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Thread: NETRA system determines patient's Rx with cell phone and inexpensive "optical plate"

  1. #1
    Master OptiBoarder rinselberg's Avatar
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    NETRA system determines patient's Rx with cell phone and inexpensive "optical plate"

    Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a new app for smart phones that, when combined with a thin, cheap lens, could give cheap and accurate eyeglass prescriptions to smart phone owners. The research could help millions of people around the world see better for less money.
    For more, see: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38001261...e_health_news/

    For a longer, more technical report, including a video presentation:
    http://web.media.mit.edu/~pamplona/NETRA/

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    OptiBoard Professional OptiBoard Bronze Supporter
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    yikes, and here I thought the OD's might actually be the last ones standing with an optical store- of course having to charge $300 for an exam to make up for the fact that everyone buys their glasses on line.
    the future of this industry gets bleaker everyday.

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    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
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    Blue Jumper New technologies are emerging......................

    Quote Originally Posted by ih8wlmrt View Post

    yikes, and here I thought the OD's might actually be the last ones standing with an optical store- of course having to charge $300 for an exam to make up for the fact that everyone buys their glasses on line.
    the future of this industry gets bleaker everyday.
    After loading the app, a user attaches a short, conical viewfinder (about $2 now, although Raskar thinks that will soon drop to 50 cents) to the screen of their high resolution cell phones and peers in. A series of patterns appear. The user aligns the patterns by pushing buttons on the phone. The more button pushed, the worse a person's eyesight.
    The app repeats this process four times, one for each axis of the eye. During the process the app also measures other abnormalities, such as astigmatism. Once all the patterns have been lined up the app spits out a person's eyeglass prescription. Start to finish it takes about two minutes to deliver a full prescription.


    Of course the on line retailers will ge for this idea in no time and advertise this new system.
    And the next one will be a PD gauge on a similar principle as well as all the other measurements. Take picture of a face at a given distance and all measurement results will be on the screen.

    Start thinking about a good solution to overcome what's in the coming. Who and what is on your side and who is not.


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    What's up? drk's Avatar
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    Ha ha, that's a good one.

    NOT.

    Nice science fair, eggheads.
    Last edited by drk; 06-30-2010 at 12:37 PM.

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    Master OptiBoarder TLG's Avatar
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    Sounds absolutely useless to me; unless of course it prints out a record signed by a doctor (Dr SmartPhone?)

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    Rochester Optical WFruit's Avatar
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    The only practical use I could see is to replace auto-refractors. If you're a doctor setting up your own practice and you already have a smart phone, why spend the extra money on an auto-refractor? Yes, I know this is only a base line for starting the exam, but it could save a new practice some money.
    There are rules. Knowing those are easy. There are exceptions to the rules. Knowing those are easy. Knowing when to use them is slightly less easy. There are exceptions to the exceptions. Knowing those is a little more tricky, and know when to use those is even more so. Our industry is FULL of all of the above.

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    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter
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    Quote Originally Posted by WFruit View Post
    The only practical use I could see is to replace auto-refractors. If you're a doctor setting up your own practice and you already have a smart phone, why spend the extra money on an auto-refractor? Yes, I know this is only a base line for starting the exam, but it could save a new practice some money.
    Good idea, WFruit.

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    How would this compensate for accomodation, or loss of??

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    Quote Originally Posted by WFruit View Post
    The only practical use I could see is to replace auto-refractors. If you're a doctor setting up your own practice and you already have a smart phone, why spend the extra money on an auto-refractor? Yes, I know this is only a base line for starting the exam, but it could save a new practice some money.
    Certainly the only practical use for a practice. I don't think it's something for any of us to feel threatened by. The more important implications of this device, lie in how it can benefit NGO's in cheaply and efficiently generating a prescription for people in developing countries.

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    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter Barry Santini's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Ryser View Post
    And the next one will be a PD gauge on a similar principle as well as all the other measurements. Take picture of a face at a given distance and all measurement results will be on the screen.

    Start thinking about a good solution to overcome what's in the coming. Who and what is on your side and who is not.
    No Chris, it's sooner than you think:


    "3D" phones, cause of their "parallax", will be able to ascertain PD's with great precision, very soon.

