68-year-old Allen Zderad was able to experience love at first sight again.
Zderad, who has been living without his eyesight for 10 years, was able to see the face of his wife for the first time in a decade after receiving a bionic eye implant from the Mayo Clinic, according to the NY Daily News.
The grandfather of 10 reportedly began losing his eyesight 20 years due to retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease.
“It’s crude, but it’s significant. It works,” stated Zderad.
Zderad is reportedly the 15th person in the country, and the first in his home state, to receive the bionic eye implant, according to the Mayo Clinic. The sight device reportedly works by sending light waves to the optic nerve, bypassing the damaged retina.
Zderad received surgery in January and had a tiny chip embedded in his right eye as the first part of the process, according to the Huffington Post. Two weeks later, the rest of the device, which was reportedly set inside a pair of special glasses, was activated.
“His whole life we have heard, ‘Nothing can be done, nothing can be done,’ — it’s all we’ve heard until now,” stated Zderad’s wide, Carmen.
Although it’s still the beginning of his treatment, Zderad will be able to interact on a different level with his family as he undergoes physical therapy.
“I have a lot of fun with my grandkids and family,” Zderad told KARE.
He added, “I think it would be good to recognize when they come in the room, and observe their growing and things like that.”
Even though he’s still adjusting to the bionic eye implant, spotting his wife of 45 years is no problem at all.
“She’s the most beautiful one in the room,” stated Zderad.
