Retina Technologies Says It's Looking To Make Eye Care More Accessible, Especially For Those Traditionally Underserved

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According to analysts, the global ophthalmology diagnostic tools market is worth approximately $2.7 billion and growing at 5.4% a year — with the overall United States eye examination market worth about $5 billion.

However, a reported trouble is that, despite this growth, many people have limited or no access to routine eye care, including the 24% of U.S. counties that don’t even have eye specialists on the ground. The lack of access may end up resulting in undiagnosed vision loss and contributes to hundreds of thousands of cases of severe vision loss every year in the U.S. alone, 80% of which is avoidable.

Startup Retina Technologies says it is on a mission to change that.

Co-founded by five medical students in 2018 who had been working in underserved communities and said they saw the lack of access firsthand, Retina Technologies’ stated concept is to use advanced digital technologies that are easy to use and eliminates the need for advanced specialist training.

That way, the technology might get into the hands of primary care providers (PCPs) who can easily administer the diagnostic technology quickly, and at the fraction of the cost of more conventional tools that require a specialist.

OcuVue The Way to Go?

The digital technology is called OcuVue™, a prototype vision testing headset that Retina Technologies reports takes about 15 minutes to administer. If abnormalities are found, a referral recommendation is provided by integrated machine learning algorithms to ensure patients make it to vision specialists who can provide treatment.

Common abnormalities the technology is designed to detect include glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

While hopefully helping patients who would otherwise not have had access to routine healthcare, health providers might also gain using the technology.

“For under-resourced PCPs and other frontline healthcare providers everywhere, this means a new revenue stream and more patients referred to vision specialists through early detection, creating better outcomes for everyone,” Retina Technologies says. “We believe OcuVue will play a vital role in helping people keep their sight.”

The OcuVue™ project has the backing of The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary affiliated with Mount Sinai Hospital.

Major eye-care technology manufacturers globally include Japan-based Topcon Corp. TOPCF and Germany’s Carl Zeiss Meditec AG CZMWY.

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