Why Ocura exists
Dry eye disease affects an estimated 350+ million people worldwide. It is one of the most common eye conditions — and one of the most under-screened. Most people only find out they have it after the symptoms have been chronic for years.
We built Ocura because the gap between “something feels off” and “I should probably get this checked” is too wide. A phone-based screen, done in a few minutes, can close that gap for a lot of people.
The screening gap
Traditional dry eye screening means booking an eye clinic, sitting through a slit-lamp exam, and paying for specialist time. Many people skip it until their eyes are painful, red, or actively interfering with work. By then the condition has often been developing for years.
Screen-heavy work, contact lenses, low-humidity environments, and age-related tear changes all increase risk. But almost none of that gets flagged unless you book an appointment. We wanted to make it easier to notice the pattern earlier, at home, on your own time.
What Ocura does is narrow: measure your blink behaviour on your phone, combine it with validated clinical questionnaires (OSDI, DEQS, PHQ-9, CVS-Q), and turn the result into a composite severity score plus plain-English guidance on what to do next.
What we believe
Accuracy over persuasion
We use validated instruments and evidence-based analysis. We would rather return a modest, correct result than a dramatic one.
Privacy is a design decision
Camera-based blink analysis runs entirely on your device. Your video is never uploaded, recorded, or retained. This is baked into how the app works, not a policy you have to trust.
Screening is not diagnosis
Ocura can tell you whether your symptoms, blink pattern, and risk factors look concerning. It cannot replace an eye exam, and it does not try to.
What we chose not to build
A lot of health apps default to behaviours we think make things worse. Here is what Ocura deliberately does not do:
- No diagnosis claims. We report severity signals, not medical conclusions. If your score is high, we tell you to see an eye care professional.
- No gamification. No streaks, no levels, no points. Dry eye is not a habit to maintain; it is a condition to understand.
- No video upload. Blink measurement happens on-device using the system face-mesh API. The video never leaves your phone.
- No ads, no data sale. The app is free to use and we do not monetise your health data.
- No pressure to come back daily. A sensible re-check cadence is monthly at most. We will not notify you into a screening habit.
Where we are today
Ocura is a small team. The app is live on iOS and Android, and we keep the product scope tight on purpose: validated questionnaires, on-device blink analysis, and a clear severity readout.
If you use the app and find something confusing, wrong, or missing, we want to hear about it. That is how the next version gets better.