Test your eye prescription with an iPhone

US – With a desktop computer, 12 feet of space, an iPhone and an app, customers of mail order eyewear brand Warby Parker can test their eyesight from the comfort of their own homes.

The service, now on trial in New York, California, Florida and Virginia, uses a digital test, which a remote doctor then validates using a previous prescription, with results provided in 24 hours. Traditionally, Warby Parker customers would either have to obtain a prescription themselves from an optometrist or visit one of the brand’s stores.

While there are certain restrictions – you have to be aged between 18 and 40 to use the app, for example – the innovation suggests a lengthy trip to a high street optometrist might no longer be required in the future.