This new portable smartphone eye exam kit aims to bring hope to people with eye problems who live in remote parts of the world. In addition to being portable and easy to use, this system allows complex eye tests to be performed without the need for expensive equipment.
According to the scientific team of the Peek project “ 285 million people around the world are visually impaired, and 39 million of those people are actually blind. In 80 percent of cases blindness is preventable with appropriate treatment. But 90% of these people live in low-income countries where diagnosis and care are not always available. “.
The Peek Eye Analysis System consists of a mobile application and is used on technology that turns an Android smartphone into a portable and affordable diagnostic tool. The app allows field physicians to administer comprehensive eye exams in remote locations and remote villages. It allows you to perform several eye tests such as visual field, acuity (clarity of vision), color vision, contrast sensitivity, optical imaging for cataracts, imaging retinal and image leveling. In addition, thanks to this phone, doctors can geolocate a patient.
Their files are archived and tagged with their contact details. This makes it easier for a local eye care professional to follow them in countries where street skills and high literacy levels are not at all common. This solution could be a real revolution for ophthalmic health in the poorest countries.
This project is being developed in London by a team of researchers which includes Dr Andrew Bastawrous, an ophthalmologist and academic researcher at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Stewart Jordan, co-founder of Golden Gekko, one of the world’s greatest mobile application developers in Europe. They are currently in Kenya to field test the Peek application and adapt it to local conditions.
