Independent study reports significant & immediate improvements in patients with Advanced Retinal Disease, with average gains of 5.7 lines of near visual acuity

LAKE TAHOE, CA, UNITED STATES, August 7, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Eyedaptic^®, a leader in wearable vision enhancement technology for people with central vision loss, today announced results from an independent real-world clinical evaluation demonstrating substantial immediate improvements in functional vision among patients with advanced retinal disease. The study was presented by David Almeida, MD, MBA, PhD, FRCSC, at the American Retina Forum Annual Meeting on August 6, highlighting the growing role of wearable visual enhancement technology as a complement to contemporary retinal care.

The evaluation, conducted independently at Erie Retina Research, included patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, and hereditary retinal dystrophies. The study demonstrated significant and immediate improvements in near visual acuity following fitting with the Eyedaptic wearable visual assistive device, with 17 of 19 patients (89%) experiencing measurable gains. The evaluation included 19 patients ranging in age from 65 to 100 years with baseline visual acuities primarily between 20/200 and 20/800.

Key findings included:
• Mean improvement of 5.7 lines (more than 28 letters) of near visual acuity across all patients.
• Mean improvement of 6.4 lines among responding patients.
• 89% response rate (17 of 19 patients improved).
• More than half of responding patients achieved gains of six lines or greater.
• Seven patients achieved reading performance equivalent to 20/20 or 20/25 with the device.
• Several patients with advanced or end-stage neovascular AMD experienced gains of 8.5 to 10 lines immediately after device fitting.

The presentation also highlighted meaningful functional improvements extending beyond visual acuity measurements, including enhanced reading ability, improved facial recognition, and the potential to resume occupational activities.

"These findings demonstrate that hardware-based visual rehabilitation can provide immediate functional improvements for patients whose visual needs remain unmet despite today's medical therapies," said David Almeida, MD, MBA, PhD, FRCSC, Principal and Founder of Erie Retina Research and Investigator-in-Chief of The Centers for Advanced Surgical Exploration (CASEx). "What is particularly compelling is that many patients with advanced retinal disease experienced substantial gains in reading performance immediately after fitting. This real-world experience suggests wearable visual enhancement technology may become an important complement to pharmacologic and surgical care for appropriately selected patients."

Unlike therapies designed to slow disease progression, Eyedaptic's technology is intended to enhance functional vision by digitally optimizing visual information in real time, helping patients utilize their remaining peripheral vision more effectively.

"The future of retinal care extends beyond preserving vision—we must also help patients maximize the vision they have today," said Mitul Mehta, MD, MS, Chief Medical Officer of Eyedaptic. "These independent clinical results reinforce our mission to provide meaningful functional vision improvement for patients living with irreversible central vision loss. We believe wearable technologies like Eyedaptic can become an important component of comprehensive vision care, working alongside anti-VEGF therapies, emerging gene therapies, and other advances in retinal medicine."

Patients participating in the evaluation reported meaningful improvements in everyday activities, including sustained reading, recognizing facial details, and performing occupational tasks. One patient with retinitis pigmentosa used Eyedaptic at work as a cashier, and demonstrated a six-line improvement in reading acuity enabling real world occupational function.

The study was conducted independently at Erie Retina Research. As disclosed during the presentation, Dr. Almeida has no financial interest in Eyedaptic, Inc., and the data were collected independently without sponsorship, review, or approval by the company.

These results add to the growing body of evidence supporting wearable augmented vision technology as a valuable addition to comprehensive vision rehabilitation for patients with advanced retinal disease.

About Eyedaptic:
Eyedaptic is a privately held company and a trailblazer in vision-enhancement technology, dedicated to transforming the lives of individuals with visual impairments. The company’s market-leading wearable visual aid software, enabled by augmented reality hardware, empowers independence for those with retinal diseases. The proprietary Simulated Natural Vision software goes beyond Vision Enhancement, combining AI Visual Assistants, to help those suffering from vision disorders such as Age-related Macular Degeneration, to revitalize their quality of life. For more information about Eyedaptic and its innovative solutions, please contact info@eyedaptic.com, or visit www.eyedaptic.com and follow @eyedaptic on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X. #SeeWhatYouveBeenMissing

Jay Cormier
Eyedaptic
+1 949-216-0816
info@eyedaptic.com
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