Wearable visual enhancement technology may provide functional vision benefits for patients with advanced retinal disease, according to independent data presented at the American Retina Forum annual meeting in South Lake Tahoe, California. The findings, from a real-world evaluation of the Eye6 wearable visual assistive device (Eyedaptic), suggest the technology may complement retinal care by improving patients’ ability to use their remaining vision.

David Almeida, MD, MBA, PhD, FRCSC, presented data from an independent study of the Eye6in 19 patients aged 65 to 100 years with advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), retinitis pigmentosa (RP), or hereditary retinal dystrophies. Baseline visual acuity was primarily between 20/200 and 20/800. Dr. Almeida reported that 17 of 19 patients (89%) experienced measurable improvement in near visual acuity immediately after fitting with the device. Mean improvement was 5.7 lines across all participants and 6.4 lines among responders. More than half of responding patients gained at least 6 lines, while 7 patients achieved near reading acuity equivalent to 20/20 or 20/25 using the device. Several patients with advanced neovascular AMD demonstrated gains of 8.5 to 10 lines.

Beyond visual acuity, investigators reported improvements in reading, facial recognition, and other daily activities. One participant RP achieved a 6-line improvement in reading acuity and was able to continue working as a cashier.

The Eye6 is designed to enhance functional vision by digitally optimizing visual information in real time to help patients make better use of their remaining peripheral vision.

According to the presentation, the evaluation was conducted independently without sponsorship, review, or approval by Eyedaptic. Dr. Almeida disclosed that he has no financial interest in the company.