智能手機改變了我們監控健康的方式，手機APP可以記錄我們每天行走的步數，優化飲食，分析睡眠模式。但諷刺的是，這個我們每天都要盯著看好幾個小時的設備卻沒怎么幫我們提高視力。

一家名為EyeQue的初創公司希望生產一種可以讓用戶在家里用手機自行檢測視力的設備，來填補這一空白；不久之前，視力測試還只能由驗光師完成。用戶只需把設備連接到智能手機上，透過該設備看手機，即可完成視力測試，這樣他們就能在網上配眼鏡了。

用戶必須要移動他們從設備里看到的紅線和黃線，直到它們重合形成黃條。線條達到重合所需的移動量和用戶屈光不正的度數相對應（屈光不正指患者的眼睛形狀無法正確彎曲光線，導致視力模糊）。

根據EyeQue的說法，目前用戶已經用該設備進行了大約5萬次檢測。

EyeQue的計算在云端完成，數據也同樣儲存在云端。該公司建議至少要在不同日期的不同時間測三次。EyeQue表示，用它們的設備測視力需要的時間很短，但往往比眼科醫生當面測出的結果更準確。

“這是因為你看眼科醫生是一次性的。”EyeQue的首席運營官兼首席技術官約翰·塞里說：“你那天可能情緒不佳。你可能會緊張。醫生可能很趕時間。我們的做法是在不同時間進行多次測試。通過取平均值，能得出更準確的結果。”

盡管如此，賽里強調EyeQue不是要取代驗光師，因為驗光師還可以檢查青光眼、黃斑變性、白內障等其它問題。雖然EyeQue的檢測結果包括配鏡所需的球鏡、柱鏡和軸位等三個關鍵參數，但顯然不能稱為處方，因為處方（嚴格來說）只能由醫生開具，不過配鏡參數仍然可以供線上眼鏡商使用。

然而一些了解EyeQue的驗光師表示，他們認為該設備其實能促進人們更多地咨詢專業醫療人員。

“我認為正確使用、經常使用EyeQue實際上可以讓患者更早查明病因、接受治療，因為患者在家里就可以經常做檢查。”了解EyeQue的英國驗光師保羅·吉普森說。

他認為該服務以后會加入人工智能等工具，可以提醒用戶注意潛在的問題，測量用戶的反應速度。還可以提醒用戶向驗光師尋求治療，并幫他們預約。

該設備還有其他優點，比如價格。個人視力測量跟蹤儀的售價是30美元; 預計今年推出的新版本可能會賣50到70美元。這比很多人找驗光師花的錢要少。

用戶還必須注冊EyeQue賬戶（第二年起每年需支付4.99美元），他們可以在云端存儲個人數據以及和視力有關的各類定制報告。這樣便于他們向驗光師提供相關信息。

吉普森表示，如果有這些數據，就無需再讓驗光師做評估，可以少花10分鐘。他說，EyeQue或Visibly、Lensabl等同類產品提供的服務可以減少購買眼鏡或隱形眼鏡驗光時可能出現的“巨大摩擦”，這只是其中一個例子。

然而并非每個驗光師都準備好完全接受這項技術了。美國眼科學會（American Academy of Ophthalmology）的臨床發言人邁克爾·雷普卡醫生表示，他知道有幾家公司提供視力測試，但還沒聽說過任何用手機查視力的公司。雖然對于行業而言，這一發展看起來肯定大受歡迎，但也有其局限性。

“消費者顯然想要這些服務——能夠看到自己的信息，然后用這些信息尋求專業護理。”雷普卡說。“但這顯然不適合小孩，他們也不是[EyeQue]的推廣目標。我[也]不知道這些系統對有視網膜問題或白內障的老年患者效果如何。”

EyeQue的賽里表示，他也知道剛剛起步的家用眼科檢查行業——進一步說就是EyeQue——要想贏得信任，需要迎接諸多挑戰。他表示，這就是為什么該公司的關注重點并非營銷，而是拓展與專業領域的關系，包括成為符合醫療行業隱私規則《健康保險流通與責任法案》（HIPAA）合規性的應用程序，目前還沒有成功。

“眼睛保健業務在遠程醫療方面并沒有太多進展。”塞里說。“但我們和一部分人談過，他們都表現出極大的興趣……[雖然]這是一個全新的市場。我們正在推出一些能夠改變消費者行為的東西……我們不著急。我們目前主要集中精力進行技術開發，而非大規模的營銷推廣。”（財富中文網）

譯者：Agatha

Smartphones have revolutionized how we monitor our health by giving us apps that do things like tracking the number of steps we take, helping us eat better, and analyzing our sleep patterns. But ironically, the device we stare at— hours daily, for many people—hasn’t done much in terms of helping us see better.

