Comparison

Eyedea Refractive vs IOL Reference

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Eyedea Refractive

This medical app assists ophthalmologists in pre-operative evaluations for refractive surgeries like Lasik and PRK. It calculates various metrics after applying nomograms, aiding in surgical indication judgments alongside clinical evaluation.

Highlights
  • Refractive surgery calculator
  • Pre-operative evaluation tool
  • LASIK, Lenticular Extraction, PRK support
  • Nomogram application
  • Post-surgery refraction calculation
  • Residual stromal bed estimation
Features
Read full description

Clinical calculator for Refractive Surgery, designed to support pre- and post-operative evaluation of LASIK, Lenticular Extraction (SMILE), and PRK, based on current medical literature. From the patient's pre-operative data, it calculates post-nomogram refraction, central and maximum ablation, residual stromal bed, PTA/PSTA, LASIK Ectasia Risk Score, predicted final keratometry, mitomycin time, and more. In postoperative evaluation, it analyzes spherical refractive outcome along with PTA and keratometry variation, classifying results into objective clinical categories. Results are intended as clinical decision support and should always be correlated with the patient's in-person evaluation.

About

IOL Reference

This ophthalmology utility helps surgeons find FDA-approved intraocular lenses. It features a searchable database of nearly 10,000 lenses, updated with new approvals and changes. The app also serves as a social media and networking platform for eye care professionals.

Highlights
  • Searchable IOL database
  • FDA-approved lens catalog
  • Database updates
  • Ophthalmology networking
  • Eye care tools
Features
Read full description

IOL Reference is a cross-platform ophthalmology utility, social media, and networking service that provides users with a wide array of eye care tools to optimize their outcomes. This unique app allows surgeons to quickly search for an FDA-approved, currently marketed intraocular lens (IOLs) that meets their needs and specifications. The database contains almost 10,000 individually cataloged lenses and will be updated to include newly FDA-approved IOLs, changes to current lenses, and corrections. This app was created by Gurpal Virdi, MD and Matt Hirabayashi, MD

Screenshots

Eyedea Refractive4 screens
IOL Reference4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Eyedea Refractive at 5.0 against IOL Reference's 4.7. IOL Reference's advantage is ratings volume (15 vs 3). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Eyedea Refractive holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: IOL Reference has 15 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Eyedea Refractive ships an update fortnightly, IOL Reference weekly. The most recent releases landed on August 29, 2026 and July 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Eyedea Refractive versus IOL Reference: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEyedea RefractiveIOL Reference
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better4.7 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews—88.9% of reviews
Number of ratings315 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB823 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperEyedea Educacao e Desenvolvimento em Oftalmologia LTDAGurpal Virdi

Customer experience

Eyedea Refractive

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

IOL Reference

All ratings15 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%

In-app purchases

None

Eyedea Refractive

No in-app purchases

None

IOL Reference

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Eyedea Refractive free?
Eyedea Refractive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is IOL Reference free?
IOL Reference is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Eyedea Refractive or IOL Reference?
Eyedea Refractive is rated higher. Eyedea Refractive averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while IOL Reference averages 4.7 from 15 ratings.
Do Eyedea Refractive or IOL Reference have ads?
Neither Eyedea Refractive nor IOL Reference shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Eyedea Refractive or IOL Reference?
Eyedea Refractive ships an update fortnightly, and IOL Reference weekly. Most recently, Eyedea Refractive was updated on August 29, 2026 and IOL Reference on July 5, 2026.

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