Israeli-founded medical technology company AEYE Health has won the 2026 Prix Galien USA Award for Best Digital Health Solution for an artificial intelligence system that can detect diabetic eye disease in under a minute, potentially helping prevent vision loss by making screening more accessible.
The award, considered one of the most prestigious distinctions in medical innovation, recognizes AEYE-DS, an FDA-cleared diagnostic system developed by the company and its co-founder and CEO, Israeli entrepreneur Dr. Zack Dvey-Aharon. The technology was selected from 25 nominees in the digital health category, including several prominent medical AI companies.
Dr. Zack Dvey-Aharon receiving the 2026 Prix Galien USA Award for Best Digital Health Solution
The system addresses diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that can damage blood vessels in the retina and is a leading cause of blindness among working-age adults. Although early detection and treatment can prevent much of the resulting vision loss, millions of patients miss their annual eye examinations because of long waiting times, costs and difficulties accessing specialist care.
AEYE-DS aims to remove some of those barriers by allowing nurses and medical assistants to conduct retinal screenings during routine medical appointments. Using a portable or tabletop retinal camera, the system captures one image of each eye and analyzes it automatically, delivering a diagnostic result without requiring pupil dilation or a physician to interpret the images. According to the company, the entire process takes less than a minute.
The technology was evaluated in three prospective, controlled, multicenter clinical trials involving more than 1,200 patients. The studies demonstrated sensitivity of 92% to 93%, specificity of 89% to 94%, and an imageability rate exceeding 99%, meaning the system was able to produce diagnostic results for virtually all patients examined.
By integrating the technology into primary care clinics, healthcare providers can screen patients for diabetic eye disease without requiring a separate appointment with an ophthalmologist. The company says the system is already deployed across dozens of major healthcare networks and hospitals in the United States, with integration into electronic health records to support documentation, referrals and reimbursement.
AEYE-DS autonomous AI screening results displayed on a portable retinal camera
“Receiving the Prix Galien Award is one of the greatest honors of my professional life and an extraordinary recognition of the work of the AEYE Health team,” said Dvey-Aharon, who was also named to TIME magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence in 2024.
“When we began this journey, we were struck by a troubling reality: diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults, despite being preventable. Millions were losing their vision not because the disease couldn’t technically be detected, but because healthcare wasn’t reaching them in time.”
The Prix Galien, established in 1970, recognizes major innovations in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical technology and digital healthcare. Often described as the Nobel Prize of biopharmaceutical research, the awards are judged by leading figures in medicine, science and industry.
Beyond diabetic eye screening, AEYE Health is developing a next-generation investigational platform called AEYE-X, designed to use retinal images to assess a broad range of health conditions. According to the company, the technology is being developed for more than 100 potential health indications, including cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological and eye diseases.
“Today, AEYE-DS is helping healthcare providers prevent blindness across the United States,” Dvey-Aharon said. “This award is a tremendous recognition, but our greatest achievement remains every patient whose sight can be preserved because this technology exists. We are only at the beginning of what autonomous AI can accomplish for global healthcare.”
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