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| 英國科學家研發的驗眼裝置，可克服地域限制與價格問題，造福偏遠地區的眼疾患者。 （法新社） |
Eye Phone要價低 攜帶方便
「Eye Phone」可攜式驗眼套組由英國聖安德魯斯大學與倫敦衛生暨熱帶醫學學院等機構科學家研發，正在肯亞進行測試，持續5年的研究目前已進入最後階段，並已 在5000名病患身上完成試驗。研究人員表示，由於8成的失明案例都被認為可預防或可治癒，這項技術有朝一日可為眼部診斷與治療帶來革命，因收入低無力治 療的非洲人也可望擺脫眼疾之苦。
團隊使用的檢驗套組要價不過幾百歐元，與動輒數十萬歐元、重量約130公斤的專業級檢目鏡相比，價格低廉又 攜帶方便。Eye Phone套組說穿了不過就是加裝鏡片、可掃描視網膜的智慧型手機，外加可記錄資料的APP，手機加裝可掃描的鏡片之後，搖身一變成為醫療工具，輕輕鬆鬆 就能把掃描數據上傳，供專家團隊診斷與建議後續治療，病患也不會受地域阻隔耽誤醫療。
研究團隊表示，Eye Phone可簡單又正確地診斷出青光眼、白內障、黃斑部病變、糖尿病視網膜病變等視網膜與視神經疾病，而研究結果也證實，與專業器材相比，Eye Phone套組毫不遜色，足可作為替代選擇。
失明23年後，卡瑪烏最近在位於肯亞裂谷地區的家鄉接受診斷與治療，他雖因受傷太久視力無法完全恢復，不過至少失明眼睛的疼痛與腫脹從此消失，以前太陽一照就流淚且疼痛的狀況不藥而癒，生活品質大幅改善。
Eye Phone研究團隊每兩週一次來到卡瑪烏家鄉附近的最大城鎮納庫魯治療眼疾，參與研究的5000名肯亞人中已有多達200人接受手術。
VOA
Doctors Prevent Blindness With 'Revolutionary' Phone App
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August 15, 2013
Dr. Andrew Bastawrous from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine developed the new application along with a small team.
He is currently in Nakuru, Kenya, where he is testing the technology, and told VOA that it appears to be working.
“They are absolutely loving it. They are all asking to have a go and have their vision tested. So it is certainly very user friendly,” said Bastawrous.
So far about 2,000 Kenyans have been given eye tests. The developers estimate about 10 percent of those had cataracts and needed treatment.
Stewart Jordan is an independent application designer who helped develop the app called PEEK, or Portable Eye Examination Kit. He says the kit includes a clip-on camera, which works with the app to check glasses prescription, diagnose cataracts白內障 or examine the back of the eye for diseases, from glaucoma青光眼 to diabetes糖尿病.
In just a few seconds, he said, you can take a clear image of the back of the eye.
“I can then take that image, capture it, e-mail it, and upload it to our back-end system. People at Moorfield’s Eye Hospital can review it and anyone can send me feedback," he explained. "So if I was actually trying to diagnose a patient in the field, I could get remote assistance on exactly what conditions we were dealing with and advise on how to treat it.”
The team is testing PEEK on 5,000 Kenyans. Jordan said the team is paying for the treatment of every patient with cataracts, including the cost of a driver to deliver the patient to the hospital, overnight accommodation and food. “We are talking about $40 on a cataract operation. And that can literally take someone who cannot even tell if you are shining a torch in their eyes and give them 20/20 vision. It is remarkable,” he added.
Jordan and Bastawrous said they developed the application to reach the “poorest of the poor.”
An estimated 39 million people around the world are blind, with 90 percent living in low-income countries where there is little or no access to eye specialists.
SightSavers is an international charity that works to combat blindness in developing countries.
Program Development Advisor Imran Khan said giving eye examinations in poor or isolated regions can be a major obstacle.
“If we look at the supply side of the equation, there are just not enough trained doctors or nurses to go out into these rural communities, find these patients and bring them back to the base hospital," Khan said. "And if we look on the other side, the demand, a lot of the patients in these rural communities are not really aware of the benefits that these services can provide.”
But Khan said with new technology like PEEK, eye care should become much more accessible.
“By using means to go out into the communities and really use community health workers or people that we can train to go out and find these patients, it is a lot more effective," Khan said. "So it becomes more affordable and we increase access to care.”
Dr. Andrew Bastawrous is using PEEK alongside conventional eye testing gear to compare results. He says the PEEK app results appear to be keeping up with his hospital equipm
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