DOA - Device Optical Aid
Your screen, without glasses.
For the last while I've been building something a little unusual: a Windows app that adjust your screen so it's easier to look at without putting your glasses on.
The short version of how it works: your eyes blur what they see based on your prescription, so the app pre-distorts the image in the opposite direction, so when your (unaided) eye blurs it again, the result looks sharper than it otherwise would. It's the same idea a few academic papers have explored and I'm just building it as an actual product.
Being upfront about the limits, because I'd rather you know now than be disappointed later: it's an accessibility tool, not a medical device, and it's not a glasses replacement. It works best for mild-to-moderate prescriptions — if you're heavily nearsighted, it won't do much for you yet.
Right now it's in beta (deviceopticalaid.com, free) but very quiet. I'm a solo dev and I'm at the stage where I genuinely need real people to try it and tell me if it does anything for them. Both "this helped" and "I felt nothing" are useful to me right now.
If you wear glasses and are curious, I'd love your honest take, and happy to answer questions about how it actually works under the hood.
DOA is officially in it's beta stage! Feedback is the most valued resource in this stage, so try it out and report any incidents and misfunctions. Help us make this possible. Try it out at deviceopticalaid.com/download !
3 Comments
This is interesting because it shifts the problem from “fixing vision” to “pre-correcting perception.” Most software operates at the content or UI layer, but this sits one layer below that—modifying how the rendered world is perceived before it even reaches cognition. That makes it closer to assistive computing than traditional application design.
You pinpointed it! Glad you noticed.
Glad it resonated.
Your reply made me think there's one strategic decision sitting underneath that framing which becomes much more significant as the product evolves, but I don't think I can explain the reasoning properly in a thread without oversimplifying it.
If you're interested, what's the best email to reach you on?