Healthtech startup will start testing new tech as part of Quebec-backed medtech initiative.
Some Québec clinics might soon use AI-powered technology to more quickly test patients for dry eye syndrome and help doctors diagnose the condition.
The testing comes through the Québec government-fundfed Medteq+ Support Program.
Montréal-based healthtech startup AI4Eyes is rolling out its AI-powered dry eye disease diagnosis and treatment recommendation platform for testing in certain Québec clinics, as one of seven other medtech companies selected for real-world testing of their products. The testing comes through the recently announced Medteq+ Support Program, funded by the Québec government.
Dry eye disease occurs when a person’s eyes don’t produce enough lubrication, causing burning, itchiness, and redness. Up to 30 percent of Canadians suffer from dry eyes, and that number is expected to grow as the population ages and more people spend their days in front of a screen.
AI4Eyes’ product, which incorporates hardware and software, aims to identify markers of the disease by combining multiple diagnostic tests into one exam that takes just a few minutes. A subdivision of Québec’s health agency for the region north of Montréal will assess the image and annotation quality, as well as the accuracy of diagnostic and treatment recommendation algorithms produced by the tech.
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“Within five minutes, when you walk into the doctor’s [office], the doctor already has the diagnosis and treatment suggestion personalized for you,” AI4Eyes co-founder and CEO Tara Akhavan said of the company’s vision earlier this year.
Founded in 2020, AI4Eyes uses machine learning and generative AI to reduce testing times and ease caseloads for ophthalmologists, who diagnose and treat eye diseases. Akhavan had previously founded IRYStec Software, which made perceptual display processing technology. When it was acquired by the French automotive company Faurecia (now Forvia) in 2019, its tech was used for adaptive screen displays in vehicles.
Akhavan said that the mission of AI4Eyes is “close to her heart,” as she has completed a master’s in AI and a doctoral degree in image processing and computer vision. The company is receiving $700,000 as part of the Medteq+ program, adding to the $6.5 million CAD in financing that it announced in January.
Feature image courtesy Tara Akhavan via LinkedIn.
