Organisation:
Alfaleus Technology Private Limited
Location:
Jaipur,Rajasthan
Problem:
Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world affecting 60 million people worldwide. In most of the cases it goes undiagnosed until the advanced stages. This leads to irreversible vision loss and results in blindness. Currently, fundus photography (Photograph of the retina), HFA and tonometry (eye pressure) are used to test for Glaucoma. However, these cannot be used in rural populations and even if the devices are available as they require trained staff to operate them. Furthermore, devices like HFA are not only bulky but also expensive. This increases the cost per test and makes it unaffordable for rural population and people at the base of the pyramid. Additionally, for fundus photography and tonometry even if their results are indicative of Glaucoma, they are not sufficient and they merely check the structure of the eye. Therefore, in order to check the function of eye visual field perimeters are required that are portable, easy to use and affordable.
Solution:
We at Alfaleus have designed and developed a portable visual field perimeter that can be operated via a smartphone to perform an eye examination for Glaucoma. Unlike traditional devices, that are bulky and cumbersome, our device is a portable head mount device based on a VR headset and can be easily operated via a smartphone. It is ten times cheaper, hundred times more portable and infinitely more comfortable for the patient. The proposed device has a unique design and an AI based algorithm that enables a quick screening. The Device development took 2 years and several device iterations to reach a mature point that we are at now. It has been clinically validated by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (Baltimore, USA) and Aravind Eye Hospital in a collaborative study. This device can be used in health camps, home-based clinics and in remote and rural areas that would otherwise be left with no other alternatives to test for Glaucoma due to the lack of portability and high costs of the current testing standards.
The intended primary beneficiaries of our product are the people at the base of the pyramid, rural populations, people living in remote areas and those individuals for whom the current testing standards are proving too expensive. Our device will enable doctors to offer tests for diseases like Glaucoma at a far cheaper price and in remote locations thereby making screenings for Glaucoma accessible to people at the base of the pyramid and rural populations who previously would not have been able to access it.
Scalability and Impact:
Our goals for the next three years are to improve and optimize the product design for manufacture, improve product awareness in the market and increase device sales.
Financial Requirements:
NA
Awards and Recognition:
1. Top Indian Startup at Academia Industry Training in association with Swissnex (Switzerland)
2. First place at Glaucoma Society of India Conference for our concept video
3. Winner of TiE Smasher Award
4. Second Best Innovation at AIOC (All India Ophthalmologic Conference)
5. Medical Budding Innovations Award.