SONY

With My Eyes Photo Exhibition An eye-opening way to discover the world

Have you heard about the retina projection camera kit to transform the “difficult to see” into “clearer sight”? This exhibition features photographs from eight people with low vision*1 who used the Retina Projection Camera Kit, DSC-HX99 RNV kit.

This kit consists of Sony's DSC-HX99 compact camera and QD Laser's RETISSA NEOVIEWER*2, a viewfinder that uses laser retinal projection technology. Since its launch last year, we have received many positive comments from people with low vision who have used the kit. They have expressed surprise at the new, sharper way to see and capture the world through retinal projection. For example, we have heard from people with low vision who enjoy cameras that it is easier to use, that going out and taking pictures has become more enjoyable since they started using this camera kit, that it has stimulated conversation when reporting on their trip to everyone through photos and videos, and that they have made more friends through the camera. As a communication tool, cameras also play a role in connecting people.

Cameras sometimes take the place of eyes. You use the camera zoom function to capture distant views, or to see details of a building's exterior or interior. Everyone can be creative in their own way, enjoy taking pictures, share scenes, which moved them, that they want to remember, and share the joy and excitement of their work.

You can experience, from the perspective of people with low vision, what they see in their daily lives and travels, and what they capture with their cameras. We hope this exhibition will be an opportunity for you to share the joys and impressions of the exhibitors' photography and the accompanying messages.

[Exhibitors] (in alphabetical order)
Aoyuu, Asahi (YouTuber), Gonta (picture book writer), HAYA (student), Masaaki Toyoyoshi (photographer), Noa Nishiyama (futsal player), Tekuteku, and Yosuke Takeda

Related exhibitions

In addition, a traveling exhibition will be held at α Plazas nationwide (inside the Sony Stores in Sapporo, Fukuoka Tenjin, Nagoya and Osaka). These exhibitions present the selected works from With My Eyes Photo Exhibition at Sony Imaging Gallery Ginza.

α Plaza Sapporo
Saturday, August 17 - Friday, August 23, 2024
α Plaza Fukuoka Tenjin
Saturday, September 14 - Thursday, October 3, 2024
α Plaza Nagoya
Saturday, November 9 - Thursday, November 14, 2024
α Plaza Osaka
Saturday, November 30 - Friday, December 6, 2024

※Please note that the schedule is subject to change due to circumstances.
Please check the following websites for the latest information and details.

Exhibitors' Interview
>Audio Description version

  • Retina Projection Camera Kit, DSC-HX99 RNV Kit

    This camera kit utilizes a laser retinal projection method that depends less on the eye's ability to adjust focus. By projecting the subject captured by the camera onto the retina, those who have difficulty seeing the image they want to capture through a conventional viewfinder or screen can still take photos and videos*3.

    Sony Corporation and QD Laser, Inc. have donated a total of approximately 200 Retina Projection Camera Kits, the DSC-HX99 RNV kit, to schools and organizations for people with visual impairments. We will continue to provide more people in need with the opportunity to use our products and to facilitate their photographic creativity and enjoyment.

    During the exhibition, staff of the With My Eyes project will attend in the gallery at certain times. With staff attending, visitors are welcome to try Retina Projection Camera Kit (no reservation required). Please check the gallery's official SNS accounts, X or Facebook (in Japanese only), for the latest attending schedule before visiting the gallery.

    *Please note that there may be times when staff is not attending due to breaks or other reasons. Please understand in advance.

  • About the project, With My Eyes

    Since 2015, QD Laser has been developing and marketing RETISSA, a vision support product based on retinal projection technology. As part of this effort, QD Laser has been working on "With My Eyes," a project to transform the "difficult to see" into "clearer sight" for 250 million people with low vision around the world since December 2020 and has been working with supporting companies to deliver visible experiences to people with low vision to enrich their lives. Sony has participated and is promoting the project jointly with QD Laser as a major supporting company.

    Supporting company: QD Laser, Inc.

