Once the 'bionic eye' was connected to prosthetic glasses, Allen Zderad, aged 68, was able to see outlines of objects, and human forms, like that of his wife.
"It's crude but it's significant," said Zderad. "It'll work!"
The tearful video of Zderad seeing his wife for the first time comes after a decade of suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that affects the retina. There is no known treatment or cure.
Zderad, found his way to the Mayo Clinic after his grandson approached Dr. Raymond Iezzi Jr. for treatment of early stages of the same condition.
But for now, Zderad is happy to be able to see his wife again.
"I would like to say I think he's a remarkable man, when you consider what he's overcome in dealing with his visual disability," said Dr. Iezzi. "I'm just humbled and tremendously impressed by him. I think he's an inspiration to us all."