Where Is My EpiPen When I Need It? | AllergyLens
Frequently asked questions
- What does the SOS actually show?
- EpiPen location, emergency contact, the nearest hospital and 911 — from one tap.
- Is this a replacement for carrying an EpiPen?
- No. It reduces the time spent searching when an adrenaline auto-injector is needed, which is a different problem.
- Is this medical advice?
- No. AllergyLens is an information tool. Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency and requires emergency services.
The short answer
There is a particular kind of moment where an app helps and a different kind where it is irrelevant. This is the first one.
AllergyLens's one-tap SOS shows your EpiPen location, emergency contact, nearest hospital and 911.
What it is for, precisely
The problem SOS addresses is searching — not treatment.
When someone needs an adrenaline auto-injector, the adrenaline auto-injector itself is what matters, and the phone is in your hand. What SOS removes from that moment is the search: where the pen is, who to call, which hospital, what number.
That is a narrow benefit, and it is worth being narrow about it:
This is not a replacement for carrying an EpiPen.
If the pen is not in the bag it should be in, no screen will help. What SOS does is shorten the time between the reaction and the pen.
What it is not
AllergyLens is an information tool, not medical advice. Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency and requires emergency services — the 911 in that list is there for exactly that reason.
The scanning side of the app gives four levels rather than a "safe" verdict for the same reason this screen does what it does and stops: knowing where things are is useful, and knowing whether you will survive is not something an app can tell you.
Share with your doctor
Scan history and the allergen findings can be exported as a PDF report for a doctor, so the picture you have of what triggers what is a picture you can hand over rather than something you have to retell.