Blind Man, 51, Watches His Football Team For The First Time In 27 Years Thanks To Pioneering Glasses

Blind man, 51, watches his football team for the first time in 27 years thanks to pioneering glasses technology only to see them get thrashed 5-1

• Brian Casey, 51, wears a groundbreaking visual aid technology called eSight
• He went to watch Fleetwood Town for the first time only to see them thrashed 5-1
• Mr Casey is the first legally blind person in Europe to wear the high tech glasses
• They work by showing a live video feed directly in front of the user's eyes

A blind man has watched his football team play for the first time in 27 years thanks to pioneering technology - though he likely won't be pleased with the result.

Brian Casey, 51, wore a groundbreaking visual aid technology called eSight to watch his hometown team Fleetwood Town, only to see them get thrashed 5-1.

Mr Casey is the first legally blind person in Europe to put the high tech glasses to the test, which work by showing a live video feed directly in front of the user's eyes.




Brian Casey (pictured), 51, is legally blind, and has now watched his football team play for the first time in 27 years thanks to pioneering technology

HOW IT WORKS

The technology consists of a headset, hidden prescription lens frame and a hand-held controller.

The headset includes a live camera that sends a video stream to the controller.

Using algorithms and selected settings such as colour and contrast, the controller customises the video in order to make images easier for people with low vision to see.

The enhanced video signal is then transmitted back to the headset and displayed on LED screens in front of the wearer's eyes.

The controller can be used to zoom in on details up to 14 times their original size, which means that wearers can see a far-away object such as a clock on a wall, or read a newspaper up close.



Lifelong Fleetwood Town fan Mr Casey lost his sight 27 years ago, and had given up hope of ever watching his team score a goal.

But thanks to the groundbreaking visual aid technology all that has changed.

Mr Casey became the first British person to ever trial the specs, which cost around £10,000 ($13,000) a set, in March.

The device has changed his life, and last Friday Mr Casey was finally able to watch his team play when he went to Fleetwood Town's friendly match with Preston North End at Highbury.

Sadly, his beloved team lost 5-1, but Mr Casey said: 'It was brilliant to be able to see the vivid green of the pitch, the colour of the shorts and the numbers on the players' backs.

'When Fleetwood scored and I saw the ball hit the back of the net, it was something I could only dream about before I got involved in eSight.'




Mr Casey wore a groundbreaking visual aid technology called eSight to watch his hometown team Fleetwood Town, only to see them get thrashed 5-1



Mr Casey (left), who attended the match with wife Beverly (right), praised the Fleetwood club for the welcome they received

Mr Casey, who attended the match with wife Beverly, praised the Fleetwood club for the welcome they received.

He added: 'It's a dream come true - just a shame about the result!'

The eSight immersive glasses help the legally blind to see by bringing images of what's in front of them as close to their eyes as possible for maximum clarity.

The technology consists of a headset, hidden prescription lens frame and a hand-held controller.

The headset includes a live camera that sends a video stream to the controller.

Using algorithms and selected settings such as colour and contrast, the controller customises the video in order to make images easier for people with low vision to see.

The enhanced video signal is then transmitted back to the headset and displayed on LED screens in front of the wearer's eyes.

The controller can be used to zoom in on details up to 14 times their original size, which means that wearers can see a far-away object such as a clock on a wall, or read a newspaper up close.







Mr Casey is the first legally blind person in Europe to put the high tech glasses to the test, which work by showing a live video feed directly in front of the user's eyes. He first tested the glasses in March and has now watched his favourite football team for the first time



Last Friday, Mr Casey was finally able to watch his team play when he went to Fleetwood Town's friendly match with Preston North End at Highbury. Pictured is Wes Burns of Fleetwood town (centre right) in action with Lewis Freestone of Peterborough United (centre left)

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