Designed to combat the lack of proper tools and expertise when it comes to measuring eye power in low-resource areas, the Folding Foropter is a pretty nifty, low-cost paper device that helps anyone measure their eye power without needing an expensive setup or expert assistance. The Folding Foropter uses two paper tubes and lenses to replicate the complex eye tests done by optometrists, but simplifies it to a great degree, helping bring the gift of corrective vision to the billions who require it but don’t have access to the resources.
Developed by the LVPEI Center of Innovation in India, the Foropter is simple to make and even simpler to use. A sliding telescopic layout allows two lenses to slide towards or away from each other, while you, the user try to find the lens position at which your vision is the clearest. A gauge on the side tells you what your eye power is with an accuracy of ±1 dioptre.
The Folding Foropter’s easy to ship (it flat-packs), easy to assemble and easy to use design helps bring corrective vision to the 2.3 billion people who need it. Plus, with its colorful design, it helps gamify a process that feels slightly daunting with heavy eyegear and hard-to-read charts too!
Designer: Ashish Jain (LVPEI Center for Innovation)
