New spin-out OCUWELL set to transform corneal care
More than 850 million people worldwide suffer from corneal disorders. This leads to an estimated 36 million cases of blindness and 217 million cases of moderate to severe visual impairment. Corneal disorders is a catch-all term that covers conditions including high myopia, astigmatism, keratoconus, dry eyes, cataracts, and corneal dystrophies.
Finding ways to diagnose and treat these conditions usually needs a corneal topography device. The problem is that these devices are expensive, not always available where they are needed and thus often require travel to specialised clinics. Additionally, they are not available to children, bedridden and psychiatric patients who may find sitting in front of a desktop device challenging.
Lack of access to suitable diagnostic equipment delays treatment and leads to unnecessary loss of sight for millions. Globally, over 80% of optometry clinics and more than 40% of specialised tertiary clinics do not have these devices. As a result, 28% of patients with corneal diseases remain undiagnosed. Worse still, this leads to missed opportunities for early treatment that could prevent sight loss. In many parts of the world, over 60% of newly diagnosed cases are classified as “severe” at first presentation.
Professor Ahmed Elsheikh, company co-founder, Chief Scientific Officer and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University’s School of Engineering, leads the research at University spin-out OCUWELL which aims to address these challenges and bring about global health equality in eye care.
Find out more about OCUWELL here, or get in touch with the team at info@ocuwell.com.
