The iPhone has some awesome apps and hardware created for it, but this one will actually help some people to see better. It works by identifying cataracts. It requires more than just a download of software, but does its job better than some expensive machines.
The news from MIT is that they are working on a modern way to detect cataracts before they worsen. The tool of choice for their mission is the Apple iPhone. Some people are calling this a “revolutionary” wave in medicine. It involves an inexpensive plastic lens that clips over the screen of the iPhone. A person puts their eye up to the device and looks in. This new device will start measuring the light and start to create a map of the eye. The end result is that the MIT device can decide if cataracts are starting to form in the eye before it is a big problem.
Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world. This mobile solution is simple in that it has no moving parts and is cheap, making it suitable for developing countries. It can replace much more expensive machines and the use of highly trained technicians. The use of the expensive machines can not detect the early opacities of the cataract problem, but this iPhone attachment can. In this way it is slightly superior to machines that cost more. Existing techniques create a simple grade of severity, but the iPhone technique presents a full map of the scattering of light in the eye with multifaceted results.
This mobile system is called CATRA. The person whose eyes are being inspected can press a few buttons and have the iPhone examine their eyes. The examination results from the CATRA program will create an attenuation map of the complete lens. This way the user can monitor the progression of the severity of a cataract problem. The process is done within minutes and no one needs to have a doctor’s degree to use CATRA.
The iPhone will require a software download to go with the plastic examining lens. The iPhone is not the only smartphone that will be able to accomplish the cataract test, plus it works on the iPod touch. An international computer graphics conference called “Siggraph” in Vancouver will be the place where CATRA is shown off. Siggraph is kicking off next month. Other medical apps are already out for the iPhone. Expect the apps to increase, as 81 percent of medical practitioners are predicted to have a smartphone by next year.
