We live in an era where smartphones are dominant in our lives. Besides being a communication bridge, they function as different gadgets when paired up with add-on devices that are being released in the market. The latest installment in this regard is of smartphones being used in eye healthcare and this development comes from a New York based company called Smart Vision Labs. The new facility which is not expensive, enables an iPhone to diagnose vision problems.
The gadget is known as SVOne and it is an auto refractor that transforms the iPhone into a portable lab. It uses a new sensor technology, known as Wavefront, for the diagnosis of refractive errors. The software algorithm inside SVOne works by analyzing the Wavefront data and then converting it into prescriptions for corrective lens. The data is transferred to the cloud where it is accessible and available for review at any time by remote technicians, healthcare providers and patients.
The gadget comes with a spectacular battery life that is capable of providing power for continuous 56 hours usage on a single charge. Such features make SVOne an ideal gadget for doctors who are working in harsh conditions and where conventional equipment is not available. As of now, the SVOne has been tested in Haiti and Guatemala. The company behind this gadget was born back in 2013 and the technology in focus is about a decade old from when the founders, Yaopeng Zhou and Marc Albanese began developing the advanced scanning laser ophthalmoscope as part of a program between the Schepens Eye Research Institute and Boston University. The current version of the gadget was conceived about two years ago when both founders went to Boston University for the sake of developing an ophthalmoscope aimed at assessing the damage caused by diabetes to retina.
WHO states that about 250 million persons suffer from blindness due to refractive error in the developing countries and only 16% of 6 year old children and 31% of 16 year old children have access to proper eye tests. Smart Vision Labs exhibited the gadget at the International Vision Expo and Conference in Las Vegas on 17-19th September.