We take our eyes for granted. Seeing is a norm for us. Everyone is not so lucky. Andrew Airey, a man suffering from Stargardt Disease, a genetic disorder that causes loss of vision in both eyes. This is a condition which grows worse with time and it has been progressing in Andrew for the last two decades. It was bad enough fifteen years ago when he got married and his recollection of the whole event is blurred images. He got to see what his wedding looked like this year with the help of eSight.
eSight is an assistive technology company based in Toronto, Canada. Together with the agency KBS, they helped Andrew relive his wedding day. The client “came to us with an open brief wanting to add some humanity to their technology,” said Patrick Scissons, the global chief creative officer at KBS, part of MDC Partners. So the creative team developed the idea of replaying a key milestone in a person’s life for which sight would have made a difference.
KBS found Airey among eSight’s database of 10,000 people with vision disabilities. “Everything about Andrew’s story, and not being able to see his wife walk down the aisle fit so well into the narrative we wanted to create,” Scissons said.
Andrew was fitted with eSight 3, a pair of goggles that incorporate both virtual reality and augmented reality technology enabling the wearer to view the outside world. With Andrew’s vision enhanced, KBS started recreating the events of his wedding. Booking the same venue and inviting the same guests. The couple went through the notion of marriage once again, while the event was being streamed live Facebook. This time Andrew was able to see the whole thing.
eSight and KBS were working on the project for a couple of months but the couple was only approached 2 weeks before 30th April, their 15th wedding anniversary. “Everyone wanted to be involved because they really believe in this story and want to give this man an opportunity to recreate the best day of his life,” Scissons said.
We need to see more people like the ones from eSight and KBS, who use modern technology to bring happiness into the lives of those who deserve it. You can see the video live streamed on Facebook here.
