eSight Awards Scholarships to Six Visually Impaired Students in Canada and the US

Six visually impaired college students in Canada and the United States are a step closer to achieving their dreams with the help of eSight, the company behind the clinically validated, wearable assistive device that significantly enhances vision for those living with low vision and legal blindness. The company is awarding five of its life-changing devices to students in Canada, with a sixth in the United States receiving a monetary scholarship.

The Canadian students who received the devices were selected by eSight and the CNIB Foundation. The winners are:

• Camilla Cambell-Davis, 28, of Calgary, Alberta, studying early childhood development at Bow Valley College
• Sean Heaslip, 40, of Vancouver, British Columbia, a PhD candidate in Counselling Psychology at the University of British Columbia
• Emma Van-Dyk, 18, of London, Ontario, studying nursing at the University of Western Ontario
• Nicolas Garcia, 27, of Calgary, Alberta, earning his master’s degree in mathematics at Queens University
• Gregory Carrier, 37, of Edmonton, Alberta, a PhD candidate in Medieval History at the University of Toronto with a concentration on the lives of people who were deaf and blind

Winners were selected based on an essay, two reference letters and an eSight evaluation to ensure the medical devices are a fit for their eye conditions. All of the recipients are living with eye diseases and disorders that cause low vision and legal blindness, though they will be able to see with near perfect vision when wearing eSight.

eSight separately awarded a monetary scholarship to Tori Diamond, who lives in Columbia, South Carolina. She already owns eSight, so she plans to use the $2,000 scholarship to help pay her tuition as she works toward a degree in psychology at South University.

“A common theme we see with these students is that they want to help others. Looking at their education routes, we will all benefit from their future successes,” said eSight CEO, Robert Vaters. “We know that eSight can help students through many aspects of college that some of us take for granted, like reading textbooks, getting to and from class, seeing slides during a lecture and enjoying a greater sense of independence. With the scholarships, we are confident that the selected students will not only excel throughout college, but well beyond.”

eSight’s vision-enhancing technology works by stimulating the remaining synaptic activity in the user’s eyes to provide the brain with increased visual information. The device combines a best-match camera, lens and two high-resolution screens, which can integrate with the user’s own prescription lenses for even greater visual clarity. eSight users typically live with serious eye conditions such as macular degeneration, Stargardt’s disease, diabetic retinopathy, optic nerve hypoplasia and more. A typical eSight user has a visual acuity range from 20/60 to 20/800 but some users live with up to 20/1400.

To learn more, visit www.esighteyewear.com.

About eSight

eSight is a leading vision-platform organization with a simple but profound promise: provide individuals living with vision loss the chance to see new possibilities. eSight eyewear is the most advanced and versatile assistive device available for those with visual impairments, most commonly caused by conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and Stargardt’s disease. eSight is clinically-proven and registered with the FDA and EUDAMED, and is inspected by Health Canada. Learn more at www.eSightEyewear.com.