Andrew Bastawrous: Get your next eye exam on a smartphone

譯者: 文进 肖 審譯者: Matt Chen

There are 39 million people in the world

在這個世界上，有三千九百萬人

who are blind.

是盲人。

Eighty percent of them

其中有 80% 的人，

are living in low-income countries such as Kenya,

生活在低收入國家，比如肯亞，

and the absolute majority

其中的絕大多數

do not need to be blind.

本不該失明。

They are blind from diseases

他們是因為疾病而成為的盲人

that are either completely curable or preventable.

而且那些疾病是可以被預防或治癒的。

Knowing this, with my young family,

知道了這些，我和我的家人

we moved to Kenya.

搬到了肯亞。

We secured equipment,

我們找來了設備、

funds, vehicles, we trained a team,

資金、載具、也訓練了一個團隊，

we set up a hundred clinics throughout

我們一共建立了 100 多個診所，

the Great Rift Valley

分佈在整個東非大裂谷。

to try and understand a single question:

我們嘗試去理解一個問題：

why are people going blind,

爲什麽人們會變成盲人，

and what can we do?

以及我們能夠做些什麽？

The challenges were great.

這是一個巨大的挑戰。

When we got to where we were going,

當我們到達了目的地，

we set up our high-tech equipment.

我們搭建了高科技設備。

Power was rarely available.

但是幾乎沒有電力。

We'd have to run our equipment

我們只能用

from petrol power generators.

柴油發電機來提供電力。

And then something occurred to me:

然後我想到了一些事情：

There has to be an easier way,

應該會有更加簡單的方法，

because it's the patients who are the most in need

因為這裡最需要

of access to eye care

眼科治療的病人

who are the least likely to get it.

看起來是最沒有條件接受治療的人。

More people in Kenya,

越來越多生活在肯亞

and in sub-Saharan Africa,

以及撒哈拉以南非洲的人，

have access to a mobile phone

擁有手機

than they do clean running water.

還比擁有清潔水源容易。

So we said, could we harness

所以我們想，是否能夠

the power of mobile technology

利用行動科技

to deliver eye care in a new way?

提供新的方法進行眼部治療？

And so we developed Peek,

所以我們開發了 Peek，

a smartphone [system] that enables

它是一種智慧型手機系統，

community healthcare workers

能讓社區醫療工作者

and empowers them to deliver eye care everywhere.

在任何地方提供眼部醫療服務。

We set about replacing traditional hospital equipment,

我們打算替換掉占地方

which is bulky, expensive and fragile,

昂貴且脆弱的傳統醫療設備。

with smartphone apps and hardware

有了智慧型手機軟體以及硬體，

that make it possible to test anyone

就可以為說任何語言、

in any language and of any age.

任何年齡的任何人檢查。

Here we have a demonstration

這裡有一段示範影片，

of a three-month-old having their vision

展示如何使用軟體以及眼部追蹤器

accurately tested using an app and an eye tracker.

替三個月大的孩子準確測量視力。

We've got many trials going on

我們正在社區以及學校裡

in the community and in schools,

進行多項的測試。

and through the lessons that we've learned in the field,

從之前的經驗

we've realized it's extremely important

我們了解到極端重要的是，

to share the data in non-medical jargon

把資料轉換成非醫學術語，

so that people understand

好讓大家能夠理解

what we're examining and what that means to them.

我們在做的檢驗及對他們的意義。

So here, for example,

舉例來說，

we use our sight sim application,

我們運用了視覺模擬軟體。

once your vision has been measured,

一旦一個人的視覺被檢測出來，

to show carers and teachers

就可以讓照顧者還有老師們

what the visual world is like for that person,

知道這個人眼中的世界是怎麼樣的，

so they can empathize with them and help them.

讓他們能夠以同理心來幫助這些人。

Once we've discovered somebody has low vision,

一旦我們發現某個人視力很差，

the next big challenge is to work out why,

下一個大挑戰就是找出原因。

and to be able to do that,

要做到這點

we need to have access to the inside of the eye.

我們要能夠進到眼睛裡。

Traditionally, this requires expensive equipment

傳統上，我們需要昂貴的儀器來檢測

to examine an area called the retina.

一塊叫做視網膜的區域。

The retina is the single part of the eye that has

視網膜是一塊蘊含了龐大訊息的區域。

huge amounts of information about the body

這些訊息和身體還有健康息息相關。

and its health.

We've developed 3D-printed,

我們研發了 3D 列印出的

low-cost hardware

低花費的硬體，

that comes in at less than five dollars to produce,

製造成本只要不到五美元。

which can then be clipped onto a smartphone

這個裝置可以安裝到智慧型手機上，

and makes it possible to get views

在手機上就可以看到眼睛後面的狀況，

of the back of the eye

of a very high quality.

並且成像效果很好。

And the beauty is, anybody can do it.

