Jordan Reiche has a degenerative genetic condition known as retinitis pigmentosa
Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- A blind woman in Florida received life-changing AI glasses
- The glasses work with Meta AI to do things like describe objects as well as read signs, menus and receipts
- Jordan Reiche, 33, has been legally blind since she was 12
A blind woman in Florida just received a life-changing new technology: AI glasses that can describe the world to her.
Jordan Reiche, 33, of Tampa, was first diagnosed with a genetic condition called retinitis pigmentosa when she was just 7 years old, per the Tampa Bay Times.
The condition causes the cells in the retina to gradually degrade over time, meaning that most people diagnosed with the condition are legally blind by the time they reach adulthood, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
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Reiche, who was declared legally blind when she was 12, said that she currently has about 5 % of her vision left.
“I can make out some shapes,” she told the Tampa Bay Times. “But faces are a blur, like looking through a fog.”
However, Reiche recently received a pair of Ray-Ban AI Wayfarers through a pilot program through Dogs Inc., a Florida nonprofit that trains guide dogs and helps match them with visually impaired owners.
The glasses work with Meta AI and a tiny, imperceptible speaker to do things like describe objects and colors, as well as read signs, menus and receipts — life-changing details for a visually impaired person.
The glasses pair with the user’s smartphone via Bluetooth for Internet access, which is necessary for the glasses to fully function.
“I have a 2-inch stack of mail I can’t read,” Reiche said. “And now I can check the expiration date on milk.”
Reiche, who works from home over Zoom as an addiction counselor, had previously tried the AI glasses at her local Best Buy, but the steep price tag of $500 was too much for something she couldn’t thoroughly test first.
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Now, she will be able to incorporate the glasses into her daily routine and see how much help they can provide — at no personal cost.
“I’m so excited!” she said on the day she received the pair, adding, “I’ve been wanting this for so long.”
Reiche also has the assistance of her trusted guide dog, Blue, who she has had for seven years.
“Before Blue, I was always looking down, trying to avoid obstacles,” Reiche said. “Now, I get to look up and look around the world.”
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Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty
Blue has helped her avoid danger and obstacles while on an Alaskan cruise, hiking the Appalachians and touring Ireland. Now, the glasses will hopefully be able to do additional things like read gate numbers at airports.
Reiche hopes to take Blue — and her new glasses — on even more trips in the coming months and years, including places like Joshua Tree and Amsterdam.
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