A glasses company in Barcelona, formed by parents whose son struggled with poor vision, is helping create a brighter future for people with eye problems. 

Biel was two years old when he started having trouble walking down the stairs. He was diagnosed with an optic nerve problem that could not be corrected by surgery or normal glasses.

There was no technology available to help this rare condition that affects around one in 5,000 people. So his parents, an engineer and a doctor, decided to use their skills to do something about it.

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Giving people independence

CGTN Europe spoke to Biel's mother Constanza Lucero, the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer at Biel Glasses.

"We thought about glasses that are able to capture 100 percent of reality, of what's in front of you, and then the glasses could show the obstacles that could be dangerous for them within the low vision range that they have," she explained.

"The glasses use the latest technology to show 3D images upon which graphics, text and video are laid over real-world images. Unlike people who are completely blind, people with low vision can see, so this technology allows them to be more independent."

What started back in 2017 as just a concept quickly attracted investors through crowdfunding and public finance to the tune of around $1 million. The glasses are now being sold in Spain and also in Denmark.

Life-changing

Alexander Levdanski, a low vision sufferer, told CGTN Europe that the Biel Glasses had the potential to be life-changing for him and for thousands around the world.

"To understand you must go in my shoes," Levdanski said. "This disease is invisible because you see something but you're very limited because of the limitations of your sight.

"People with this kind of disorder can suffer from depression because they can't communicate with other people in normal events so obviously, it will change the life of anyone who wears it.

"Once you put it on you can go to a gathering, you can talk to people and you are not afraid of doing something to another person because you do not see them," he added.

There are plans now to develop this technology even further by incorporating voice activation that could work with Google Maps.

For Biel and other low vision sufferers, it's hoped that the future can now start to look a little brighter.