Title: A method to reduce fogging in lenses of optometry patients and clinicians for improved patient care

Team: Andrew Gamaley, Catherine Tran, Sean Roh

Client: Optometry – Sowmya Ravikumar, PhD (UC Berkeley)

Respiratory PPE is incredibly important in the field of optometry as the nature of optical exams require a close distance between the provider and patient, as well as a need for a clear field of vision. Primary care optometrists use normal surgical or cloth face masks on a daily basis for their check-ups or examinations. Procedures like ophthalmoscopy require an optometrist to get close to the patient’s eye, and the face shields that the optometrists wear as PPE can interfere with the doctor’s ability to determine the health of the patient’s retina. Difficulties are encountered with current face protection equipment by people who wear glasses. Those who wear glasses experience fogging and uncomfortableness when donning protection equipment, which is a big detriment to the ability of an optometrist to properly assess a patient.

Our unmet need centers on mitigating fogging of personal glasses and binocular ophthalmoscope for optometry clinicians and patients wearing masks.