MIT NETRA

NETRA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012222344/http://web.media.mit.edu/~pamplona/NETRA/Pamplona_et_al_SIGRAPH1010_low_res.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-12 |hdl-access=free

The key enabling factor for this new technology is the resolution of modern LCDs. The available resolution is now half of the width of the human hair. This is only a third of the working resolution of high-end ophthalmology instruments. At this level, LCDs available in modern mobile phones can be re-purposed to achieve performance that compares with the highest end scientific instruments.

NETRA can be thought as a thermometer for visual performance. Just like the thermometer measures the body temperature at one's convenience, the device provides a quantitative measurement of the refractive error without the need of a physician on the ground. The test can be performed anywhere, enabling people to know when they need to see a doctor. The need for accessible, low cost eye diagnostics like NETRA is tremendous and is global in scale—over half a billion people have uncorrected refractive errors.