There’s now a way for visually impaired people to use a camera to capture the world around them, just like anyone else: new technology allows the image captured by the camera to be projected directly onto the retina, allowing visually impaired people to take quality photos.

A first kit will soon be released, the result of a collaboration between Sony and Japanese startup QD Laser, comprising the Sony DSC-HX99 compact camera and QD’S Retissa Neoviewer.

The latter is an accessory viewfinder that uses laser retinal projection technology, capable of displaying a colour image with a definition of 720p. It works by projecting the image to be captured directly onto the retina, so that it can be photographed or filmed correctly.

With this kit, it is possible to perform a fast autofocus and to take pictures of as good quality as a person who sees normally. In fact, this solution allows visually impaired people to take relatively clear pictures of everything around them!

The kit is expected to go on sale in the coming months in the United States for about US$600 (RM2,700).

Laser retinal projection is an entirely new technology, and is a specialty of QD Laser. As well as taking photos, it offers a new way to see landscapes and faces, or to read road signs, for example, all through retinal projection.

According to QD Laser, this system is perfectly suited for people with various visual impairments, such as nearsightedness or astigmatism, allowing them to see a relatively clear image.

However, not all visual impairments, especially the most debilitating, will be able to benefit from it in the same way, the startup added.