10 Startups Helping People Manage Their Eye Health

Our eyes are one of the most important parts of our health, but caring for them is rarely at the front of our agendas.

The truth is, our eyes aren’t just a symbol of our visual health, they can also provide insights into our wider wellbeing. With screen time on the rise and age contributing to the degeneration of our eye health, it’s no surprise that so many startups are setting out to make eye care better.

 

How Are Startups Improving Eye Health?

 

Like with many areas of our lives, startups are rethinking how we care for our eyes, some of the ways they are doing this include:

Using AI: Like with most areas of our lives, Artificial Intelligence is helping doctors and individuals access faster and more accurate diagnoses. By integrating this technology with existing eye tests, people are able to have a more accurate understanding of how they can look after their eyes.

Better methods of care: Accessible care can be tricky, especially if people are elderly or disabled. The rise of telemedicine companies makes this easier, allowing people to access medical care from wherever they are.

Creating new devices and technologies: Companies are constantly innovating and startups are at the helm of creating more affordable, more portable and more accurate devices to help people access eye care more easily. This is particularly useful in communities or countries where traditional eye care is more limited.

Here, we take a look at 10 startups that are helping people better care for their eyes.

 

XP Health

 

 

Whilst most health insurance companies offer some level of eye care, people were not using these benefits due to how time-consuming and expensive they were.

XP health is helping to combat this by creating a platform that works alongside traditional insurance, helping people more easily redeem the care they need.

The company allows people to search for nearby eye exams, order their glasses through the platform with the relevant prescription and then have them delivered. With XP Health, eye care becomes easy again.

 

RegenSight

 

 

RegenSight is a MedTech company that is helping to make eye care less invasive.

RegenSight’s technology aims to use incision-free technologies to help correct visual disorders that would otherwise need surgery. Backed by leading scientists, the company is looking to change the way doctors correct eye disorders, using new and less invasive technologies.

 

Exonate

 

 

Exonate uses their one of a kind eye drops to treat retinal vascular diseases by using mRNA therapies.

Their eye drops are designed to penetrate the back of the eye and prevent the growth of blood vessels, helping to treat retinal diseases. The company is trying to eliminate the need for monthly injections, lasers or using steroids by providing a better and less invasive alternative.

Exonate has received a number of awards and has helped thousands of people improve their eye health.

 

 

Okko Health

 

 

OKKO Health allows people to monitor their eye health through their smart phones.

Using self-monitoring sensors embedded in puzzle games, the app is able to scan for signs of eye disease quickly. This not only makes eye tests more easy and accessible, but allows people to more accurately understand when they might need to see a doctor and when they don’t.

By using gaming as a metric for testing, it makes understanding your optical health both engaging and easy.

 

Peek Vision

 

 

1.1 billion people live with avoidable vision loss, and lack of access to health services is only making it worse.

Peek helps to combat this by opening up vision screening services in remote communities, schools and workplaces. Their solutions allow doctors in remote areas of the world to deliver easy eye tests through smartphones and help identify any vision issues early on.

This ease of screening makes eye tests more accessible and more accurate in these low-income communities.

 

Mediwhale

 

 

Mediwhale uses the power of AI to conduct personal optical health assessments.

Using AI to detect any health issues early on, the company is not only helping people improve their eye health, but also allowing them to recognise any other potential health issues.

Their retinal scan is designed to be non-invasive, giving people better access to preventative healthcare.

 

ilasis

 

 

ilasis has developed an optical medical device that aims to help with cataract surgery.

Being an eye surgeon can be a demanding job, and with few doctors doing it (despite it being highly necessary) ilasis is helping doctors operate more effectively, more easily and at a reduced cost. Their laser technology is able to perform a perfect capsulotomy in a shorter amount of time, reducing the learning curve for doctors and increasing access for those that need it.

 

LumiThera

 

 

LumiThera harnesses the power of light to treat dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). By using wavelength technology to stimulate cellular function, it helps improve energy production within the mitochondria.

As AMD is the leading cause of blindness in those over 65, LumiThera is creating new technologies that can prevent sight degeneration in older people.

 

Oivi

 

 

Oivi is a small, portable eye testing device, helping people screen their eyes from anywhere. The company looks to detect diabetic retinopathy early, reducing the number of people who might suffer from vision loss.

With its small and easy to use device, Oivi can help people get quick diagnosis and fast treatment if they need it.

 

Eyebot

 

 

Eyebot’s glasses provide 90-second vision tests to help people understand their eye health at the touch of a button.

Embedded in a pair of frames, it constantly monitors the wearers’ eyes an alerts them to any issues. This helps them keep an eye on their optical health on the go, without the need to book eye tests.