Ian Sotzing

Communicating the patient experience of having chronic floaters in their vision can be difficult – so why not just show what it’s like firsthand?

As part of ongoing with with Myodesopsia International, I developed Floater Vision, a responsive AR app for mobile devices that overlays dynamic floaters in your cameras field-of-view. By pairing the app with device motion tracking, the floaters move in response to the device, simulating the experience of eye movements for those with myodesopsia. For this app I developed the interface, motion logic, and UX experience. The app was developed with customizable settings that allow the user to adjust the characteristics of the floaters to match their experience. It also includes the ability for the patient to draw their own floaters as a way of recreating their symptoms for others to see. An education section provides useful information about the condition and techniques for reducing their impact.

I also created a stereoscopic “3D Mode” that allows the app to be paired with compatible headsets which respond to head movements. In this mode, each eye can be addressed separately, so floaters can be assigned to a single eye for added realism.