RightEye gets rights to eye tests for early detection of autism, Parkinson’s
The exclusive rights to two internationally recognized eye movement tests that help doctors more accurately and objectively identify early stages of autism in children 12 to 40 months old, and aids in detecting Parkinson’s disease in patients of all ages have been acquired by health technology company RightEye LLC. The Bethesda, Maryland-based company uses eye tracking and gaming to revolutionize vision performance and health care through innovative vision tests.
The two eye movement tests, which are based on extensive clinical studies, help identify both disorders earlier and more accurately, which can lead to earlier and more appropriate intervention.“RightEye has consistently pioneered the use of eye-tracking technology to help solve some of health care’s greatest challenges,” said Barbara Barclay, president of RightEye.
The newly acquired test used to identify autism is the GeoPref Autism Test, developed by a leading researcher in understanding autism, Dr. Karen Pierce, an associate professor in the Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego and co-director of the UCSD Autism Center of Excellence.
The GeoPref Autism Test uses eye-tracking technology to compare the amount of time children spend looking at videos of people with the amount of time they spend looking at videos of geometric shapes. The test identifies autism in one in five cases. It also identifies children for further testing in nearly half of cases, allowing for the early therapy intervention that can have a profound impact on outcomes.
RightEye’s Parkinson’s & Other Movement Disorders Test has identified Parkinson’s and other rare movement disorders, including Huntington’s disease and Essential Tremor, in thousands of patients over 12 years. It was developed by a team that includes Mark Baron, M.D.,professor of neurology, interim director of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center ; Paul Wetzel, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical engineering in the VCU School of Engineering; and George Gitchel, a Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering at VCU.
The test accurately identifies and assesses patterns of eye movement that are affected in patients with movement disorders. It also offers more accuracy than traditional diagnostic methods and takes only five minutes. It has a dramatically lower cost than the extensive, costly PET, DAT and MRI scans frequently ordered for diagnosis.
These revolutionary tests for autism and Parkinson’s disease are expected to be available to health care providers in early 2017 through RightEye’s platform, which was launched earlier this year and already offers a series of eye-tracking-based tests and training:
- RightEye Neuro Vision, a two-minute test that helps health care providers more clearly understand the severity of a patient’s head trauma and better assess recovery over time.
- RightEye Essential Vision, a comprehensive category of core vision tests that take only a few minutes to complete, and provide a faster, more accurate and robust way to implement standard vision screenings around the world.
- RightEye Performance Vision, a set of vision tests to help athletes and defense forces by assessing vision strengths and identifying areas of vision that can be improved to enable them to reach maximum performance levels.
Category: Features, Technology & Devices
