New eye exam app made by MIT available soon

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A cell phone could soon be all you need to get a prescription for glasses.

"It's the cheapest eye test ever made," said Vitor Pamplona, an MIT media lab student.

Researchers at the MIT media lab said they've developed a smart phone app that, when used with an eye piece they've created for the program, can give you a cheap, accurate eye exam in just two minutes.

"The app is free right now and the piece is $2," said Pamplona.

After loading the app called "Perfect Sight," users can attach the clip-on viewfinder over the screen.

"When you look through this eye piece, you will see a series of lines and patterns," said Prof. Ramesh Raskar at the MIT media lab.

Then, users can align those patterns by using the buttons on your phone's key pad.

"Hit calculate and get prescription data for your nearsightedness, farsightedness, and a stigmatism," said Prof. Raskar.

The "Perfect Sight" app will be available for most high resolution smart phones, and the eye piece will be sold at pharmacies and through cell phone providers.

"We designed both. Both are part of our research here," said Pamplona.

The researchers behind the app say with cell phone screen technology improving every day, this type of product is just the beginning.

"The individual pixels are now smaller than the width of a human hair. At that resolution, our phones can start doing tasks that were previously possible only with highest and scientific instruments or medical imaging instruments," said Prof. Raskar.

The researchers expect the completed product to be available for the public in about six months.

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