Heru is offering a first look at its newest addition to the company's artificial intelligence (AI)-based, vision diagnostics wearable platform: the PretestPro, designed for pretest exams.
The technology debuts this week at Vision Expo in Orlando, Florida.
Let’s start with the company.
Heru launched in 2018 as a spin-off from the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.
- Its purpose: To replace traditional diagnostic machines with a single wearable system powered by AI and augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR).
As such, the company's wearable, VR-based diagnostic headset made its U.S. commercial debut in 2021.
And since then: Heru has integrated its technology in both internal corporate telehealth initiatives as well as through remote care partnerships targeting rural communities and “health deserts.”
Tell me about this system.
The AI-based diagnostics and vision-augmentation software platform performs nine eye tests via a single headset and cloud-based portal. Among these diagnostics:
- Visual field testing
- Color vision testing
- Contrast sensitivity testing
- Dark adaptation testing (launched in 2022)
Importantly: The portable and wearable device is supported by 70+ patents, clinical validation (see how it performs against traditional VF testing), and is registered with the FDA as a Class I medical device.
What conditions can it detect?
With the capabilities to perform nine exams, the platform can be easily integrated into a clinician’s workflow to detect (and manage) ocular diseases such as:
- Glaucoma
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
- Cataracts
- Diabetic retinopathy (DR)
See here for an ultimate guide on the platform.
Now to this new technology.
PretestPro combines VR and eye tracking to capture multiple tests via a single workflow and patient-friendly fixation target (dubbed Nora; see a visual of it here) that guides patients.
- A major bonus: The tech enables clinicians to run pre-test exams in just under 2 minutes.
And how does it compare to traditional pretesting methods?
Standard pretest eye exams typically involve various devices and manual steps, and averages 15 to 20 minutes.
- “PretestPro consolidates these tests into a single wearable exam that runs about three times faster than traditional testing,” stated Heru CEO and founder Mohamed Abou Shousha, MD, PhD.
Additionally, thanks to Heru’s signature portable and wearable device design, the full-stack pretesting technology can be worn in any pre-test area—waiting rooms and remote locations included.
So which pretest exams can it perform?
Four exams:
- 8-point confrontation VF
- Near-cover test
- Extraocular motility (EOM)
- Quantitative pupillometry
And how does it fit into the Heru platform?
Seamlessly, to say the least.
Via this portable technology, Heru noted that patients can be guided by an AI-based "virtual technician" through 11 modalities—including the PretestPro.
Others include:
- Visual acuity testing
- Firefly confrontation VF
- Suprathreshold VF
- Fully threshold VF 24-2, 10-2, and 30-2
- Esterman VF
- Ishihara color vision test
- Near and distance cover tests
- Quantitative
So! How can I try PretestPro for myself?
If you’re attending Vision Expo this week—stop by Heru’s booth (#2138) or schedule a demo here.
Otherwise, reach out to the company directly.