Smartphone Scanning Technology Ensures Ophthalmic Measurement Accuracy

Smartphone scanning technology may allow for spectacle measurements associated with the best fit outcomes, according to a study published in Optometry and Vision Science.

Researchers included individuals with presbyopia (N=30; age range, 49-74 years) with an eyeglass prescription less than 1 year old in the investigation. Using prepaid gift cards, participants ordered progressive addition lenses (PALs) from a total of 4 vendors, which included a vendor utilizing the smartphone scanning technology, 2 established online vendors, and an in-person vision clinic staffed with opticians and optometry professionals. The team compared pupillary distance, segment height, and personalized measurements among the 4 vendors and participants reported vision and comfort preferences following a 15-minute trial with each pair.

Pupillary distance measurements obtained with the smartphone scanning technology were comparable to those measured by the opticians at the in-person clinic, but the measurements obtained by the 2 online vendors were significantly smaller (mean difference [MD], -0.80 mm for both vendors; P ≤.01 for both), the report shows. Segment height measurements measured by 1 of the online vendors were also significantly smaller compared with measurements obtained by the opticians (MD, -1.40 mm; P =.01).

While the smartphone scanning technology demonstrated an ability to accurately obtain pupillary distance and segment height measurements, personalized measurements, which include pantoscopic and faceform angles, were significantly different from those obtained by opticians (MD, -5.30 and +1.25°, respectively; P ≤.003 for both). Neither of the online vendors obtained personalized measurements for their patients. 

The 8-item questionnaire revealed similar patient-reported vision and comfort for glasses purchased at the in-person clinic and those obtained with the smartphone scanning technology. Spectacles obtained through the 2 online vendors frequently deviated from these self-reported values, the report shows.

The in-person clinic demonstrated a superior ability to adjust frames compared with the smartphone scanning technology and 2 online vendors. 

“[T]he adjustment technique could be improved as compared to the storefront clinic, but represents an important advance compared to the other online ordering model, which does not allow any adjustment,” according to the study authors. 

Study limitations include potential bias due to the ability of in-person staff to identify frames available in their clinic. 

Disclosure: This research was supported by Newlook Vision Group Inc. Please see the original reference for a full list of disclosures.