FDA approves app for home AMD testing

The first FDA-approved app for home-based monitoring of AMD and diabetic retinopathy is now available.

Intended for elderly patients, the myVisionTrack system from Vital Art and Science is available by prescription only. The app costs $8.95 a month and can be used on any Apple smartphone or tablet.

The app instructs the patient to touch the circle that is different. The shape discrimination test uses the fully/partially modulated or unmodulated circular Gaussian patterns stimulus. Each time the modulated pattern is displayed at a random position, the patient is asked to differentiate between them while holding the device at arm’s length.

The results are automatically uploaded to a physician portal where licensed eye-care professionals monitor results. A significant change in results sends an alert to the doctor who determines if an earlier intervention, such as new appointment, assessment or treatment, is required.

According to the company the app has demonstrated a greater than 85% compliance rate with greater willingness to self-test at home.

“Our clinical trials have confirmed that the results from this convenient home test correlate well with in-office physician assessment and can potentially improve clinical outcomes by bringing in patients for earlier-than-planned examination and possibly treatment,” said Mike Bartlett, president of Vital Art and Science.

Vital Art and Science is conducting a clinical trial in partnership with the Scripps Translational Science Institute and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd to determine the feasibility of involving patients in monitoring their visual function at home using the mVT app. The study will also evaluate how comfortable both patients and physicians are in using the app.