ZEISS Medical Technology and Envision Health Technologies are teaming up to advance glaucoma management through virtual reality (VR)-based visual function testing.
No intro needed on ZEISS … but give me the rundown on Envision.
Launched in 2022 and based in New York City, New York, the privately-held digital eye health company was founded by current CEO Lama A. Al-Aswad, MD, MPH, a glaucoma surgeon.
Its purpose: To improve outcomes for vision-threatening diseases via novel diagnostics.Its focus: Preventing and treating blinding illness through early detection and intervention.
And how is it doing this?
By developing gamified, personalized testing accessible via a proprietary system designed to “transform visual function testing.”
- Specifically: The company’s technology integrates multiple diagnostic tests and therapeutics with artificial intelligence (AI) analytics to deliver a complete picture of visual health.
Before we dive deeper into that, what should we know about this partnership?
The companies’ strategic collaboration combines their key areas of strength to promote VR perimetry:
- ZEISS’s expertise in (perimetry-based) VF testing
- Notable product brand: Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA)
- Envision’s VR and software-based VF testing
No other specific details were shared on this, other than an emphasis that the partnership will focus on maintaining a “science-first approach to glaucoma care” while helping to “shape the future direction of VR perimetry.”
And from a big-picture perspective: ZEISS’s leadership in the perimetry space definitely adds credibility to Envision’s own technology.
Noted. Now, let’s take a closer look at that technology.
Envision’s VR technology consists of:
- Proprietary, headset-based adaptive perimetry software for optimal patient comfort and portability
- Clinically-validated gamified testing strategy that transforms VF tests into interactive games with an immersive and intuitive experience
- Automated adaptive perimetry (AAP) with novel algorithms that both personalize testing and adapt as defects are discovered (intended to reduce testing/retesting variability)
The all-encompassing result: An intuitive VF testing system that offers earlier detection of glaucoma-related vision loss as an alternative to the current standard of care: static automated perimetry table-mounted devices.
Hone in on that “gamified” component.
That’s where Envision’s first product—dubbed GamifEye—comes in.
As a static automated perimeter (SAP), this “gamified” experience is built on the company’s device-agnostic platform and operates on that aforementioned portable, head-mounted VR device to conduct VF testing with (ideally):
- Greater precision and consistency
- Enhanced reliability
- Reduced variability
And what testing protocols does it support?
Comprehensive VF assessments such as:
- 10-2, 24-2, 24-2C, and 30-2 VF testing
- Esterman binocular VF testing
- Ptosis and function field assessment
Plus: This advanced VR-based VF assessment offers a highly accurate, comprehensive mapping of peripheral and central vision. See here for more key features.
And for a closer look: Check out how advanced analytics are combined with this adaptive testing to simultaneously evaluate both local and global trends in visual function.
So! Is this technology cleared by the FDA?
GamifEye is reported to be a Class I K-registered medical device under the FDA—which basically means it can be streamlined for market access without the need for a 510(k) clearance.
The company added that it completed an FDA pre-submission meeting in 2023.
- Editor’s note: Glance was unable to independently verify this registration status.
And what clinical benchmarks has it achieved?
Looking at its interoperability and integration capabilities: Envision noted that its VR diagnostics are built to connect with existing clinical ecosystems:
- DICOM compatible (with ophthalmic imaging systems and PACS infrastructure)
- Electronic health records (EHR) and electronic medical records (EMR) integration
- Enables flexible deployment in clinics, research environments, and remote settings
- Meets healthcare data security, privacy, and interoperability standards
Is it clinically validated?
Envision referred to GamifEye as a clinically-validated solution, stating that the product “demonstrated concordance with standard of care HVF testing (Humphrey Visual Field)” as well as showed lower “retest variability compared to the HFA.”
Also worth noting: We identified this interventional clinical trial from 2024 that appears to have evaluated the company’s technology as an alternative to the HFA when used among open-angle glaucoma (OAG) patients.
For more research news on the technology, click here.