用手机能检测你的视力?

Researchers at MIT’s Media Lab have developed a way to perform an eye test in three minutes – using a cell phone. The team presented the idea at a July 2010 computer-graphics conference in Los Angeles. Team leader, Ramesh Raskar, described how it works.

麻省理工多媒体实验室的研究人员开发了以一项用手机测视力技术，三分钟即可搞定。在2010年7月洛杉矶举行的计算机图形会议上，该研究团队展示了这一创意。拉梅什．拉斯卡尔是研究组组长，他向我们描述了该项技术的测试原理。

Ramesh Raskar: You would add a plastic clip-on to your cell phone and a software from, say, an app store.

拉梅什．拉斯卡尔：你在手机上夹一个塑料装置，再到应用程序商店下一个软件，即可进行视力检测。

Patients look at their cell phone’s screen through the plastic clip-on, and use the phone’s arrows to position lines on the screen. The number of clicks it takes to position the lines is used to determine a person’s refractive error, or their eyeglasses prescription. Dr. Raskar said this portable new technology will be available to anyone, but he believes it’s likely to have the greatest impact in developing countries.

使用者透过这个塑料装置看手机屏幕，按压手机箭头键定位屏幕上的线条，按箭头键的次数就能反映人眼屈光不正的程度，或眼睛的度数。拉斯卡尔博士说这项便携式新技术对任何人都适用，但对发展中国家人们的影响最显著。

Ramesh Raskar: The World Health Organization estimates that over half a billion people have uncorrected refractive error, which is affecting their daily livelihood. So, a solution that provides very cheap and easy screening will, of course, allow us to distribute eye care in very remote places. And in many cases they don’t have access to an optometrist or any eye care facility but they do have access to a cell phone.

拉梅什．拉斯卡尔：世界卫生组织推测，全球有5亿多人因患屈光不正而影响到日常生活。所以，我们可以把这项简单又实惠的视力检测技术推广到偏远地区，为那里的人们提供眼部护理。那些偏远地区的人们很难接触到验光师或眼部护理设备，但是他们拥有一部手机却不是件难事。