A 17-year-old Tesoro High senior Shalin Shah was one of four teenage recipients of the Young Innovators to Watch award, a part of Mobile Apps Showdown at the CES convention, the largest technology trade show in the world. He created Lumos, an affordable mobile application that will screen a person’s eyes for glaucoma. He developed the $30 lens that goes with it.
It’s the second time Shah has been honored by Living in Digital Times, the organization that runs the Mobile Apps Showdown.
He was chosen among 75 applicants from around the country based on the potential, creativity and sophistication of his invention. Judges included teachers, venture capitalists and software and hardware developers.
“When you watch enough of these, you can spot out the real deal,” said Robin Raskin, founder and president of Living in Digital Times. “He is just an incredibly articulate, talented kid.”
Shah spent months working on his mobile application, guided by Dr. Anand Bhatt of UCI Medical Center. Normally, a glaucoma screening requires a doctor’s visit and the use of an ophthalmoscope to view the fundus, the internal lining of the eye and measure the health of a patient’s retina.
Shah created a lens that attaches to a smartphone and takes a digital image of the eye. Results show on the screen in real time.