This iPhone Accessory Replaces an Eye Doctor's Office

Anyone who's had an eye exam in the past few decades has stared into an autorefractor -- the device, the size of microwave oven and costing up to $20,000, that bounces an infrared beam off the retina to determine the correction needed for an image to come into focus. New York City startup Smart Vision Labs has developed a $3,950 handheld replacement, the SVOne, that utilizes an iPhone's camera, processor, and wireless connection to examine patients anywhere and manage their cases online.

The 0.9-pound silver slab is about the size and shape of a paperback, with an eyepiece on one end and an iPhone, included, on the other. Not only is the SVOne more convenient for eye doctors to use in their offices, it can bring eye exams to the billion people on earth who can't see simply because they don't have access to a doctor. "An iPhone's camera capabilities and processing are just as good as the technology we were using over 10 years ago at an advanced research lab," says Marc Albanese, one of Smart Vision Labs' two cofounders. He's not even talking about the latest iPhone, but rather the two-year-old 5s. A smartphone also provides an Internet connection, so test results and exam notes can be automatically uploaded. Smart Vision Labs is getting ready to roll out a new cloud platform that allows doctors to track exam records and share them with patients from a web interface -- everyone from well-heeled US clients to children in the developing world.