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Degenerative diseases of the retina require regular consultations and reliable tools to monitor vision at home. However, existing self-monitoring solutions such as Amsler’s paper grid have proven their limits. The emergence of OdySight, an app available on prescription from ophthalmologists, allows patients to properly monitor their sight at home and, above all, to warn the user and his doctor in the event of a drop in visual acuity in order to ensure fast support. Presentation.
Degenerative diseases of the retina are chronic diseases that can cause irreversible damage to vision if they are not detected early and if they are not monitored very regularly. The retina is a membrane that lines the inner surface of the eyeball and allows vision. To do this, it reacts to light signals, particularly in an area called the macula. It is the central area of the retina which is responsible for central vision, accuracy and reading.
Intervene in time thanks to remote monitoring
Unlike peripheral vision, the macula allows you to see straight ahead. If the eye were a film camera, the macula would be its film. We understand that if it deteriorates, the photo will not be good. Symptoms are metamorphopsia (distortion of lines) and dark or light spots in the field of vision. It is precisely this central area of the eye that is damaged in certain chronic pathologies such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy or even high myopia (greater than -6 diopters).
These diseases can be manifested by a sudden drop in visual acuity – which is often accompanied by a decrease in the ability to perceive certain details, by the presence of a dark spot (called a scotoma) in the center of the visual field or by a difficulty in perceiving contrasts. A pathology that can cause irreversible damage to vision if no intervention takes place in time.
Until now, the ophthalmologist asked each of his patients to monitor their sight every week using a paper grid. Unfortunately, studies show that the Amsler test remains little used, that highlighting an anomaly remains difficult and that when a visual disorder is detected, the patient does not immediately contact his doctor.
But then, how to optimize the screening and follow-up of the ever-increasing number of patients? The use of remote monitoring was a natural choice. Since Covid, in fact, telemedicine has experienced phenomenal progress both in the appearance of new solutions and in the development of an appropriate legal framework. On July 1, 2023, Europe will also be the very first country in the European Union to reimburse remote monitoring.
An application on medical prescription
It is in this desire that the start-up Tilak Healthcare has created OdySight, an application dedicated to patients with retinal pathologies. Designed in collaboration with renowned ophthalmologists, it completes the care offer by allowing close and personalized follow-up that meets both the needs of ophthalmologists and the concerns of patients.
Concretely, the OdySight application is obtained on medical prescription. It offers two reliable tests1 directly adapted from monitoring practices carried out in an ophthalmology office: the visual acuity test, which presents symbols of various sizes and orientations and measures the ability to distinguish their details, and the Amsler grid, which evaluates the central part of the visual field. If the app detects a decline in visual acuity in the test results, then it triggers a notification prompting the user to retest the next day. If the abnormality is confirmed, the doctor and the patient automatically receive the notification and the patient will only have to quickly schedule a consultation with his practitioner.
The game, guarantor of the seriousness of the patients
To encourage patients to be rigorous and regular in this practice of self-monitoring, Tilak Healthcare had the idea of adding the notion of play to its application. In addition to the two clinically validated medical tests, OdySight incorporates dynamic puzzles. This gamification system was designed to promote long-term patient engagement. Indeed, degenerative diseases of the retina are chronic pathologies for which there is no cure, but which must be stabilized.
OdySight’s slogan? You play, we care.* Thus, once the medical tests have been completed, the patient has access to original puzzles of increasing difficulty. Why the jigsaw? Quite simply, because it’s a puzzle game popular with users of all ages and the limited use of time encourages them to connect regularly. And it works! In fact, half of OdySight users benefit from the experience as a whole (tests + games) and players carry out on average three times more medical tests than non-players. And three times as many are still active after a year of use! Long-term loyalty is such that more than 30% of ophthalmologists now prescribe the use of OdySight.
An app supported and funded by Social Security
Given the relevance and reliability of its concept, the OdySight application has received financial support from Social Security (article 51). This allows the patient to be 100% covered for his prescription, but also the doctor to be compensated for the time spent training the patient in the correct use of the application and the analysis of the results. (act of remote monitoring). A remuneration that also helps Tilak to deploy and democratize its solution.
Compatible with the majority of smartphones on the market (Apple and Android systems), OdySight is a CE marked device that meets European health and safety standards. It has also been tested during a clinical study and its technology is patented. More than 10,000 patients use or have used OdySight in Europe since 2018, and in 2022 alone, more than 100,000 medical tests were carried out.
Finally, the security of the data collected is carried out in compliance with the European data protection regulations (RGPD) and the Data Protection Act by using a HADS approved supplier (Approved Host “Health Data”) with stored data In Europe. An innovative and fun application designed for doctors, patients… and their personal health data!
1Etude TIL1
*You play, we take care of you.