Heru launches PretestPro for Heru Prime VR diagnostic headset in US

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A new virtual reality (VR)-powered diagnostic headset software will be hitting the US market. According to Heru, the company has launched PretestPro, built to consolidate pretesting into a single guided exam, in the US on its Heru Prime wearable platform. PretestPro runs 4 pretest exams in about 90 seconds at a faster rate than traditional testing, with “peer-reviewed evidence across the VR and eye-tracking modalities powering PretestPro,” according to the company’s news release.¹

All current and future Heru Prime customers will receive PretestPro at no additional cost through an automatic software update, the company said.¹

"PretestPro isn't just a faster test. It is a fundamentally different way to structure the diagnostic workflow," said Mohamed Abou Shousha, MD, PhD, founder and CEO of Heru and professor of clinical ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, in the release.¹ "Traditional pretesting requires multiple devices and several manual steps. PretestPro consolidates these tests into a single wearable exam that runs about 3 times faster than traditional testing."

PretestPro captures 4 pretesting exams in 1 workflow: 8-point suprathreshold visual field, near cover test, extraocular motility (EOM), and quantitative pupillometry, including relative afferent pupillary defect and PERRLA (pupils are equal, round, and reactive to light and accommodation) status. The system uses virtual reality and eye tracking to produce a “consolidated, quantitative report to replace subjective, manual testing,” according to the release. The platform was initially built on 15 years of vision science research and clinical validation originating at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, according to the company.^1,2

For optometry practices, pretesting typically requires several devices and multiple manual steps handled across staff and equipment before the doctor enters the lane. Practice owners can utilize the platform’s portability in pretest areas, waiting rooms, or remote settings.¹

"Heru has been a great addition to our practice. PretestPro has made our pre-testing more efficient while giving me useful data on pupils, extraocular motility, cover testing, and screening visual fields. Patients enjoy seeing new technology incorporated into their exams, and many prefer doing their 24-2 threshold visual fields on Heru compared with a traditional bowl perimeter. Overall, it’s improved our workflow and the patient experience at both our offices,” Michael Gorz, OD, said in a statement to Optometry Times.

How PretestPro fits into a full-scope optometric pretesting workflow

Heru Prime users can add the platform's visual acuity testing for an additional 30 seconds, which the company says allows clinicians to complete half of their pretesting in about 2 minutes. Heru frames the resulting time savings as capacity for greater exam-lane throughput and expanded patient education. Beyond PretestPro, the Heru Prime fixation target Nora guides patients through the pretesting exams and offers a broader menu of digitized modalities.¹

The full modality set includes suprathreshold visual field testing; full-threshold visual field testing at 24-2, 10-2, and 30-2; Esterman visual field testing; visual acuity testing; Ishihara color vision testing; near and distance cover tests; quantitative pupillometry; and EOM assessment. By digitizing and automating these manual tests on a single portable device, Heru positions the platform as a replacement for a roomful of legacy equipment while standardizing how results are captured and reported. The company emphasizes clinical consistency and quantitative output as core advantages over subjective manual methods.¹

Further testing has also examined how patients feel after back-to-back VR testing. In an abstract presented at the 2026 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting, researchers presented results from a study assessing Heru software on a VR device (Pico N3PE; ByteDance), which demonstrated high user satisfaction across 4 domains: comfort, time efficiency, ease of use, and low perceived fatigue when Heru VR software was administered. The study included 42 patients in 2 cohorts, 100% of whom reported that “they would use the system again,” according to study authors.³

"The new PretestPro is great. It saves us precious time working up our pretests, and our patients love it," said Kelly Kiersch, PC optometrist assistant at Focus on Eyes, a member of Vision Source, in the release.¹

Availability details beyond the automatic update to existing Heru Prime customers were not specified in the announcement.

References

1. Heru announces the launch of PretestPro for the Heru Prime VR-powered diagnostic headset. News release. Heru. September 8, 2026. Accessed September 11, 2026. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260908464075/en/Heru-Announces-the-Launch-of-PretestPro-for-the-Heru-Prime-VR-Powered-Diagnostic-Headset

2. Johnson C, Sayed A, McSoley J, et al. Comparison of visual field test measurements with a novel approach on a wearable headset to standard automated perimetry. J Glaucoma. 2023;32(8):647-657. doi:10.1097/IJG.0000000000002238

3. Kashem R, Sayed A, Mijares G, et al. Evaluating a patient’s experience with full-stack screening on a hands-free wearable device. Inves Ophthal Vis Sci. 2026;67(7):4228.