New Discovery Lets Blind People 'See' Again Without Surgery
Artificial intelligence (AI) technology can now help blind people gain a visual picture of their surroundings. One such beneficiary is Karen Morad, a school student from Cairo, Egypt, who lost her sight five years ago.
While on holiday in Kenya in June 2026, Karen was able to ‘see’ the safari atmosphere again. The experience came courtesy of an application called ScribeMe, developed by her brother, Mark Morad, and integrated with Meta smart glasses.
The application provides real-time audiovisual descriptions of Karen’s surroundings. ScribeMe can explain the type of animal nearby, its distance, and what it is doing.
‘I always thought this was impossible, but it happened and I could really see,’ said Karen, as quoted by Reuters on Wednesday (19/8/2026).
ScribeMe is designed specifically to help people who are completely blind. The application is now used by thousands of people in 140 countries.
The technology can be downloaded and used on iPhones and Android phones. ScribeMe is also integrated with Meta smart glasses so that blind users can obtain visual information without having to hold a phone.
Mark began experiencing vision problems in 2018. After examinations in Egypt and abroad, doctors could not find a definite cause. However, Mark was warned that he would eventually lose his sight due to a rare, incurable condition affecting the optic nerve.
By the end of 2021, both siblings had lost their sight. Karen’s vision deteriorated over about six months, while Mark lost his sight gradually over nearly three years.
The condition also made education a major challenge for Mark. He struggled to study physics and chemistry because the screen reader applications he used could not explain graphs, diagrams and equations.
Mark then contacted a number of app developers abroad who were working on similar technology. However, none responded.
He eventually learned to build his own application through various YouTube tutorials. By 2023, Mark had successfully developed an early version of the application that would become ScribeMe.
Recognition in several technology competitions, including the Vodafone AI Assistive Tools Hackathon in 2024, helped Mark develop the application further. From initially being used only to scan documents, ScribeMe evolved into an AI-based visual assistant.
ScribeMe can now use a phone camera to understand the user’s surroundings and answer questions in real time.
The application supports 20 languages, including Arabic. According to Mark, Arabic language support is one of the features he did not find in several similar applications.
Integration with Meta smart glasses also allows users to use the technology without having to hold a phone. This leaves the user’s hands free to hold a cane while walking.
ScribeMe is available for free, with additional features accessible through a subscription service. The cost is US$20 per month or US$200 per year.