According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired, and 39 million are blind.
About 90% of individuals with visual impairment live in developing countries, and 80% of all visual impairment is avoidable or curable. Therefore, access to proper diagnostics and treatment inarguably remains a great need for many populations.
Recognizing that, in many low-income countries, more people have access to mobile phones than to running water, Andrew Bastawrous, BSc (Hons), MB ChB, FHEA MRCOphth, of the International Centre for Eye Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, saw an opportunity to bring eye care to these underserved patient populations via a smartphone-based ophthalmic tool.
PEEK—the Portable Eye Examination Kit— was developed to carry out a full range of ophthalmic diagnostic tests in even the remotest settings.
HOW IT WORKS.
PEEK, is a new smartphone application and adaptor that helps anyone carry out an eye exam anywhere in the world.
puts a number of standard tests on a standard smartphone.
The phone’s camera can be used to scan the lens of the eye, while the LED flash is bright enough to illuminate the retina.
The phone’s screen can be used to conduct various vision tests, and all the data can be geotagged using the phone’s built-in GPS, compiled into a patient record, and sent wirelessly to a doctor.
PEEK is currently undergoing trials on 5,000 patients in Kenya and Glasgow, but the early results are promising and have so far allowed doctors to provide further treatment to over 1,000 patients.
More Info: Peek website. . .
REFERENCES:
RETINA TODAY
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