It is hardly a secret that medical equipment is expensive. In fact the equipment need to conduct a proper eye exam can easily set you back a whopping $20-$40k, putting it well out of reach for smaller organizations or clinics. However a company by the name of Smart Vision Labs has managed to create such a kit for a fraction of the price.
Dubbed the SVOne, this is an eye examination kit that uses your iPhone. Your phone will be responsible for taking a series of photos of your eye, after which an accompanying app will be used to analyze the photos and to provide a prescription. How much will this kit cost? Like we said a fraction of how much full-sized kits cost at only $4,000.
This will make it more affordable for NGOs and doctors servicing patients in developing countries where transporting the equipment is troublesome and expensive, so by creating a somewhat pocketable and mobile system, it should help to increase the amount of eye care given in all parts of the world.
Now the device isn’t new and was actually announced a while ago, however the company back then lacked the funds necessary to mass produce the SVOne. Fast forward to today, the company has since announced that they have managed to raise $6.1 million in institutional funding from Techstar Ventures to help improve its scale of production and expand their team.