Technologies

Summary

Clinicians at Moorfields Eye Hospital, the leading provider of eye health services in Europe have developed the first medical device which is able to quantify dry eye in a patient. The software quantifies the number, distribution and size of fluorescein staining allowing screening, diagnosis and monitoring of the dry eye and other eye diseases.

Market Opportunity

Dry Eye Syndrome is the most common eye disease with an estimated 49 million people affected in the seven major markets (US, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) in 2010. As further estimated by patient.co.uk, dry eye affects between 15 and 33 in 100 people and as its prevalence increases with age, it might affect a third of older people. The majority of patients in the UK will seek help from their GP and is often referred to an ophthalmologist.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that the treatment of dry eye focuses on preserving and improving vision, minimising and preventing the structural damage to the eye and to improve comfort of patients. The most used preparations for dry eye are eye drops and the global sales of dry eye medicines has reached $1.8 billion in 2008. Twenty nine pipeline products are currently undergoing clinical trials or awaiting registration, with 20 more products being currently tested at preclinical stages.

Symptom assessment is a key component of dry eye diagnosis and management and an objective measurement of the severity of the disease can assist consultants in diagnosing and managing the condition and could be used for quantification of dry eye in clinical trials.