Why Ocura exists
Dry eye-related discomfort is common, but symptoms can overlap with screen fatigue, allergies, contact lens irritation, and other eye conditions. A phone app cannot determine the cause.
We built Ocura because the gap between “something feels off” and “I should probably get this checked” is too wide. A short phone-based screen may help you document patterns to discuss with an eye care professional.
The screening gap
A clinical dry-eye evaluation may include history, symptom review, and examinations that a phone cannot perform. Ocura is intended to help organize observations before care, not replace that evaluation.
Screen-heavy work, contact lenses, low-humidity environments, and age-related changes may be associated with eye discomfort. We wanted to make those day-to-day patterns easier to record at home.
What Ocura does is narrow: measure your blink behaviour on your phone, pair it with version-appropriate symptom records, and present a screening estimate with plain-English limits.
Questionnaire availability depends on the app version. In the safety update, the OSDI path remains verified and new PHQ-9 collection is disabled by default. DEQS- and CVS-Q-labelled paths remain open in the safety update as legacy/custom symptom check-ins; they have not been verified as equivalents of the published instruments or as licensed ePRO implementations.
What we believe
Accuracy over persuasion
The safety update uses a verified OSDI collection path, clearly labelled custom check-ins, and evidence-informed analysis. We would rather explain uncertainty than present a dramatic conclusion.
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 summarize submitted symptoms, blink signals, and context. It cannot determine whether you have a condition, replace an eye exam, or rule out urgent causes.
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 screening signals with limits, not medical conclusions. Concerning or persistent symptoms belong with 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. We do not frame daily engagement as a health achievement or use points, levels, or streaks to pressure repeat screening.
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: version-aware symptom records, on-device blink analysis, and a screening summary with explicit limits.
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.