CINCINNATI — At 98-years-old, Mance Berry has lived through nearly a century of history — including serving as a combat engineer in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
"The Korean War started on the 24th of June, 1950. I was drafted the 2nd Nov. 1950, and I was discharged Oct. 19, 1952," Berry said.
His memory is sharp. His eyesight is not.
WATCH: A local Korean War veteran received a pair of Meta glasses. Here's how they're helping him.
"I always had good vision. All I ever did in my life. I play baseball and golf, but all at once it just hit me and left me," Berry said.
For years, Berry has needed assistance navigating daily life. Now, he's getting help in the form of artificial intelligence built into Meta smart glasses — part of a collaboration between Meta and the Blinded Veterans Association.
"I think it's a good thing, good move if it's used wisely," Berry said.
The program is distributing 130,000 pairs of the glasses, along with training, to veterans across the country at no cost. More than 40 veterans received them in mid-September at the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Lea Rowe, a representative with the Blinded Veterans Association, said the technology addresses a gap that traditional tools like braille cannot always fill.
"We have a significant population who is losing their sight later in life and really learning braille when you take into consideration neuropathy and hard of hearing. Um, just different components like that, it makes it extremely challenging, so this is able to just give the visual information in an audio format," Rowe said.
Teri Shirk with the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired said the glasses are one part of a broader message to veterans adjusting to vision loss.
"Vision loss is not an end to your independence, it's an, just a new beginning and a different way of doing things, but you can learn, you can use technology, you can use lots of other resources that we offer," Shirk said.
The glasses won't restore sight — they're a tool. And Berry is at peace with that. He has one hope, though.
"All I ever wanna do a game of, play golf. That's all I wanna do," Berry said.
When I told him I wasn't sure the glasses would make that possible, he didn't miss a beat.
"Keep on dreaming," Berry said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
