Opthalmology missionary work gives new meaning to the term "Retina Display"

A colleague of mine asked if this was newsworthy.  I can't think of anything more important than helping those in need.  Indeed, if an iPhone can make a difference in people's lives, then that gives new meaning to "iPhone Life" as well.

Doctor Edward K. Wong, Jr. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Opthalmology at the University of California, Irvine.  He is part of a team headed to Kenya in November, 2010 that will be working with 400 children who have never had an eye exam.  The team will be using the iPhone 4's camera to examine the eyes of these orphans.  The technology is based on work by MIT.

They are appealing to Apple for iPhones, and other sponsors for corrective eyeglasses.  I imagine the readers of iPhone Life include some case manufacturers, battery charger companies, etc., that could all contribute to this worthy cause.

Interested parties can contact Professor Wong at ekwonguci [dot] edu

Check out the details on the technology at http://web.media.mit.edu/~pamplona/NETRA/