美妙之處在於每個人都可以使用它。

In our trials on over two and half thousand people,

在我們超過兩千五百人的測試當中，

the smartphone with the add-on clip

安裝了這個裝置的智能手機

is comparable to a camera

可以媲美

that is hugely more expensive

貴上許多

and hugely more difficult to transport.

且難以搬運的攝影機。

When we first moved to Kenya,

當我們抵達肯亞的時候，

we went with 150,000 dollars of equipment,

我們身上有價值 10 萬美元的儀器

a team of 15 people,

以及一支 15 人的團隊。

and that was what was needed to deliver health care.

我們要提供醫療服務 就是需要這麼多資源。

Now, all that's needed

現在只需要

is a single person

一隻智慧型手機

on a bike with a smartphone.

和一輛腳踏車就足夠了。

And it costs just 500 dollars.

只花費 500 美元。

The issue of power supply

電力供應的問題

is overcome by harnessing the power of solar.

已經用連接太陽能解決了。

Our healthcare workers travel

我們的醫療人員

with a solar-powered rucksack

背著太陽能背包

which keeps the phone charged and backed up.

為智能手機充電及提供備用電源。

Now we go to the patient

現在，我們主動去找病人，

rather than waiting for the patient never to come.

而不是坐等永遠 不會出現的病人來找我們。

We go to them in their homes

我們到他們的家裡，

and we give them the most comprehensive,

提供他們最全面、

high-tech, accurate examination,

高科技、準確的檢查。

which can be delivered by anyone with minimal training.

任何人受過簡單的訓練都可以做到

We can link global experts

我們能夠讓全世界的專家

with people in the most rural,

跟位於窮鄉僻壤、

difficult-to-reach places

難以抵達地區的人們搭上線，

that are beyond the end of the road,

effectively putting those experts in their homes,

有效率地把這些專家送到他們家中。

allowing us to make diagnoses

讓我們進行診斷

and make plans for treatment.

以及治療計劃。

Project managers, hospital directors,

專案經理、醫院管理人員

are able to search on our interface

可以根據他們感興趣的部分，

by any parameter they may be interested in.

在我們的介面上搜尋。

Here in Nakuru, where I've been living,

在納庫魯（Nakuru） 這個我們現在住的地方，

we can search for people

我們可以根據任何的健康狀況搜尋病人，

by whatever condition.

Here are people who are blind

這些病人，

from a curable condition cataract.

是可以被治癒的白內障患者。

Each red pin depicts somebody

每一個紅色大頭針，

who is blind from a disease that is curable

代表一個能夠被治療的盲人，

and treatable, and they're locatable.

而我們知道他們的所在地。

We can use bulk text messaging services

我們可以使用大量簡訊服務

to explain that we're coming to arrange a treatment.

來說明我們將會前去提供治療。

What's more, we've learned that this is something

更甚者，我們了解到

that we haven't built just for the community

這不只是我們替社區建立的，

but with the community.

而是和社區合作而建立的。

Those blue pins that drop represent

藍色大頭針代表

elders, or local leaders,

長者或是地區領袖。

that are connected to those people

我們和這些人有聯繫，

who can ensure that we can find them

來確保我們能找到病人

and arrange treatment.

並提供治療。

So for patients like Mama Wangari,

像是 Mama Wangari ，

who have been blind for over 10 years

這樣看不見超過十年

and never seen her grandchildren,

且從未見過她孫兒女的盲人，

for less than 40 dollars, we can restore her eyesight.

只要不到 40 美元， 我們就能重建她的視力。

This is something that has to happen.

這樣的事情是必須要實現的。

It's only in statistics

數百萬人可能眼盲

that people go blind by the millions.

只是統計數字。

The reality is everyone goes blind on their own.

實際上每個盲人都在單打獨鬥。

But now, they might just be

但現在，他們離幫助

a text message away from help.

只有一封簡訊的距離。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

And now because live demos are always a bad idea,

現場示範從來都不是個好主意，

we're going to try a live demo.

所以我們要來做現場示範。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So here we have the Peek Vision app.

這就是 Peek Vision 應用程式。

Okay, and what we're looking at here,

好，看這裡，

this is Sam's optic nerve,

這是 Sam 的視神經，

which is a direct extension of her brain,

它從她的大腦直接延伸出來。

so I'm actually looking at her brain as we look there.

我是實際上正看到她的大腦內部。

We can see all parts of the retina.

我們可以看到她整個視網膜，

It makes it possible to pick up diseases

這樣一來就可以找出

of the eye and of the body

眼睛以及身體的疾病。

that would not be possible without access to the eye,

看不到眼睛內部的話是做不到的。

and that clip-on device can be manufactured

這個活動裝置只需要數美元

for just a few dollars,

就可以製造出來，

and people can be cured of blindness,

也使患者免於失明。

and I think it says a lot about us as a human race

這對人類來說意義重大，

if we've developed cures and we don't deliver them.

不能光是研究出治療方法 卻無法實際提供給患者，

But now we can.

但現在我們可以做到。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）