At just 17-years-old Prathik Senthil’s resume is impressive: he’s a volunteer, a cross-country runner, and no slouch in school, scoring a 36 on his ACT.
But, he’s on the brink of something that just might top all of his previous accomplishments.
New Way To Detect Dementia
“Over the past year or so, I’ve been working on an application called REFOCUS. The main goal of the application is to be able to detect dementia in a more effective manner,” said Senthil.
REFOCUS has three test games that can potentially tell if a person has or might be at risk of developing dementia. Focus meter, where a person stares at a center dot for a minute, a memory game, and a minute-long math quiz.
“What’s important is early detection,” said Senthil. “The earlier you’re able to detect, the more measures you can take to make sure it doesn’t grow to the aspect where it’s completely affecting your life.”
Why Senthil Started REFOCUS
The illness is something Senthil is unfortunately all too familiar with. His grandmother suffered from dementia and passed away a couple years ago.
“She’s been the inspiration behind why I started the entire process, whether it be just starting from the training exercises alone, [or] what I’m trying to develop now,” said Senthil.
More On How The App Works
And that’s making eye track testing for dementia more accessible. If you have a smartphone that has IOS9 software or above you can use REFOCUS. Senthil hopes once his app launches it can also be used with Android devices.
“I’m definitely really happy that I was able to do something for people like my grandma who were affected by the same disorder,” said Senthil.
Naperville News 17’s Christian Canizal reports.
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