New tool developed for eye exams

June 23, 2010

Determining someone's prescription for eyeglasses usually involves large equipment and a lengthy eye exam, but researchers at MIT have developed a new tool that can be attached to a smartphone, FastCompany.com reports.

This new tool was conceived with the developing world in mind. Due to high costs and expensive equipment, vision is often poor in developing nations. The team of researchers hope to bring sight to those who have gone so long without help.

The attachable lens allows the patient to look into it while it is attached to a smartphone. The phone will have a special application that is used to analyze the result. When the patient looks in they will see two lines, a red and a green, and use arrows on the phone to adjust the lines until they overlap. Once they do, the application then analyzes and presents a new eyeglasses prescription.

The groups of researchers hopes to market this new device for the emerging markets in Asia and Africa, providing millions of people with vision correction devices that are affordable.

They have compared their device to inventions that revolutionized photography. Digital and throwaway cameras are affordable solutions to a once expensive endeavor, and they hope their new eye lens device will be the same.