eyeMO(1)
Remote Retinal Monitoring Device: Home-based Miniature OCT
Low cost, home-based, patient self-monitoring OCT (optical coherence tomography) (2)device
Our lead development project for mobile Health (mHealth) (3) applications is the Patient Based Ophthalmology Suite (PBOS). In its first iteration, eyeMO aims to improve ophthalmic treatment outcomes in patients diagnosed and treated for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME ), which bring retinal edema and reduction in visual acuity. eyeMO is being designed to capture changes in retinal anatomy.
Key features of eyeMO are low cost and patient-friendly design, to enable it to be used directly by patients at home. Network connectivity and cloud-based technologies are used to alert the patients and their physicians of disease progression and re-treatment needs.
In 2018, Kubota Pharmaceutical group has completed a successful clinical study that demonstrated eyeMO could detect thinning and thickening of the human retina over time, when compared to results from an established commercial OCT. The study was a single-center clinical study which aimed to measure retinal thickness using eyeMO, evaluating 12 subjects with normal macular thickness and 20 subjects with center-involving macular edema. The study evaluated the ability to detect changes in retinal thickness over time, and, correlation of retinal thickness measurements by eyeMO and a hospital-grade OCT unit.
In 2022, Kubota Pharmaceutical group announced a collaboration agreement with Joslin Diabetes Center, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, conducting two clinical studies to evaluate the ability of eyeMO to identify cases of diabetic macular edema that may need treatment compared to a commercially available OCT device. The studies are led by Dr. Paolo S. Silva, the Co-Chief of Telemedicine at the Beetham Eye Institute of the Joslin Diabetes Center. Dr. Silva presented the data at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2024 Annual Meeting held May 5 - May 9, 2024 in Seattle. His work is focused on innovative and investigative work in a field at the intersection of clinical care and technology with the hope of providing an ideal model for the delivery of evidence-based, highly effective, and efficient diabetes eye care to the population that needs the most.
Title: "Comparison of the Portable Retinal Thickness Analyzer and Standard Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Retinal Thickness Measurements in Diabetic Eyes"
(1) eyeMO is a product name for the Patient Based Ophthalmology Suite (PBOS).
(2) Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive tool that uses light waves to take cross-section pictures of the retina.
(3) mHealth refers to the usage of mobile communications technology and devices to enhance access to healthcare information, improve distribution of routine and emergency health services, and provide diagnostic services.