WATCH: Almost-blind man finally sees wife after 10 years with a bionic eye
Imagine not being able to see your loved ones.
That's what life has been like for more than the past decade for retired chemist Allen Zderad, 68.
He has been unable to see his wife and 10 grandchildren - after he started to lose his vision 20 years ago due to a degenerative eye disease, retinitis pigmentos, NBC reported.
So when the Minnesota man was offered the opportunity to try a bionic eye, he said yes.
Researcher and ophthalmologist Raymond Iezzi Jr. approached him to try a technology that "sends light wave signals to the optic nerve" that bypasses the damaged retina (according to the Mayo clinic).
Mr Zderad became the first human to undergo a clinical trial in Minnesota - and only the 15th person in the country to get the glasses.
Photos: YouTube
After trying on the device, Zderad laughed and cried when he finally saw his wife for the first time in years.
While he can't see the details of people's faces, but he can make out forms and shapes.
According to Second Site, the company that created the device, the bionic eye works by using a mini video camera and patient-worn computer that will send signals between the glasses and the brain.
The user will then have to learn how to interpret these visual patterns.
And that's more than enough for him to find his wife, Carmen: "It's easy... She's the most beautiful one in the room."
Sources: Aplus, Second Sight, NBC News, Mayo Clinic
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