Visionary inventions for eye disease
Tuesday, January 2, 2024
One of the inventions is the world’s first piece of quantum technology in vision science. It’s a collaboration between quantum optics experts, particularly Drs. Dmitry Pushin, David Cory and Dusan Sarenac of Waterloo, and Waterloo and Hong Kong vision researchers led by Ben Thompson. The underlying technology is a structured light beam that people even at the earliest stages of macular degeneration perceive differently than those without the disease.
The team has developed a prototype that relies on patients to report what they see. Clinical testing with this prototype is yielding promising results. However, the scientists are also working on an improved system that will directly record the reflected structure of light from the patient’s retina. This would make the technology less subjective and more accessible.
To commercialize the screening system, a spin-out company, Incoherent Vision Inc., has been set up in Canada and is attracting investor attention. The company is also in the process of setting up a subsidiary in Hong Kong.
Read the full story on the University of Waterloo website.