iHealthScreen awarded US patent for iPredict glaucoma detection model

Image Credit: AdobeStock/OlivierLeMoal

iHealthScreen has announced that its iPredict glaucoma detection model was awarded a full patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on March 26, 2024. The company is the first to be awarded 2 US patents by USPTO on age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma screenings for early diagnosis, according to a news release. The iPredict model provides a fully automated detection report, which can be integrated into primary care practices for screening and detection of early-stage glaucoma.¹

“The early screening and detection of glaucoma can potentially help prevent the progression to severe glaucoma and save millions of people from blindness,” the release stated.

iPredict works by taking high-resolution images of a patient’s eyes and retina by using a color fundus camera and then submitting the images to the model’s artificial intelligence (AI) system, where a fully automated report is generated with glaucoma detection results in less than 60 seconds. The entirety of the test, including color retinal images and report generation, is completed within 5 minutes.¹

The detection results report will then indicate referable glaucoma, such as early to severe glaucoma, or nonreferable glaucoma, which is a result of no glaucoma found. The iPredict report will then recommend a referral to an ophthalmologist for treatment. Otherwise, the report will recommend a follow-up visit as suggested, which could include another screening in 1 year.¹

iHealthScreen’s other iPredict screening models for AMD and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are also CE certified and have been approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration and the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency among others.^2,3 So far, the DR iPredict has screened more than 5000 patients and the AMD model has screened more than 3000 patients around the globe. Minimum training needed to operate the iPredict models is less than 1 hour.^2,3 Additionally, iHealthScreen offers retinal pathology progression analyzers, retinal vessel analyzers, and optical coherence tomography inspectors.⁴

Additional information on the iPredict model will be presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology 2024 Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington, taking place from May 5 to 9.

References:

1. iHealthScreen Inc. is awarded a US patent on glaucoma detection, which is based on AI and color fundus imaging. News release. iHealthScreen. April 9, 2024. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240408316332/en/iHealthScreen-Inc.-is-Awarded-a-US-Patent-on-Glaucoma-Detection-Which-Is-Based-on-AI-and-Color-Fundus-Imaging

2. Fully automated software for diabetic retinopathy screening iPredict which utilizes retinal color fundus image and AI based tool. iHealthScreen. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://ihealthscreen.org/diabetic-retinopathy-screening

3. Fully automated software for AMD screening iPredict which utilizes retinal color fundus image and AI based tool. iHealthScreen. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://ihealthscreen.org/amd

4. Image analyzer. iHealthScreen. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://ihealthscreen.org/image-analyzer