Lakeside Eye Care

'EyePhone'

I recently came across an article in Review of Optometry that revealed a way to possibly get a glasses prescription with an iPhone app. Researchers at MIT have come up with a device that connects to your iPhone and can auto-refract your eyes!

Its called the NETRA (Near-Eye Tool for Refractive Assessment). Its a small plastic eyepiece clipped to a smartphone that is loaded with the NETRA software. The article goes on to explain that one could look through the eyepiece, press the arrow buttons on the eye phone until the image is clear and.. PRESTO! You now have a prescription.

Good news: Wonderful portability to reach remote areas where there are no eyecare providers. and a cheap way to potentially get a glasses Rx, assuming its accurate. Its a way to monitor you own vision changes from home.

Bad news: potential to take from the Optometrist.

My view?... I agree with Dr. Chou. In the article he states: "I would love nothing more to have refraction delegated to a technician--or better yet, delegated to the patient for self-administration. That would free up my time for doing what only I can do, which is making diagnosis and treatment plans, and giving me more time to advise patients."

NETRA developers write, "the goal of NETRA is to empower people, not replace optometrists. We expect the self-awareness will encourage more people to visit an optometrist where available." They continue, " Our device can be thought of as a thermometer for visual performance. Just as a thermometer measures corporal temperature and does not prescribe medicine, NETRA measures the refractive error and does not necessarily prescribe glasses.."

I'm excited about how fast technology advances our way of life. The one constant is change, and If I don't embrace it will leave me behind. This is 'Eyephone' is only one example. ¶ 11:10 AM