BOSTON -- The Bellingham Library has a new state-of-the art center for people with poor eyesight.

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Heather Unruh Reports On Library RESOURCES All About Stargardt Disease

NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported that it is one of just a few centers of its kind in the state -- all thanks to the hard work of a local boy with a vision.

Bobby Dickinson was diagnosed with Stargardts -- a form of juvenile macular degeneration when he was just 12 years old.

"I tilt my head. I tilt my eyes. I compensate as much as I can," Dickinson said.

While he can see a puck when he's playing hockey, reading small print in books and on the computer can be challenging.

"When I was younger I hated books, cause I never could read them, cause I didn't realize I had this, but ever since I got the right equipment, I love books. I'm constantly reading," Dickinson said.

So when he was looking for an Eagle Scout project he knew just what to do. He raised more than $3,000 -- enough money to buy two telesensory machines -- state of the art cameras attached to monitors that magnify print by 40 times, especially important because a high percentage of seniors in the town.

"You can see them in color or you can see them in various black and white, blue and white, green and white, for people who have color blindness," Bellingham Library spokeswoman Charlotte Rabbitt said.

Dickinson has his sights set on a career in marine biology. While he'll most likely battle low vision the rest of his life, he knows the center will help others focus on their dreams.

"I couldn't be any prouder. My buttons should pop off. He has really overcome a lot of different things and continues to keep on going, there's no stopping, there's no stopping him," Dickinson's mom, Sandy, said.

The teen got area businesses to donate the software. The company that makes the cameras gave him a big discount, and the local Lions Club and other Boy Scouts helped raise the rest to make the low vision center a reality.