Macular disease impacts almost 1.5 million in the UK, with people of all ages living with the condition. Even though no cure currently exists, treatment may slow down the disease and diminish the severity of vision loss. Therefore, it is essential to raise awareness and recognition to be able to prevent macular disease already on early stages. With many conditions not visible to the naked eye, the created Extended Reality (XR) solution helped understand and learn what it is to live with some of the symptoms, submerging users into a virtual environment where they can live-through realistic real-life challenges that people with macular disease face every day.

This one of a kind unique, impactful immersive XR experience was developed to demonstrate the real-life challenges of people with macular disease and raise awareness of the problem to UK Members of Parliament (MPs) in order to help improve the National Health Service.

A unique immersive experience was required to make a truly powerful impact, leave a long lasting impression and demonstrate the macular disease condition to the UK Members of Parliament (MPs) at the Parliament in Palace of Westminster drop-in event. For this reason the brand turned to Extended Reality (XR) technology experts to help develop an XR simulation that allowed the event participants to experience and understand what it is like to have macular disease. The XR experience drew significant attention and engagement during the event, allowing participants to first-hand experience what it is like living with macular disease conditions & symptoms, the challenges of everyday activities and the limitations they impose.

The case film that supports the XR execution was created using MetaHuman technology. The developed high-fidelity digital humans and 3D environments allowed to unravel the story behind the cause without turning to real actors and filming sets.

Real-time XR experience demonstrated the real-life challenges of people with macular disease and raises awareness of the problem. Experience was built using the most advanced XR headset with highest visual fidelity. Experience utilized the device’s eye-tracking making it impossible to avert from the symptoms and see-through capabilities that overlayed the real-life objects and surroundings with the condition symptoms in real-time (visual distortions, increased blurriness of printed words as well as a well-defined blind spot in their field of vision). Macular disease symptoms were recreated in XR using both visual materials and medical specialists' insights and feedback to ensure accurate condition representation. The UK Members of Parliament (MPs), while wearing the XR headset, were able to feel themselves in the shoes of persons with macular disease, helping them build empathy and much-needed understanding to improve the National Health Service (NHS).

On October 19th, the brand, together with two macular disease dedicated organizations hosted an Extended Reality (XR) supported parliamentary drop-in event in the houses of Parliament in Palace of Westminster, UK. The event was held to highlight some of the challenges in the healthcare system in the UK with delivering eye care and steps the organizations wanted to request the UK Members of Parliament (MPs) to help address them. The event was held in order to achieve a shared aim of raising awareness and addressing these challenges, while striving to leave people with an impactful and memorable experience. achieved through the XR technology, as well as a better understanding of the eye conditions the organizations were representing.

52 UK Members of Parliament (MPs) and Peers dropped in to the event with many trying the Extended Reality (XR) experience.

20 MPs proactively shared social media posts, using the event dedicated hashtag and key messages from event the briefing document. They talked through key facts and stats in the briefing document whilst MPs tried out the XR experience.

#TheEyesHaveIt event hashtag which featured many photos of the XR experience was the second-highest tweeted hashtag after COP26 that week by MPs which was a pretty big achievement.