*1
Low vision is a visual impairment that causes inconveniences in daily life, such as difficulty seeing, being dazzled, or having difficulty walking due to a narrow field of vision, even when wearing glasses or contact lenses. The population of people with low vision is estimated to be 250 million worldwide.
*2
The RETISSA NEOVIEWER is not a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any specific condition. This product may not be suitable for all low-vision people. Users are encouraged to touch-and-try before purchase.
*3
Depending on visual impairment, it may be difficult to recognize images, such as when the function of the retina is totally impaired.

Aoyuu Profile

Aoyuu is in his early 20s. He operates a computer and smartphone using software that reads the screen aloud to him, and he uses Braille in his daily life. His eyesight is such that he can see the outline of a person but has difficulty seeing and photographing fine print. Even though he can take pictures, he has trouble focusing. Aoyuu routinely gathers information about life-support tools for people with visual impairment and checks YouTube for videos introducing gadgets, so he was very happy when he found out that he could use the Retina Projection Camera Kit himself.

Asahi Profile

Asahi runs the YouTube channel "Asahi: Traveling Low Vision." She has had a central vision defect and low vision since early childhood. Currently, she is distributing videos such as depicting common things that happen to visually impaired people, her own challenge and travel videos, as a person with visual impairment.

Gonta Profile

Gonta has amblyopia, which darkens his visual field. Both eyes constantly see "an undulating object at the center of his visual field that looks like a soap bubble with a strong oil film,'' and that bubble part limits his vision. He works at a welfare facility and writes texts for picture books. Gonta made his debut with "Zo Sensei no Hanamizu Jaguchi" (The Elephant Teacher's Nose Water Faucet).

HAYA Profile

HAYA is a student attending a school for the blind. He has right eye light sensitivity and left eye amblyopia (lazy eye), which is about 0.08 visual acuity. He uses a Retina Projection Camera Kit that enables him to see distant scenery and buildings clearly.

Masaaki Toyoyoshi Profile

Born in Saitama Prefecture in 1975, Masaaki Toyoyoshi graduated from Tokyo International University in 1997. After graduation, He joined Japan System Technology Co. Ltd., where he was involved in system development as a system engineer. As his visual field loss due to glaucoma progressed, he felt limited as an engineer and left his job. He has studied under photographer Yukinori Tokoro since 2010. The glaucoma continued to progress and since 2015 he has undergone four surgeries. He now has a tube and plate in his left eye. As of 2022, he has lost most of the visual field in his left eye.

After undergoing surgery, Masaaki began creating his "MONOCLE VISION" series as an expression of "invisible vision". At the same time, he began taking rehearsal portraits of the "seven-fingered pianist" Gohei Nishikawa. His main cameras are Sony's Alpha7 Ill and RICOH GR Ill. Masaaki appeared on NHK E-television program as a glaucomapatient/photographer in August 2020. His solo exhibition "MONOCLE VISION" was held in April 2022. He is a full member of Glaucoma Friends Network.

Noa Nishiyama Profile

While visually impaired, Noa Nishiyama is studying futsal in Barcelona, Spain. She enjoys seeing the scenery of Barcelona, which is completely different from scenery in Japan, with her own eyes through the RETISSA NEOVIEWER, a Retina Projection Camera Kit viewfinder.

Tekuteku Profile

Tekuteku lives and works in the Kanto area. On his days off, he enjoys walking to keep fit. Although his corneal opacity makes it difficult for him to see and he experiences light sensitivity and glare, he keeps a diary of the clearer scenes he can see through the viewfinder using retinal projection. Tekuteku takes pictures in auto mode, but he would like to try various creative ways in the future.

Yosuke Takeda Profile

Yosuke Takeda is a natural-born albino with low melanin and difficulty producing it. He has poor eyesight and sensitivity to light. He started taking photographs because of his love of trains. These days, he mainly takes landscapes and snapshots in his daily life and on his travels.

My eyes, which are sensitive to light, are greatly affected by the environment light in which the viewfinder is used when shooting. However, with the Retina Projection Camera Kit, I can see with a stable amount of light. That means I can take pictures with less stress and strain. The kit is very useful as a device that I can easily take with me. I also enjoy going out to take pictures with visually impaired people that I have connected with through this camera kit.