The team at EyeQue has startling facts about the world’s vision. They say that one in five kids aged twelve and under in the US are nearsighted and that myopia is beginning earlier than it has in previous generations. Further, they cite a statistic that 670 million people worldwide don’t have access to an eye doctor or prescription glasses. Current data estimates say that five billion people, around fifty percent of the global population, will require some kind of vision aid by 2050. To help combat worldwide vision issues, the group has developed EyeQue Insight, a ‘professional grade visual activity screener’ that tests the user’s vision. A Kickstarter campaign is launching the production of the eye test units.
The Insight tests clarity and sharpness of vision, and consists of a unit that slips over the user’s phone and interacts with the myEyeQue VA app to administer the ‘tumbling E eye chart’ test. The experience is random and gamified, and each user’s data can be stored in the EyeQue Cloud to track vision differences over time.
EyeQue says that youth under twelve benefit the most from the device, as more time is spent indoors staring at screens that previous generations. Rubbing of the eyes, squinting, headaches, social anxiety, poor school performance and poor sport performance can all be linked to eyesight issues. The binocular headset is designed for every user, with adjustments made for any pupillary distance. All iOS and Android phones with more than 300 ppi and screen sizes over 4.7 inches are supported by the binocular device and the app. A $4.99 yearly fee gives access to unlimited vision tests and lifetime access to data from the device.
The older I get, the more I worry about my vision and the vision of my kids. EyeQue Insight looks to be a good tool to benchmark our vision levels today and make sure that we track any degradation over time. EyeQue explicitly states that this vision testing will not improve a user’s eyesight, and the Vision Tracker should only be users as a test, not a therapeutic tool. The campaign ends on December 24, 2017 and if successful first units are expected to ship in March 2018.