Gretna's Everett Hiebert can see better thanks to eSight glasses.

Hiebert is the W. C. Miller Collegiate Aces hockey team equipment manager, but has struggled to see the game, watch tv, or read, even at close distances. Although being legally blind has not stopped Everett throughout his life, a dramatic increase in vision was observed with the glasses on.

After trying them on, "his (Everett's) grin was from ear to ear, and his response immediately was how soon can I get these glasses."

His mother Charlene says this would be a dream come true for Everett, who was able to read regular newspaper print, watch hockey on a laptop, and read an eye chart from 25 feet away. With his regular glasses, he is unable to watch hockey or read an eye chart at all. When reading, Everett is restricted to using a computer, needing size 48 font to see text.

eSight glasses use a camera to capture everything a person is looking at, transmitting it through an internal computer processor and displaying the results with LED screens that counter pre-existing eye conditions.

After finding out he was legally blind at six months old, Charlene notes, "as a parent, you start to blame yourself, thinking you may have done something wrong." The family can't begin to describe how much these glasses would mean for both themselves and Everett, but say it would be a dream come true.

A pair of glasses costs twenty thousand dollars, and the family hopes that because of the cost, community members will help them fundraise. Charlene says she is grateful to live in such a loving community that is gracious in helping people, and that it seems the smaller a town, the more people are willing to help.

A donation account titled "Everett's Glasses" has been opened at Access Credit Union, and a fundraiser is planned for the new year.