Deya has entered into a sponsorship agreement with the Illinois College of Optometry (ICO) to support a new research project. The research, led by investigators Yi Pang, OD, PhD, FAAO, Jennifer Harthan, OD, FAAO, FSLS, and Erica Ittner, OD, aims to collect anterior segment eye images through the high-definition camera on a smartphone using Deya Imaging, the company said in a press release.
According to Deya, the goal of the research is to aid in the advancement of the company's AI clinical decision support (CDS) tool that analyzes such images on behalf of eyecare professionals (ECPs), using Deya to provide digital eyecare services through patients' smartphones. This care will be at the direction of the patient’s ECP for triage or follow-up cases where digital remote care is appropriate, allowing for a zero-distance relationship between provider and patient.
In the research protocol, Deya Imaging’s proprietary smartphone autocapture system will be utilized to acquire images of a variety of anterior segment diseases as well as various contact lens positional findings. Once acquired, the images will be submitted to a HIPAA-compliant cloud repository that houses the AI system’s training data. Ongoing AI system training will be accomplished by a standardized labeling process overseen by a team of ECPs including Chief Medical Officer, Scott Jens, OD, FAAO, and CEO, Jovi Boparai, MD.
Through the labeling process, the Deya AI image analysis engine will advance its training to provide the most effective clinical decision support for users of the Deya tele-eyecare software system. This research project aims to enhance the AI system’s ability to detect eye findings and conditions to support eyecare professionals in their care journey. This is the only known project that leverages smartphone-acquired anterior segment images for CDS guidance, Deya said in the press release.
According to Deya, the research project will run through the end of 2026 and represents 1 of nearly 150 research studies that are in progress at ICO. ICO’s Dr. Newton K. Wesley Research Center opened in 2024 as part of ICO’s growing commitment to be an academic research leader amongst optometry education institutions. OM