How the app works is that it tries to look for “white eye” reflections in photos, which could be a sign of retinoblastoma, cataracts, or something else entirely. It seems that the app is so effective that apparently that when it was put to the test by scanning 53,000 photos of 40 children, half of whom had eye diseases, there were 16 instances where it detected eye disease in the children 1.3 years before doctors made their diagnosis.
While the app is useful for anyone regardless of age, it is said to be more effective for children who might not necessarily know that something is wrong with their eyes. It will also be useful for parents who can also help monitor the eye health of their children through the app just by using it to scan existing photos.
The app is actually available for download on both iOS and Android devices, although its creator does caution that the app isn’t FDA approved and that you should not take the results as an actual diagnosis. However, if it does tell you that something is wrong, it probably wouldn’t hurt to get your eye or your child’s eyes checked just to be safe.