Millions of people around the world live with vision impairment as a result of retinal diseases. Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is one of the most common retinal conditions affecting people over 60. It accounts for over 8% of all blindness.
Retina degeneration disease can have a significant impact on a person’s life. They will gradually lose vision from the center of their eyes, which can make simple tasks such as reading or watching television near impossible. A person with this type of condition might lose the ability to handle everyday activities fairly quickly.
What makes it even worse is that many vision disorders have no cure. They might be treatable to some degree but cannot be reversed. Some patients might be able to benefit from conventional vision aids like glasses, but these solutions will not restore their vision.
While there might not be a cure for these diseases of the eyes, there are exciting new technologies in development. One such aid is a new vision aid from the company Eyedaptic.
A High-Tech Solution to Retinal Diseases
For a long time, there wasn’t much that could be done to help people with conditions like AMD. Depending on the type of retinal disease, doctors might recommend supplements or medications that can help slow the progression of the patient’s vision loss.
However, most retinal disease treatment involves vision aids. Specialists might recommend handheld magnifying glasses or glasses with magnifiers on them. Doctors might also recommend electronic aids like eReaders or special software on a tablet.
Eyedaptic worked with ophthalmology and retinal disease experts to develop a promising new solution. It is a vision aid that leverages the power of Augmented Reality (AR) and machine learning to simulate natural vision for people suffering from different forms of retina degeneration disease.
With Eyedaptic’s new vision aid, wearable AR glasses leverage the power of machine learning. The software optimizes the wearer’s peripheral vision to account for the loss of sight at the center. It is much more effective than conventional vision aids because it can adapt to the needs of the individual. It can also account for the wearer’s behavior and environment.
Impressive Results
The AR glasses and software from Eyedaptic are already helping people with vision disorders. The Eyedaptic team worked with doctors to hold clinical studies and test the efficacy of the software. The clinical studies showed impressive results in helping patients with AMD.
Study participants were able to handle tasks like reading with greater ease. The Eyedaptic glasses are an FDA class 1 Exempt Device and have far outperformed glasses for most patients. While some participants could not perform any of the tasks with their traditional glasses, all of them could perform more of the tasks with the AR-powered glasses.
These results show that AR has great potential for aiding retinal disease. Using machine learning, a system like Eyedaptic can improve visual acuity and help people perform regular tasks. Being adaptable and adjustable also means it is an aid with greater potential to help more people.
What is even more exciting is the fact that this technology is still improving. Eyedaptic has released a few versions of the glasses and software, and they are already helping people with retinal conditions. With that said, they are still working to develop better glasses and software to maximize patient benefits.
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