WIVI: the visionary sight impairment testing and treatment technology
Approximately 10 % of children (5-15 years old) suffer from some form of serious visual dysfunction. These include double vision, for example, where the child is unable to focus properly so the eyes jump around. Basic visual functions like reading, writing and recognising people at a distance are affected. Half these children remain undiagnosed. Moreover, of those diagnosed with visual dysfunctions, only 2 % of patients are being treated and only one in a hundred of optometrists can provide these services due to lack of resources. WIVI – vision for the future Current solutions available on the market tend to be subjective and operation is manual, limited to one test area and with low accuracy. Based on specialist knowledge, they are expensive and complex to use with non-repetitive conditions to assess or train visual function skills. Headed up by E-Health Technical Solutions (EHTS) in Barcelona, Spain, the EU-funded project EyeWideVision has developed an assessment and treatment tool for visual dysfunctions, WIVI. “Personalised for each user and specialist, the system is based on immersive 3D techniques which provide a complete set of cognitive, neural and physical phases for assessment of the visual system,” outlines Eva García Ramos, CEO and founder of EHTS. WIVI versus current alternatives The good news is that once detected, 95-100 % of visual dysfunction cases can be corrected through training and WIVI has an excellent detection rate. “With algorithms awarded on the IBM Watson Build competition it can measure more than 50 parameters in all the visual areas compared with only 4 in one area using comparable alternative systems,” explains Dr Juan Carlos Ondategui-Parra, optometrist and joint founder of EHTS. WIVI is unique – it incorporates both assessment and treatment for all the vision areas and there is a degree of user control, a completely new feature. The standard treatment period is reduced from six months to less than three months and it is an overall cheaper alternative, both for users and specialists. An eye to WIVI There is an increasing demand for devices that provide early diagnosis and better treatment of visual limitations. According to Persistence Market Research, the global clinical devices for the visual function assessment market is anticipated to grow by USD 42 685 million in 2020 at a compound annual growth rate of 6.5 %. Even though the project has officially closed phase 1, EHTS is well prepared for this challenge and has a roadmap defined for WIVI for the next five years. “Our team has 25 plus years’ experience in the sector and is recognised internationally to ultimately reach the global market. The WIVI solution will be universal for children around the world,” emphasises García Ramos. A tri-directional approach, the first path is to further develop WIVI and introduce key improvements once validated. For wider commercialisation as fast as possible, EHTS will focus on obtaining the necessary certification for each feature according to local laws and technically integrate these particular requirements. Lastly, the main focus will be on prescribers on the approach to the market. “The EyeWideVision study has enabled us to validate our business idea. Our scope is to establish WIVI as a worldwide standard in visual dysfunction assessment and treatment, having a high impact throughout society,” concludes Ondategui-Parra. Details of the evolution of EHTS and WIVI can be seen at the WIVI Vision website.
Keywords
EyeWideVision, WIVI, treatment, visual dysfunction, diagnosis
