The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued Evoq Technologies a new patent covering its mobile device-based system that provides controlled luminous stimulation directly to the eye as a retinal function test.
Let’s begin with an EVOQ refresher.
Operating out of Henderson, Nevada, the privately held medical device company is developing medical-grade, wearable biosensor technologies for the early detection of retinal and neurological diseases.
Its portfolio: Is based on the SightGard platform—a suite of tools designed to assist eyecare providers (ECPs) in early retinal disease detection.
So what products are included in this portfolio?
Two FDA-registered and smartphone-based devices, so far.
EVOQ’s first product launch was the SmartERG, a full-field electroretinogram/visual evoked potential (ERG/VEP).
And its second (introduced last November) is the Twilight Dark Adaptometer, a portable device that measures dark adaptation performance (how the retina recovers from bright light to darkness) for retinal health monitoring.
Now to this patent.
Its title: Electrophysiological Stimulator and Evoked Response System and MethodIts number: U.S. Patent No. 12,685,439
What it covers:
- A smartphone-based system (Android or iOS mobile device) that provides controlled luminous stimulation directly to a patient’s eye
- A connected biosensor that records ocular electrical signals and wirelessly transmits the results to the mobile device for waveform display and retinal function evaluation
Explain this in simpler terms.
The patent is basically covering the system behind Evoq’s SmartERG concept of ERG/VEP technology. For a closer look at how it works—plus the method behind its operations—see below.
The first piece is a wireless biosensor (which the patent calls a BioSensor POD):
- This connects to the patient through three electrodes — one active electrode making contact at the eye/lower lid as well as a ground and a reference electrode placed at the temples.
- The POD contains a low-noise amplifier, a 16-bit analog-to-digital converter, a microprocessor (an ARM Cortex-M4 class chip), and an antenna—and is powered by a coin battery.
- It also streams the digitized signal over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE; or another wireless network).
And the second piece to this?
That would be a standard mobile device—a smartphone or tablet running an "evoked response" app.
- The phone's own light-emitting diode (LED) flash and display screen serve as the photostimulator to deliver light directly to the eye.
- The app then captures the response from the POD, drawing the ERG waveform on screen.
- From there, it compares the result against a stored library of diagnostic images and returns an evaluation of the patient's retinal function.
Click here to read through the full patent description.
… so in other words?
This now-patented device “actively stimulates the visual system and records its electrophysiological response,” the company noted.
- Compare this to other smartphone-based platforms that typically only observe ongoing activity.
And as EVOQ CEO Kasia Hein-Peters, MD, noted: The patent is intended to support “our vision of making ocular and retinal functional testing more portable, connected and accessible.”
So now that this patent is secured, what’s next for EVOQ?
Dr. Hein-Peters shared: "Our immediate focus is vision, where objective functional measurements can complement structural imaging and help researchers better understand retinal performance.”
As such: The company is currently on the lookout for strategic partnerships and licensing opportunities tied to its portable retinal physiology—including its now-patented system, functional vision assessment, and clinical research.
- Interested companies—domestic and international alike—can reach out to EVOQ directly.