Man gets bionic eye, sees wife for first time in a decade

Lindsey Seavert | KARE

Show Caption Hide Caption Man gets bionic eye, sees wife for first time in a decade A technological breakthrough is allowing a grandfather who's been blind for 10 years to see again.

Allen Zderad, 68, hadn't laid eyes on his wife or grandchildren in more than a decade. He has a degenerative eye disease that slowly stole his sight over the course of his life. Recently the power of modern medicine in the form of a bionic eye gave him the ability to see his beautiful family once again.

His wife, Carmen, is his sighted guide. Silver haired with a kind smile, she tries to remember the last time he's seen her face.

"Ten years?" she asks.

"Ten years, but I still kiss her with my eyes closed," Zderad said while laughing.

The grandfather of ten remembers the faces of his oldest grandchildren, but most of the younger ones' faces he's never seen.

"I have a lot of fun with my grandkids and family. I think it would be good to recognize when they come in the room, and observe their growing and things like that. My grandkids in Oregon love playing hide and seek – they don't have to hide anywhere except for a corner of a room," he said.

Watch the video above to see the moment Zderad saw his wife for the first time in ten years.

The bionic eye, known as the "Second Sight Argus II" retinal prosthesis system has been under development for more than 25 years. He is the 15th person in the nation to receive it.

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