The tablet version of NU Squared allows doctors to edit patient information and record test results. The web version has additional features, like scheduling, and soon, billing.

Nadira Shadeed and Joe Rouw are a husband-wife team of optometrists who run a vision therapy-exclusive practice in Georgia. When the two discovered no software on the market suited their unique needs, they decided to build their own.

They teamed up with Far Reach, a Cedar Falls-based web design company where Joe's brother Chris Rouw is a partner, to build NU Squared.

"We're really trying to make it an all-in-one software for an office that provides these services," Joe Rouw said.

Vision therapy typically includes a series of eye exercises and the use of lenses, prisms, filters or computer programs — think physical therapy for the eyes. The doctors record the results of each exercise and compile reports for the parents and referring doctors. However, they discovered that most record-keeping optometry software was designed for general practices, focused on basic checkups.

They began four years ago, adding features like a scheduler as Shadeed (left) and Joe Rouw used it in their practice and made suggestions. The latest development, the tablet app, was released July 17 in response to the doctors' need for a mobile recording solution.

"When they see me using the iPad for recording sessions, they're not really surprised," Shadeed said, noting that the tablet format has become ubiquitous and patients expect doctors' offices to be up-to-date on technology.

Shadeed said the biggest benefit has been the record-keeping features: while it used to take hours to generate reports, now they are created as she enters data, which means she can spend more time with her patients.

The HTML 5 tablet app is included in NU Squared's subscriptions, along with the web-based software. After a setup fee of $1,200, clients pay a monthly subscription between $250 and $450 per month. The team said it is the only software specifically designed for vision therapy, and to their knowledge the only optometry software with a tablet app.

Chris Rouw said this is a typical type of project for Far Reach, and that they want to create more mobile apps in the future. The project has been bootstrapped, with a team of Far Reach developers working on it part-time. 

Going forward, the team hopes to continue adding features, like a billing system, and grow their share of the market. They hope to make an impact at a vision therapy conference in October. 

 "Our software is best when we can really demonstrate those features," Joe Rouw said.

Credits: Screenshot from nusquared.com, photo from visiontherapy4kids.com.