Legally blind youth builds world’s largest LEGO eyeglasses in UAE

Dubai: A legally blind youth and his sister from Egypt have created the world’s largest LEGO brick eyeglasses at The Galleria Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi, to celebrate the brother’s different ability of recognition.

According to Guinness World Records, Zeyad Ibrahim, 19, and his sister Salma, 17, from Mansoura, Egypt attempted this record constructing a LEGO shaped eyeglasses with dimensions of 6.2m x 2.52m x 0.952m.

147kg of bricks

With only five per cent of his eyesight, and help of his sister, Ibrahim put together the ‘eyeglasses’ over a span of 17 days. It took the sibling a total of 56 hours and 35 minutes to assemble the eyeglasses. They used 65,108 LEGO bricks that weigh over 147kg, about as heavy as a Panda Bear.

In January 2020, Ibrahim took part in the world’s longest handshake relay during an event in Abu Dhabi, which inspired him to breaking a Guinness World Records title in his own way.

The Egyptian youth suffers from Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), an eye disorder that primarily affects the retina. Patients with this type of nearsightedness suffer from near-absent pupillary responses with severely decreased visual acuity. LCA cannot be corrected with glasses, contacts or surgery. It is not blindness as limited sight remains.

Firm resolve

While studies shows that eighty percent of blindness occurs in people over 50 years old, Ibrahim is suffering from LCA at 19 years old, and competes in a category dedicated for able-bodied applicants. He wanted to prove to everyone around the world, that even with impairment dreams could come true. In fact, on the day of the attempt, he was wearing eyeglasses that looked exactly like the one he created with LEGO bricks. At first, the work was done at siblings house, then moved to The Galleria where the built took shape.

Ibrahim is studying Chemical Engineering at University College Dublin, Ireland. He was offered free scholarship for outstanding results in school.

“I spend hours listening to YouTube videos to learn how to create new shapes with LEGO,” said Ibrahim. “Even with big screens I cannot see things. I just recognise moving objects. However, I see life through the eyes of my mother.”

His mother travels with him, and the university hired an assistant to support his study, and he is currently on the top two per cent of his class.

Ibrahim loves documentaries about living things, and his best moment of the day is when he wakes up and sees the rays of the sun coming through the window of his room.

Salma, the younger sister who wishes to complete her higher studies in Ireland as well, assisted her brother in the process. She believes he can break other Guinness World Records titles in the future.

“Ever since we were young, my brother has been an inspiration to me. He truly encourages me to never give up on anything I do, and I hope his story inspires people all over the world to achieve anything they dream of,” she said.