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Effectiveness of a smartphone application for testing near visual acuity
S Tofigh1, E Shortridge1, A Elkeeb1
1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
Eye (London, England)
|July 25, 2015
Summary
The EyeHandBook smartphone app overestimates near visual acuity (VA) compared to traditional near vision cards. This difference, averaging 0.11 LogMAR, highlights the need for awareness of platform disparities in eye exams.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Optometry
- Digital Health
Background:
- Smartphone applications are increasingly used for vision testing.
- Discrepancies may arise between digital and traditional visual acuity (VA) measurement methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare near visual acuity (VA) measurements obtained via the EyeHandBook smartphone application against the conventional near vision card.
- To quantify the discrepancy between these two VA measurement platforms.
Main Methods:
- Near VA measurements were collected from 100 subjects under consistent conditions using both the near vision card and the EyeHandBook app on an iPhone 5.
- Data were converted to LogMAR values and analyzed using paired sample t-tests and scatterplots.
Main Results:
- The EyeHandBook application significantly overestimated near VA compared to the near vision card (P<0.0001).
- The average overestimation was 0.11 LogMAR, except when the near vision card measurement was 20/20.
Conclusions:
- Eye-care providers must recognize potential VA measurement disparities between different platforms, such as smartphone apps versus traditional cards.
- The high contrast and brightness of smartphone screens may contribute to differences in VA measurements compared to standard near vision cards.
