Legally blind fifth-grader sees mom for first time

Meet Christopher Ward Jr. He was born with optic nerve hypoplasia – a condition that causes the optic nerve to never fully develop.

Thanks to a new wearable technology called eSight, the legally blind preteen was able to see his mother, Marquita Hackley, for the first time.

Hackley told ABC News that the first thing he said was, “Oh, Mommy! There you are.”

“I saw my mom, and she was very pretty,” Ward said.

The 12-year-old from Forest, Virginia, traveled to Washington, D.C., to try out the new hands-free headset, which contains a small high-speed camera. It captures live video, which is sent to an LED screen in front of the user’s eyes, allowing the user to see with “unprecedented visual clarity,” according to eSight’s website.

Hackley said her son has little light perception in his left eye and low vision in his right eye.

“Something has to be up in his face, almost touching for him to see it,” she said.

Hackley is raising money to buy eSight for Ward, which costs $15,000 and is not covered by her insurance. Her goal is for him to remain in regular classes and learn how to read print instead of Braille.

“Christopher is just a very loving kid, always happy and never complains about anything,” she said. “I’ll do anything to help get him what he deserves.”

See more at ABC News.