He is also an avid reader and gamer.
“Caleb does not believe that there is anything wrong with him,” said Sheri. “Only as he has gotten older has he realized he is different than most kids his age. He is also fearless. We’ll go to the skate park and he’ll drop in to the bowl. That is scary for many kids but they know there is a bottom. For Caleb, he might as well be dropping into a bottomless abyss.”
The eSight company has developed an opportunity for Caleb and many others to improve the quality of their lives. The small company of just 18 employees is branching out and heading east to expose their amazing product to those like Caleb who can benefit the most from the electronic eyeglasses. The glasses combine a camera, display technology and advanced computing to deliver a real-time video that enables sight for people with vision loss. Users have complete control over the image they see, which means they can enhance, magnify and adjust the image to ensure their eyes can best interpret their world.
At the test in Philadelphia, Caleb was given a demonstration by eSight ambassadors, one of whom also has retinopathy of prematurity. The ambassador was able to demonstrate the eSight glasses for Caleb and give him a personal insight on how they have changed his life for the better.