The technology is now in the clinical trial stage and will need compliance certifications by the health regulatory authorities in the country only when it goes commercial.
The technology is now in the clinical trial stage and will need compliance certifications by the health regulatory authorities in the country only when it goes commercial.
How about getting your eyes tested digitally on your personal computer, complete with an eyeglass prescription emailed to you at the end of it?
This is what ShopDoc, a health-tech start-up incubated under the Kerala Startup Mission, promises to roll out in India on a free trial run basis on November 1 observed as Kerala Day.
The technology, which was developed by the U.S.-based CLEAR, a digital eye care company founded by former NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) optical physicist Brandon Zimmerman, was launched on Thursday at Gitex Global 2022 held in Dubai. ShopDoc, in partnership with CLEAR, will bring the technology to the UAE and India.
“The free trial run of the digital eye test is already under way in the UAE, accessible through ShopDoc Metaverse. In India, we will roll out out the free trial both on our Metaverse and ShopDoc website simultaneously. This is groundbreaking technology that rules out the inconvenience of going to an optometrist or ophthalmologist for a mere eye test that often holds back people from having regular tests,” said Shihab Makaniyil, founder of ShopDoc. The start-up, incidentally, was the first in the world to introduce preventive healthcare services on Metaverse platform, providing health awareness, education, and care for schoolchildren first, and their parents and teachers.
In 2022, 360 schools in India and the UAE are waiting to be onboarded on ShopDoc Metaverse, where it allows member schools to set up their own primary preventive healthcare centre to educate, engage and empower children with their health, fitness and wellness.
However, the optical physics-based technology is restricted to eye tests alone and not to detect any eyes-related disorders. Users may log in with their name and email ID and start the test by maintaining a distance of about 3 metres from the computer screen. The user then has to follow the instructions, provided both as audio and text messages, before the test is wrapped up between five and eight minutes.
“The test already has attained an accuracy of 96-97%. Users sceptic of accuracy can verify the printed or PDF prescription from the digital test by visiting a local optometrist or ophthalmologist in the neighbourhood,” said Mr. Makaniyil.
The technology is now in the clinical trial stage and will need compliance certifications by the health regulatory authorities in the country only when it goes commercial. “Even when made a paid service, it will be priced nominally to keep it affordable,” said Mr. Makaniyil.
