Gary Franklin, Bob Williams, and Alan Bush believe they can make an important contribution to the early detection of childhood vision problems with a new smartphone app they have just launched, KidsVisionCheck. Available in the App and Play Stores, it is a free vision screening tool that can be used to analyze a child’s pupil’s red reflex to see if there is any risk of the glow or any one of an additional number of vision conditions. https://kidsvisioncheck.com
The application is also used to detect asymmetry in a child’s eyes. If there is a difference in the diameter or luminosity of the pupil the application will refer the child for examination. The creators are clear that it is a screening tool, not a diagnostic tool, and they have designed KidsVisionCheck to be easy to use for anyone to use via their smartphone camera. They encourage parents to take a photo at least three times over the course of a few days to avoid any anomalies.
Before launching the application, they worked with a machine learning specialist, Dr. Alex Litchtenstein, who had previously worked on virtual reality applications in the ophthalmic community. Alex helped create an algorithm for testing after studying over 4,000 photographs of eyes. With the support of the Lions Club and The Rotary Club, they are working on expanding vision screening for children in the US and worldwide. The application is currently available only in English, but they hope that in the future it will be available in multiple languages.
KidsVisionCheck is easy to use and user-friendly. We are excited about the future of vision screening tools like this one and hope that as they continue to improve upon this newly launched tool that it will be one more resource for parents to use to help identify vision conditions early.
