Wearable Tech & AI Offer New Hope for Dry AMD Patients | Healio News

The landscape of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treatment is evolving, with new technologies emerging to address the significant functional vision loss experienced by many patients, even those receiving standard therapies. Even as injections and supplements can manage the disease’s progression, a gap remains in improving day-to-day vision for those already living with central vision loss. Wearable vision enhancement systems, coupled with artificial intelligence (AI), are now offering a potential bridge between disease management and real-world functionality.

AMD affects millions worldwide, and the “dry” form of the disease, for which there are limited treatment options, is particularly challenging. Patients often struggle with tasks like recognizing faces, reading, and navigating their environment, impacting their independence and quality of life. Traditional low vision aids, while helpful, often don’t fully address these challenges in dynamic, real-world settings.

A New Approach: Wearable Enhancement and AI Assistance

Eyedaptic, a company specializing in visual solutions for low vision, has developed smart glasses designed specifically for individuals with central vision loss. These glasses utilize a forward-facing camera and proprietary software to manipulate and enhance images, leveraging the patient’s remaining functional retina. The system offers hands-free control and modes for magnification and contrast enhancement, aiming to improve vision during common daily activities. Clinical studies have begun to examine how patients use these systems in their homes and what factors influence their adoption.

What sets Eyedaptic apart is the integration of AI, specifically a generative AI visual assistant named “Ivy.” Built on multimodal large language models, Ivy can converse with the user and provide assistance with tasks such as reading text, describing surroundings, locating objects, and offering interactive guidance. This represents a shift from simply improving image clarity to actively helping patients interpret and interact with their visual environment.

Beyond Visual Acuity: Focusing on Function

Many AMD patients experience a disconnect between their best-corrected visual acuity and their actual functional disability. Standard clinical measurements may not fully capture the challenges they face in everyday life. Wearable enhancement devices aim to address this “in-between” space, where the disease may be stable but the patient’s ability to live independently is compromised. These devices are designed to improve function, not just visual acuity.

The Eyedaptic platform offers two key benefits:

Visual Enhancement: Real-time magnification for both distance and near tasks, contrast enhancement, and hands-free viewing.
AI Visual Assistance: Conversational support for reading and interpreting text and objects, environmental descriptions for orientation and safety, and assistance with object finding or task guidance.

The AI assistance is particularly valuable for patients with inconsistent vision due to factors like variable lighting, glare sensitivity, or significant distortion. In these cases, simply making the image “bigger” isn’t always enough; AI can support compensate for visual limitations and provide additional support.

Identifying Suitable Candidates

While not a universal solution, Eyedaptic’s technology may be particularly beneficial for patients who:

Have central vision loss from advanced dry AMD (including geographic atrophy), scarred/wet AMD, or other central vision loss conditions like Stargardt and Best disease.
Have best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) between 20/70 and 20/400 in their better eye.
Are motivated to regain function and willing to practice using the device.
Have specific goals tied to activities they want to improve, such as reading, recognizing faces, or cooking.

Patients with severe cognitive impairment, intolerance to a head-worn device, or unrealistic expectations (such as expecting a complete restoration of normal vision) may not be ideal candidates. Successful users are typically adaptable, motivated, and have a supportive network to help them learn and practice with the device.

Integrating the Technology into Clinical Practice

Ophthalmologists don’t need to become low vision device experts to effectively counsel their patients. A streamlined approach can be implemented in retina and comprehensive practices:

Identify Functional Needs: Determine specific activities the patient struggles with, such as reading mail or taking medications.
Target Appropriate Patients: Focus on patients with diseases affecting central vision and BCVA within the 20/70 to 20/400 range.
Offer a Structured Demo: Provide a hands-on demonstration of the device, allowing patients to experience its benefits and document their goals.

This approach positions the technology as an extension of patient-centered care, rather than a separate retail add-on.

The Future of Vision Enhancement

For patients with AMD, quality of life can decline significantly even before clinical encounters reflect it. Wearable vision enhancement, particularly when combined with AI-powered assistance, offers a practical way to address the impact of central vision loss on daily life. Eyedaptic’s platform exemplifies how this category is evolving, moving beyond simple image optimization to provide interactive, task-oriented support. Changes in reimbursement models may also create opportunities for integrating these technologies into standard care.

As Kelley Sheets, vice president of sales at Eyedaptic, notes, the goal is to help patients regain function, and hope. Karl G. Stonecipher, MD, clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of North Carolina, emphasizes the importance of connecting patients with tools that make daily life possible again. For more information about Eyedaptic, you can contact Kelley Sheets directly. Dr. Stonecipher can also be reached for clinical inquiries.

Disclosures: Sheets reports being an employee of Eyedaptic. Stonecipher reports no relevant financial disclosures.