App allows people with blindness to see through others' eyes

(KLTV) - These days it seems like there's an app for just about everything, and some are making a difference in the lives of people in need daily.

One app is helping the visually impaired catch the eyes of millions of volunteers through the touch of a button.

John Geter, a production employee at a paper conversion company, lost his eyesight when he was just five years old.

"My mom worked at the hospital at the time and they took me in because my eyes were crossed," says Geter. "It turned out to be a brain tumor."

Geter says anything further than six feet away is a blur, but just two years ago he learned about a tool on his phone that allows him to see more of what's around him.

The app is called 'Be My Eyes,' and it essentially allows sighted individuals to lend their eyes to others who are visually impaired. Using a phones rear camera, the app allows a sighted volunteer to see a blind person's surroundings and assist from there.

"Things that I use it for is like reading labels on canned goods and seasonings," says Geter. "My wife has like seven different medications she takes, she doesn't read braille so she may use it for that."

Geter says he uses the free app several times a week and thanks to the 1.5 million registered sighted volunteers, there's always someone available to answer a call.

Sharon Parsons has been volunteering through the app since 2015, and says it's not only easy to use, but also rewarding.

"It gives me a sense of feeling like I'm helping someone that I wouldn't have been able to help otherwise," says Parsons.

Since there are more than a million registered volunteers Parson says she's only received 10 calls since signing up three years ago, making it an easy way to lend a helping hand.

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