A Texas Man Has a New Outlook on Life Thanks to Bionic Eye

John Jameson was blind for over 40 years, but cutting edge technology has restored his sight.

By Alexandra HartMay 17, 2016 3:42 pm,

John Jameson has a glimmer in his eyes these days. He’s feeling pretty good. But the glimmer is literal – it’s from his new bionic eye. The Tatum, Texas resident was blind for more than 40 years after an infection took his vision. But a rare eye transplant procedure has allowed Jameson to see again with the help of his bionic eye.

He says his wife is the one responsible for discovering the surgery, and finding out that a doctor nearby in Shreveport, Louisiana was one of the few doctors in the country that was offering the procedure.

“Well, my wife has been following it,” Jameson says. “It’s been in development for several years, and it now as FDA approval. There have been only a limited number in the United States. Dr. (Christopher) Shelby is the one who did the implant – he was chosen out of many many candidates to set up this team that’s doing this.”

His wife, Deborah, has been by his side for years.

“I asked her if she had ever been on a real blind date,” Jameson says. “I had met several women before, and as soon as they found out that I was blind, they would leave. And there was something about this lady that I was really worried about telling her the first time, or how I would tell her. Because I didn’t want to lose this one, she’s beautiful.”

He’s had to take some time to recover – Jameson was experiencing a bit of double vision at first. But he says every day he can see a little bit better than before.

“When you’re a kid, you’d wake up for christmas morning, and you’d walk down and see the tree lights and the gifts and everything – the joy you get when that happens. And now that’s been happening to me for every day, because every day I wake up I can see more and more,” Jameson says. “When I wake up in the morning, I love to see nature waking up. It’s like a miracle.”