EyeXam, the developer of a mobile vision screening app, announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent for EyeXam’s self-administered vision screening method using a mobile computing device.
EyeXam has been downloaded more than a million times from the iTunes App store and Google Play, and has been featured on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, a testament to the app’s popularity among consumers.
“We are excited to receive our patent for EyeXam, and believe patent protection is timed perfectly in light of the explosion in mHealth apps. The ‘medicalized smartphone’ is impacting every aspect of health care, and eyecare cannot lag behind,” says Nikki Iravani, OD, EyeXam founder and CEO.
Dr. Iravani also announced an expansion of the leadership team with the addition of Doug Keare, a health technology entrepreneur, who has joined as president. Keare was founder and CEO of RallyOn, a digital health startup in the corporate wellness space and also served as vice-president at the medical device companies Accuray and ADAC Labs. Keare holds an MBA from Stanford University and a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College.
“Doug’s extensive background in commercialization, fundraising and senior-level management in the health technology sector is a perfect fit for EyeXam and for helping EyeXam realize its potential to be a key resource for consumers and the eyecare industry,” Dr. Iravani says.
“EyeXam is at the intersection of two very timely trends, mHealth and eye health. Both segments are growing tremendously, and I see fantastic opportunity for the company,” Keare says. “Currently, there is a huge opportunity for eyecare business structures, processes and economics to leverage consumer mobile adoption. We believe EyeXam will continue to lead in eyecare, and can impact the overall health care market by empowering consumers to know more and do more regarding their vision.”
Dr. Iravani notes that today’s digital-savvy consumer turns to smartphones and health apps for answers to their most pressing health questions and to monitor their health at home.
“Consumers are able to use smartphones to diagnose an ear infection or track heart rhythms. Certainly they should be able to measure their visual acuity threshold and search for and schedule an eye examination with local eyecare providers from their mobile device,” says Dr. Iravani. “We are confident that EyeXam is creating more awareness about vision and overall eye health and will be the entry point for consumers with eyecare needs, drawing more consumers to the eyecare ecosystem.”