A startup called EyeQue is hoping to change that with a device that lets people use their phones to test their visual acuity at home, something that not long ago could only be done by optometrists. Users attach the device to their smartphones and then look through it to measure their vision so that they can order glasses online.

Users must move red and yellow lines they see through the device until those lines overlap to form a yellow bar. The amount of movement necessary for the lines to overlap corresponds to their refractive error (the shape of their eye that doesn’t bend light correctly, resulting in blurred vision).

To date, the devices have run roughly 50,000 tests, says EyeQue.

The calculations are done—and stored—in the cloud. And the company suggests users take at least three readings at different times on different days. The process, which takes just moments to complete, is more accurate than what is typically provided by an in-person appointment with a local eye doctor, the company says.

“The reason for that is when you go to the eye doctor, it’s one moment in time,” says John Serri, chief operating officer and chief technical officer of EyeQue. “You may be having a bad day. You may be nervous. The doctor may be in a hurry. What we do is different measures over time. We’re able to average it out. and we get a better result.”

That said, Serri emphasizes that EyeQue isn’t meant as a replacement for optometrists, who also check for problems like glaucoma, macular degeneration, and cataracts. And the results given for sphere, cylinder and axis—the three key readings required to get the proper lenses—are explicitly not called prescriptions, since those (technically) can only be written by a doctor, but they can still be used with some online eyeglass vendors.

Still, some optometrists who are familiar with EyeQue, say they believe the tool could actually encourage people to visit medical professionals more than they otherwise would.

“I think that the EyeQue, used correctly and regularly, could actually speed up identification and treatment of pathology due to more frequent screening at home,” says Paul Gibson, an optometrist in the UK who is familiar with EyeQue.

He expects that the service will add tools like artificial intelligence that could alert users to potential problems and measure reaction speed. Users could then be alerted to seek care from an optometrist and get help booking the appointment.

There are other advantages, like price. A personal vision tracker sells for $30; an updated version expected this year will likely cost $50 to $70. That’s less than what many people fork over as co-payments for their optometrist visits.

Users must also register for an EyeQue account ($4.99 per year after the first year), which lets them store their data and any customized reports about their vision in the cloud. In that way, they can more easily share that information with their optometrist.

Gibson said that users who have their data can avoid a 10-minute evaluation with their optometrist. It’s just one example of how services like EyeQue, or competitors like Visibly or Lensabl, reduces “the massive friction” in getting vision measurements for buying glasses or contact lenses, he said.

Not every optometrist is yet ready to sign on fully to the technology. Dr. Michael Repka, clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, says there are several companies offering refraction testing, though he hasn’t heard of any that use mobile phones. And while it certainly seems to be a welcome evolution to the industry, there are limitations.

“This is what consumers clearly want—the ability to see this themselves, then use that information to go seek professional care,” says Repka. “It’s certainly not something that’s appropriate for young children, though—and [EyeQue is] not marketing it to them. I [also] don’t know how well these systems will do for older patients who have retinal issues or cataract issues.”

Serri, from EyeQue, says he’s also aware of the challenges in terms of trust surrounding the start-up at-home eye exam industry, and by extension EyeQue. That’s why, he says, the company is focusing less on marketing and more on developing professional relationships, including becoming complaint with HIPAA, the healthcare industry’s privacy rules—something it currently is not.

“There’s not much happening in the eye care business in telemedicine,” Serri says. “But the people we’ve talked to show a lot of interest in it. … This is a brand new market [though]. We’re bringing out something that changes behavior in consumers. … We’re not in a rush. We’re putting more effort in defining our technology rather than pushing large scale marketing efforts.”