NETRA is designed for doctors in developing countries that may not otherwise have access to expensive ophthalmological equipment for eye exams.
Using the application and cellphone lens attachment, patients can look into the lens to view parallel red and green lines. Fast Company explains that patients can then "use arrow keys on the phone to adjust those lines until they overlap. After just two minutes of testing, the app spits out an eyeglass prescription."
The researchers will show off the application and hardware combination at SIGGRAGH 2010 in late July. Then, after testing, NETRA will launch under the umbrella of PerfectSight, a for-profit startup that will "market and produce the device for Asian and African markets."
The application will run on multiple smartphones. Existing prototypes are being tested on the Samsung Behold II and Google Nexus One.
The video embedded below includes a walkthrough of the idea and technology behind NETRA.