Can Mobile Phones Correct Vision?

The members of MIT Media-Lab are improving people’s eyesight by using mobile phones.  The MIT Media-Lab created a device name NETRA (Near-Eye Tool for Refractive Assessment) that can be used to provide routine refractive eye exams. This new device takes advantage of the high resolution of today’s mobile phones and special software for the phone to enable the measurement of the eye’s focus ability.

The cost to develop this device is currently $1 to $2 and the software is free. The goal for the MIT Media-Lab is to provide the NETRA to the millions of people in developing countries that currently do not have access to the facilities where they can get their vision checked.

Current equipment used to measure the eye's focus ability                     

                                                                                       

 New device to measure the eye's focus ability