Original Article July 29, 2026 July 29, 2026

Visual magnification through a smartphone application designed to assist presbyopia

DOI: 10.37039/1982.8551.20260071

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To develop and validate a smartphone application capable of magnifying near images and, through educational videos, informing users about presbyopia.

Methods:

This was a cross-sectional, quantitative study conducted by a multidisciplinary team of ophthalmologists and software engineers. The development and validation of the application, named PRESB, occurred in three main stages. First, the user interface and native functions were designed. Second, the application was tested by patients who had undergone bilateral age-related cataract surgery with implantation of a monofocal intraocular lens in both eyes, targeted for emmetropia, and were evaluated 30 days after surgery in the second eye. Usability was assessed with the System Usability Scale questionnaire. Third, the collected data were analyzed to determine users’ satisfaction, perceived usability, near visual acuity, and reading performance.

Results:

A total of 39 volunteers evaluated PRESB. The application provided a simple and intuitive interface, and the mean System Usability Scale score was 75, indicating good acceptance and usability. Unaided near visual acuity improved significantly when the application was used, changing from approximately J5 ± J4 without the application to about J2 ± J1 with the application (p < 0.05). The mean reading speed with the application reached 162.72 ± 21.20 words per minute. Regarding the interactive educational videos, 87% of volunteers considered them very useful for improving both smartphone use and understanding of presbyopia.

Conclusion:

The PRESB application proved to be effective and valid in achieving its main objective, as it led to a significant improvement in unaided near visual acuity compared with not using the application. Therefore, it appears to be a useful adjunct in the daily activities of individuals with presbyopia.