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Globally, there are about four billion people who need eyeglasses. The technology, an inexpensive, diagnostic mobile eye device that checks your eyesight, was originally created to democratize eye tests and also address poor and remote regions of developing countries where access to healthcare is challenging.
But after years of development, thousands of tests and a successful roll out, EyeNetra says it's looking at offers from VR companies who want to use their technology to develop "vision-corrected" VR displays.
Not a bad market to get into. Digi-Capital reported in April 2015 that VR and Augmented Reality (AR) is expected to reach $150 billion by 2020 , less than five years away. That market, they say, will disrupt mobile as we know it.
The VR market sits squarely in the living room and centers around gaming and 3D films and some enterprise uses. If there are four billion people in the world who need eye glasses, that market segment is a smart one to address because the likes of
Why would you leave out four billion users just because they need eyeglasses? You wouldn't.
"As much as we want to solve the prescription glasses market, we could also [help] bring virtual reality to the masses," says Ramesh Raskar, Co-founder. EyeNetra.
Raskar says prescription VR screens would make VR devices more form fitting which creates a more immersive and comfortable experience for the user with eyesight problems.
"Right now, devices are built with extra space on the viewing end for people wearing glasses. But it could also help solve a larger issue: aligning the eye lens, prescription lens, and the virtual-reality screen," said Raskar. "All three have to be aligned in the right way for you to enjoy the experience."
In the new device, EyeNetra's technology measures how a user's optical refractive errors will affect how they see patterns on a digital display, just like a VR headset. EyeNetra says VR companies could use precise measurements to develop screens that are pre-corrected to a user's specific refraction errors.
"It's personalized correction," Raskar says. "Your vision correction is built into the headset."
