Just one week following its latest digital health investment, Topcon Healthcare, Inc. announced the purchase of Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems (IRIS)—developer of cloud-based retinal screening technology.
Topcon has certainly been busy … but let’s begin with IRIS.
Based in Pensacola, Florida, IRIS provides artificial intelligence (AI)-based diabetic teleretinal screening exams for at-risk diabetic patients via camera-agnostic technology.
Its software: An FDA-cleared Class II cloud-based platform that provides an all-in-one method for examining, diagnosing, and providing a customized care plan for patients.
Explain how this platform works.
Dubbed the “IRIS Solution,” the web-based software consists of five key steps for eyecare providers (ECPs) to follow in performing preventative testing.
- Step 1: Assisting with selecting an appropriate retinal camera for their clinical practices based on their existing electronic health record (EHR)
- Step 2: Integrating that retinal camera with the IRIS platform and uploading a patient’s retinal images to the system for interpretation
- Step 3: Once the fundus images are uploaded, IRIS’s AI-based "proprietary image enhancement technology” is applied for analysis
- Step 4: During this analysis, a remote-based physician from the IRIS Reading Center (consisting of 125 board-certified retina specialists and ophthalmologists) reviews both the original and enhanced images to ascertain any potential sight-threatening disease diagnosis
- An in-house grading platform enables the potential diagnosis of other ocular diseases, such as glaucoma and cataracts
- Step 5: Following analysis, the retinal images and diagnosis (if applicable) are sent directly back into an ECP’s EHR for them to refer a patient to the appropriate specialist
See here for a visual of this process in action.
And the turnaround time for this image analysis-diagnosis?
An estimated 2 to 3 hours.
So where has this been implemented?
Per the company, the software is currently in use as part of standard preventative care for undiagnosed retinal disease in routine clinical settings at 650+ healthcare organizations, including federally-qualified health centers and health systems across the United States.
- See its impact (hint: it involves providing +1.8 million screenings and identifying nearly 300K cases of diabetic retinopathies to date)
Alrighty, now to Topcon’s involvement.
In acquiring this technology, Topcon plans to integrate IRIS into its ongoing Healthcare from the Eye initiative as a way to “strengthen bidirectional coordination care” between ECPs and primary care providers (PCPs)—creating a “connected care model.”
Quick refresh: Originally launched in May 2024, the Healthcare from the Eye initiative is a clinical strategy in which artificial intelligence (AI) models are applied to ocular imaging data to enable earlier detection and better management of ocular and systemic diseases.
- Check out the latest investments, partnerships, and acquisitions Topcon has made since the initiative’s launch.
And the intent behind this integration?
Sticking with that “connected care model” focus, Topcon is looking to develop a health system in which at-risk patients of ocular diseases can be identified earlier by their PCPs and referred to an appropriate ECP for a timely diagnosis and treatment.
The IRIS acquisition brings the company one step closer to making this vision a reality.
How else?
That involves the utilization of Topcon’s Harmony platform, a cloud-based, clinical image and data management platform for streamlining clinical practice workflows and organizing ophthalmic clinical data.
- The plan: To integrate the IRIS platform (specifically, its referral and communication capabilities) into Harmony—and in turn, Harmony will (ideally) enable shared clinical decision-making, improve compliance, and reduce “patient leakage” (where patients receive or seek out-of-network care).
So what has IRIS said about its acquisition?
Nothing but positive feedback. CEO Steven Martin noted that—as a new affiliate of Topcon—IRIS now has the opportunity to expand its impact in screening and diagnosing at-risk patients.
- “We’ll ensure providers of all sizes can confidently deliver preventative screenings that improve outcomes and reduce disparities,” he stated.
And for the future: With the addition of IRIS and its diabetic teleretinal screening software, Topcon may also explore providing diagnostic modules for other systemic diseases (think: cardiovascular, chronic kidney, and early Alzheimer’s detection—all of which are reported to be currently in development).
Now from a big-picture perspective.
Over the last 14+ months, Topcon has rapidly and steadily continued to make good on its vision of providing early disease detection via data-driven primary care for patients across the U.S.
And in terms of IRIS: Topcon noted that ECPs using such AI-analyzed ocular data to detect signs of systemic or neurological disease “will be better equipped to refer patients back to primary care for further evaluation, creating a feedback loop that enhances outcomes and closes care gaps.”