SBIR Phase II: Gaze-independent contactless autorefractor for self-serve eye exam kiosk.

Award ID: 2322305

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to improve access to vision care and eyeglasses for all Americans through a self-serve, rapid vision exam kiosk for retail stores and public spaces. An estimated 175 million Americans suffer from blurry vision, of which 30 million live without eyeglasses. By partnering with retailers, pharmacies, and supermarkets, the company has the potential to reach a large number of Americans via a network of kiosks spread across the US. With 70% of the population benefitting from eyeglasses, the development of the companys rapid vision exam kiosk aims to democratize vision care and eliminate the gap in easily accessible vision exams. This project develops a gaze-independent, contactless autorefractor technology (GIPR) for use in a self-serve and autonomous vision exam kiosk. Gaze-camera misalignment is a leading contributor to accuracy drift in autorefractors using the retinal reflex method. Eliminating the gaze alignment requirement marks a significant milestone in the companys development. The GIPR design refracts the inner visual field in a single capture, thus providing a measurement of refractive error at the subjects foveal position. Building on the success of the Phase I feasibility project, this Phase II project will continue the development of the GIPR module towards commercial readiness by optimizing hardware layout and improving data processing pipeline throughput. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Alastair Monk