The classic eye exam may be about to get an upgrade. Researchers have developed an online vision test — fueled by artificial intelligence (AI) — that produces much more accurate diagnoses than the sheet of capital letters we’ve been staring at since the 19th century. If perfected, the test could also help patients with eye diseases track their vision at home.
So Piech and his colleagues developed an online test. Users first calibrate their screen size by adjusting a box on a web page to the size of a credit card. After entering the distance they are from the screen, the test displays an “E” in one of four orientations. Based on the answer, the algorithm then uses statistics to make a prediction for a vision score, similar to how AIs make a playlist based on your favorite artists, or what ads to show based on what you clicked on earlier. As the test goes on, the algorithm is able to make a more accurate prediction about the score. The test asks 20 questions per eye and takes a couple minutes to complete.
There is a link in the article to take the test yourself at Eye, robot: Artificial intelligence dramatically improves accuracy of classic eye exam
But critics caution the online test isn’t quite ready for prime time