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Eye tests available on your smartphone

Eye tests - Level 0

A device for smartphones can test our eyes. It can tell us how bad our eyes are, and then order glasses online. It is from a company called EyeQue. The company says the eye test is as good as the test from an optician. It already tested the eyes of 50,000 people. The device costs $30.

EyeQue said the device was helpful. It said the optician can be in a hurry and will do only one test. EyeQue takes many tests and averages them. This gives a better result. The device will not replace the optician. An optician checks for eye problems. The device cannot do this.

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Eye tests - Level 1

New technology could replace the optician for eye tests. A device used with a smartphone can test our eyes and tell us how bad our eyesight is. We can then order a pair of glasses online. The device is from a company called EyeQue. It has already tested 50,000 people. It says the eye test is as good as the test from an optician. The device costs just $30. A newer version will come out later this year. It will cost around $60.

EyeQue said the device was better than an optician. It said: "When you go to the eye doctor, it's one moment in time....The doctor may be in a hurry. [We take] different measures over time. We...average it out, and we get a better result." The device will not replace the optician. An optician checks for problems the device cannot check for. One optician said the EyeQue could find problems more quickly, which an optician could then help with.

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Eye tests - Level 2

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New technology means we may no longer have to go to the optician for an eye test. It is a device that is used with a smartphone. It tests our eyes and tells us how good or bad our eyesight is. We can use the test to order a pair of glasses online or from an optician. The new device is from a company called EyeQue. It has already tested the eyes of 50,000 people. EyeQue says the smartphone eye test is as good as the test you get at an optician. The simple device costs just $30. A newer version will come out later this year. It will cost between $50 to $70.

EyeQue said the device was better than visiting an optician. It said: "When you go to the eye doctor, it's one moment in time. You may be having a bad day....The doctor may be in a hurry. What we do is different measures over time. We...average it out, and we get a better result." The company said the device wasn't a replacement for the optician. An optician checks for things the device cannot check for, like cataracts and lens damage. One optician said the EyeQue could speed up the identification of problems, which an optician could then help with.

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Eye tests - Level 3

There is new technology that means we may no longer need to go to the optician for an eye test. The new technology is a device that is used with a smartphone. The device tests our eyes and gives us a number that tells us how good or bad our eyesight is. We can then take this number to an optician to order a pair of glasses, or order the glasses online. The new device is from a startup company called EyeQue. It has been used to test the eyes of 50,000 people. The company says the results of the smartphone eye test are as good as the results you get by visiting an optician. The simple device costs just $30. An updated version will come out later this year and will cost between $50 to $70.

An EyeQue spokesman said the device was better than going to visit an optician. He said: "The reason for that is when you go to the eye doctor, it's one moment in time. You may be having a bad day. You may be nervous. The doctor may be in a hurry. What we do is different measures over time. We are able to average it out, and we get a better result." However, the spokesman said the device wasn't a replacement for the optician. An optician will check for things the device cannot check for, like cataracts and lens damage. One optician said, "the EyeQue, used correctly and regularly, could actually speed up identification" of problems which an optician could then help with.

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