DELL partnership with Ibisvision will soon allow for a portable means of testing for serious eye conditions

A company that has revolutionised the method by which we screen for glaucoma has recently launched its first product, with help from Dell Technologies.

Ibisvision, which is based in Glasgow, is now working with several major High Street opticians with regards to rolling out its ‘Ring of Sight’ platform - a unique cloud-based software programme that allows unobtrusive testing for serious eye disease.

The programme uses software designed by an ophthalmic surgeon, and tested by optometrists, to carry out visual field tests with accuracy and much greater flexibility than current methods, which can be both confusing and uncomfortable for many patients - potentially leading to unreliable results.

Ibisvision’s new low-cost product, which is device agnostic, screens patients quickly, and easily in the opticians and can also be used by an optometrist on domiciliary visits. Ibisvision is also developing the product to increase remote testing in developing countries, where access to healthcare and the required hardware is limited and potentially cost prohibitive. 

Justin Birley, Service Director at Ibisvision, commented: “We can see a time when a health worker on a trail bike will be able to take a device, loaded with the Ring of Sight platform, to remote communities in parts of the world where, at the moment, people have little access to medical facilities.”

In Scotland, the technology also has the potential for patients to home monitor, with the data being shared simultaneously with their eye care professional, who could then book a follow up appointment if required. This has the potential to greatly benefit people living in remote locations or with mobility issues but could also benefit the eye care companies with the provision of valuable health data.

Glaucoma is the second most common cause of irreversible blindness across the world. It is caused when a build-up of pressure, caused by fluid inside the eye, damages the optic nerve.

Most forms of glaucoma are symptomless, so early detection and good follow-up care is vital.

Ibisvision was the inaugural winner of the Dell Technologies’ ‘Entrepreneurial Growth Programme’ in Scotland, which had the aim of supporting innovation and entrepreneurship by putting scalable technology solutions into the hands of businesses and supporting them with a package of training and mentorship.

“Entrepreneurship is in Dell’s DNA,” said Mark White, Dell Scotland Site Lead. “Dell Technologies are committed to helping entrepreneurs in Scotland to grow their businesses and scale to their full potential.

“Across the company Dell has continuously embraced the principles of innovation and entrepreneurship by putting end-to-end, scalable technology solutions in the hands of growing businesses and giving business access to key element of success: talent, capital, markets and technology.”

The original investors in Ibisvision - Deepbridge Capital, Scottish Investment Bank, Apollo Informal Investments and Biocity, continue to support the company & their backing combined with this partnership with Dell has had a significant impact on Ibisvision getting to this stage added Justin Birley: “It has been the perfect tie-up between a multi-national technology company with a commitment to innovation and a start-up which relies on high quality technology in order to function. We’ve had the backing of Dell’s expertise and equipment and they have had access to the sort of disruptive thinking that is essential for the technology sector to thrive.

“It’s early days at the moment, but our platform has genuine global potential, and access to Dell’s international distribution channels is enormously important to us.”
 

See www.ibisvision.co.uk