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Smartphones Getting Smarter; Can Detect Cataracts Now Posted: 18 Aug 2011 12:02 AM PDT We all know how important mobile phones and other mobile devices are in today's time. One can hardly think of a day without using mobile phone. And with this increasing need for a mobile phone, smartphone is now on its way to reserve its place in our life. Smartphones have a number of fascinating features, which is its USP. Besides those fun stuff smartphones also have some useful and innovative features that hint at a promising future for cellphones. A team of researchers at MIT have recently come up with a different invention known as 'Catra' which uses a smartphone and a cheap plastic eyepiece to detect cataract. Cataract is a disease which makes the lens of the eye cloudy. This cloud that develops on the envelope of the eye varies in intensity in the different parts of the eye. CATRA is an invention of MIT's Media Lab which uses a cellphone and a cheap plastic eyepiece to detect cataracts. Not only is it cheaper and easier to use than existing solutions, it actually provides much better results. And you know what? We knew Smartphones could change the world! How to Use Smartphone to Detect Cataract at Home In this smartphone a beam of light from the smartphone is used to detect cataract. This device directs beams of light to the different parts of the eye. For the patient, each beam of light being emitted from the smartphone appears to the patient as a stationary beam of light. Thus, as per the definition of cataract, if the patient's lens has some cloudiness in its specific portions, then the patient will feel a blurred effect in seeing the beam of light falling in that part of the lens of the eye. Thus, the patient will actually feel the difference in the intensity of beam of light falling on the different parts of the lens of the eye. To eliminate this difference, the patient then uses the arrow keys on the smartphone to adjust the intensity of light falling on different parts of lens. With the patient pressing the arrow keys to adjust intensities in different areas of the eye, the smartphone creates a map of the eye. It actually figures out which area of eye requires light beam with more intensities to reach the retina. Thus, cataract gets detected easily and the doctor can figure out the stage this disease. With regular testing, they can even figure out at what rate this disease is growing. Thus, it is one of the important advantages of this technology, that it can detect cataract at a very early stage. Also, with today's technology for detecting cataract, it is not possible to find out what the patient is actually feeling. The patient would have to describe his internal condition by words. But, with this new technology the patient's internal state can be more accurately understood. This smarphone would be a new ray of hope for many people, especially, those who are in the early stage of cataract. Also, detection of cataract in this manner would be far cheaper than the current ongoing ways of detection, as this technology uses only a smartphone and a plastic eye piece. Guest Author: This is a guest article by Amanda Kidd who is a writer who is all into machines and gadgets. She blogs for health, parenting and beauty as well, but technology band gadgets tops the list of her favorites. Mobile reviews and 3d mobile has recently caught her interest.

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