MedTech Occuity has today launched a crowdfunding campaign to develop devices that aim to detect the early signs of chronic health conditions by scanning the human eye.
Founded in 2019, Occuity has developed and patented contactless optical technology to obtain precise measurements from the eye.
It is seeking investment of £1.8 million through Seedrs to bring a range of new medical devices to market that use this technology for ophthalmic examinations, diabetes management, pre-diabetes screening and, in the longer term, the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.
Efforts to bring these new devices to market are led by Occuity’s founder and CEO Dr Dan Daly, company co-founder and CTO Dr Robin Taylor, and Daniele De Iuliis, a 27-year veteran of Apple’s industrial design team, who joined Occuity as design director in 2020.
Occuity’s first device is aimed at the optometry market and measures corneal thickness with micrometre level precision. This is due to begin clinical testing and is expected to be approved for use in the EU by early 2022.
The company plans to launch a pre-diabetes screening device in 2024 to allow mass testing for the emerging signs of Type 2 diabetes at pharmacies and opticians.
In 2025, it intends to introduce a personal non-invasive optical glucose monitor that will enable people with diabetes to monitor their blood-sugar levels without drawing blood.
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Occuity hopes that its research and development will also support the delivery of a routine screening device capable of detecting early signs of Alzheimer’s disease by identifying biomarkers deposited in the eye.
“The eye provides a window into human health. Occuity’s vision is to use this window to identify chronic conditions faster and earlier with non-invasive, non-contact handheld devices, and provide tools to manage those conditions better,” said Dr Dan Daly.
“There is a huge opportunity to deliver a step-change over the next decade in optometry practice and the way chronic diseases like diabetes and Alzheimer’s are detected and managed.
“We are inviting people who share our vision of transforming health screening to invest in our crowdfunding campaign to improve the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide.”
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De Iuliis added: “Thanks to Occuity’s ingenuity, it is becoming possible to detect and manage debilitating health conditions through a quick, non-contact eye scan.
“We are developing game-changing medical devices for use in non-clinical settings and by the patient. They will be kinder, more intuitive and more convenient than existing technologies, and they will be accessible to all.”