eSight and We Are Young Give Legally Blind Senior Wish of a Lifetime: The Gift of Sight

Senior’s dream of watching the Toronto Maple Leafs play at Scotiabank Arena is fulfilled with gifted eSight 4 medical device

TORONTO, May 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — eSight, the leading vision-enhancement platform, and We Are Young, a non-profit volunteer organization granting wishes to seniors, gifted 78-year-old legally blind Eric MacDonald with the gift of sight to see his favorite team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, play in-person at Scotiabank Arena. With the eSight 4 mobile medical eyewear, MacDonald’s vision can be enhanced to see moments in life, near and far, more clearly.

MacDonald, a father of four from Halifax, lives with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and suffers from diminished vision, relegating him to following along to his favorite team – the Toronto Maple Leafs – on the radio. A devout fan, MacDonald is able to recount scores and plays from decades’ worth of games. We Are Young heard about his predicament and partnered with eSight to gift him an eSight 4 device, allowing him to experience the game atmosphere. Originally scheduled prior to the pandemic, MacDonald’s wish was postponed until COVID-19 cases were low enough to guarantee his and other spectators’ safety.

“Since the onset of COVID-19, those with low vision have been especially impacted mentally, physically and emotionally,” said eSight’s Chairman of the Board, Sam Ifergan. “Isolation from friends and family can make anyone feel like they’re drowning, and living with low vision can make it exceptionally difficult to connect with the people and hobbies they love. eSight has been planning Eric’s gift for two years, and it’s exciting to finally see his dream come true.”

The eSight 4 is the most advanced all-in-one wearable device for people with central vision loss. Utilized by people of all ages, it houses a high-speed, high-definition camera that captures everything the wearer is looking at. Advanced, clinically validated algorithms optimize and enhance the footage, which is then presented on two near-to-eye OLED screens in real time with extreme clarity. Completely mobile, the eSight 4 maintains use of the wearer’s remaining peripheral vision, allowing the user to facilitate normal activities of daily living, like attending sporting events, seeing a play or navigating a grocery store.

“We are thrilled to host Eric and his grandson, Matthew, at the Toronto Maple Leafs game,” said Katie Mahoney, co-founder of We Are Young. “We started our organization seven years ago to show appreciation and encourage respect for our seniors. Since the pandemic started, we’ve all had to put a lot of things on hold. Seeing Eric enjoy a Maple Leafs game in-person now that it’s safer to do so is especially touching for us all.”

Founded in 2015, Katie Mahoney and co-founder Cara Chisholm created their organization to help seniors in Nova Scotia who had previously put their dreams on the backburner. By granting wishes, they strive to raise social awareness around the inequalities seniors face and to strengthen intergenerational connections within their communities. To qualify, nominees must be at least 70 years and live in Nova Scotia. Since the organization’s founding, over 7,800 “big” and “little” wish recipients have been able to skydive, go dogsledding, see the Macy’s Day Parade and more.

To learn more about eSight, please visit www.eSightEyewear.com. To learn more about We Are Young, visit www.weareyoung.ca, or watch recipients stories on We Are Young’s YouTube channel.

About eSight
eSight is a leading vision-platform organization with a simple but profound promise: empower individuals with sight loss to see new possibilities through enhanced vision. eSight provides the most advanced and versatile assistive device available for those with visual impairments and is compatible with more than 20 eye conditions including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and Stargardt disease. eSight is registered with the FDA and EUDAMED and is inspected by Health Canada. Learn more at www.eSightEyewear.com.

About We Are Young
We Are Young is a charitable organization that grants unfulfilled wishes to seniors living in Nova Scotia. We grant unfulfilled wishes to seniors with the clear intention of changing the way society views and values our oldest generation. Through granting wishes, our mission is to raise social awareness around the inequalities our seniors face, encourage respect for and appreciation of seniors, and facilitate inter-generational connection where our seniors experience inclusion and belonging in our communities.

Media Contact
Melanie du Mont
Uproar PR for eSight
mdumont@uproarpr.com
321-236-0102

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/08fad752-0773-40fd-9106-053738adea4d