– C. Light Technologies launches the world’s first AI-driven retinal eye-tracking technology to assess neurological health in the blink of an eye.
– The neurotech & AI company has the most sensitive tracker for eye motion on the cellular scale available today to predict neurological diseases in seconds.
C. Light Technologies, a Berkeley, CA-based neurotech and AI company participating in UC Berkeley’s premier accelerator SkyDeck, is introducing the world’s first retinal eye-tracking technology paired with machine learning to assess and predict neurological health. The technology is fast (10 seconds), non-invasive and objective.
Eye motion has been used for decades to quickly triage brain health. Now C. Light Technologies, a Berkeley SkyDeck neurotech, and AI company is measuring it down to the cellular level to monitor and track neurological diseases in seconds and determine how well medications are working.
Impact of Neurological Health on Americans
Neurological disorders like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), concussions, etc. affect millions of lives around the world. Neurological health is the fastest-growing area of healthcare costs. With about one million people with MS and six million with Alzheimer’s in the United States, neurodegenerative diseases cost the healthcare system $800 billion annually.
Additionally, diagnosing and monitoring these diseases is costly and time-consuming; and delaying diagnosis – combined with very limited medications available for treatment – creates even more challenges, symptoms and side effects for patients. Because of the speed of C. Light’s TSLO machine, doctors may very quickly see the state of the disease and determine how well a particular medication is working and make changes as needed.
AI-Driven Eye Tracking for Neurological Health
The C. Light solution is the world’s first retinal eye-tracking system that is 120 times more sensitive than other tracking systems available today. It can measure the motion of the eye on a cellular scale, movements as small as roughly 1/100 the size of human hair. The technique uses a Tracking Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope (TSLO) developed by Dr. Christy Sheehy, founder of C. Light, which images the retina to better understand the conditions of the brain. C. Light’s solution is starting with multiple sclerosis (MS) and in the future will be used to assess or diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and concussions.
Unlike other techniques that can delay diagnosis and treatment, C. Light’s tech allows doctors to very quickly see the state of the disease and determine how well a particular medication is working and make changes as needed. The technology can help better manage a patient’s disease, and allow eye professionals like Stoney Eye Care to treat disease more effectively. Once a condition is confirmed, C. Light can be used to monitor and track progression.
“The back of your eye is actually the front of your brain. We use AI paired with eye tracking to create a digital fingerprint of your neurological health, with unprecedented speed and sensitivity,” said Dr. Zachary Helft, C. Light Co-Founder. “Other technologies use the pupil to track eye motion, but our technique images the retina for 120 times more sensitivity than the other tracking systems available today. In other words, C. Light measures eye motion that has been otherwise invisible through existing pupil tracking technologies.”