    B

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    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
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    Blue Jumper "3D" phones, cause of their "parallax", ................

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Santini View Post

    No Chris, it's sooner than you think:


    "3D" phones, cause of their "parallax", will be able to ascertain PD's with great precision, very soon.
    Barry, Everything has been happening sooner than we thought 4-5 years ago.

    This now means that at that stage the starting base of the opticians job becomes obsolete (in the consumers view, as well as the on-line peddlers.)

    The consumer will have the full option of where to go, to the B&M store or the computer on his desk.

    It is a real scary thought concerning the future of all of it.

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    Idea Another way to look at this as an opportunity for opticians!

    Does this mean we as opticians can use this application to "neutralize the eye" and have them send me the info via email (internet) and now we have a legal RX? This is probably more accurate than we get from the MD offices around the country. We see (get it) many RX's that bounce from Md offices and we would be better off using this method to double check an RX.
    If it goes to Frames Direct and ships to the patient we are just an internet provider that has the ability to make some $ and once the glasses are mailed to them, they can come in for a legal adjustment via my store.

    Craig

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    You can get older AR for <$1000 on eBay. As a Doc interested in telemedicine and 3rd world mission work vs globalization I simply don't see a use for this.

    For third world better to teach people to use a retinascope IMHO. This is going about as far as oil filled glasses which cost 2x the cheapies from zenni optical.
    Last edited by jakemoore; 07-05-2010 at 11:40 AM.

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    What's up? drk's Avatar
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    Gadgetry or no, professional vision care is rapidly becoming optional.

    We need to adjust to this.

    Barry's been pretty good at being on the vanguard.

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    Optiboard Professional Bill West's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by drk View Post
    Gadgetry or no, professional vision care is rapidly becoming optional.

    We need to adjust to this.

    Barry's been pretty good at being on the vanguard.
    IS IT BECAUSE THE INDUSTRY HAS PRICED IT'S SELF OUT OF THE MARKET. I stated long ago if you don't adjust to the market you will go down. I have changed the way I do business about four times in the last forty years. Still flying high today with a new idea two years ago.

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    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
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    Blue Jumper in that case you must have been right............................

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill West View Post

    I have changed the way I do business about four times in the last forty years. Still flying high today with a new idea two years ago.
    Bill.........................in that case you must have been right so far. I have checked out your website and understand your point, and hope some more will.

  17. #17
    What's up? drk's Avatar
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    I think I know what you're referring to, Bill, and I don't disagree.

    It's the third party in an economic transaction that drives up the cost. That, I predict, will collapse pretty soon, and we'll all be doing what you're doing.

    What's your web address, Bill?

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    Quote Originally Posted by jefe View Post
    Good idea, WFruit.
    That's hilarious. Instead of using an auto refractor I'm going to hand him my phone and ask him to push a bunch of buttons so i can get an estimate of his Rx.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Ryser View Post
    Barry, Everything has been happening sooner than we thought 4-5 years ago.

    This now means that at that stage the starting base of the opticians job becomes obsolete (in the consumers view, as well as the on-line peddlers.)

    The consumer will have the full option of where to go, to the B&M store or the computer on his desk.

    It is a real scary thought concerning the future of all of it.

    Whats so scary?...When it gets to the point when money cant be made in this business,then its time to get out.

    Personally,I dont think there is any future in either optometry or being an optician....

    For the past 10 years ,if anyone asks me about my thoughts about getting into the eyecare business,Ive been advising them not to.

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    Redhot Jumper I dont think there is any future in either optometry or being an optician....

    Quote Originally Posted by kws6000 View Post

    Personally,I dont think there is any future in either optometry or being an optician....

    I do not fully agree to that position. ODs and Opticians will have to change their ways of making their income and the way of charging for it, and the sooner, the better.

    There is now talk that the economy in tha Gulf States will further decline and maybe millions of people might be out of their jobs.
    Should anything like that happen you will see a further large increase in the business of the online opticals.

    While there are always still people which are financially independent and are willing to make purchases the traditional way, the big masses will turn to lower priced items.
    In the optical retail I have always taken the finished product as it gets into the store for delivery, as a semi finished product. It will ned carefull adjustments and services for its life span.
    Specialised optical retail should now change to charge for services, instead of working by a multiplying factor of the cost.

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