Dr Ehsan Vaghefi is one of two School of Optometry and Vision Sciences (SOVS) recipients of the 2019 Science for Technological Innovation (SfTI) seed project funding. The $200,000 grant will allow him to further develop his clinically validated artificial intelligence (AI) classifier, A-Eye, for the national diabetic eye screening programme.
“It has also enabled us to investigate new partnerships in Asia for our approaching product introduction,” said Dr Vaghefi.
Dr Jason Turuwhenua also received a $200,000 grant to develop a mobile device that measures eye movements independently of head movements. The device is aimed at helping to improve vision testing of children and others with difficulties describing their symptoms (see www.eyeonoptics.co.nz/articles/archive/movement-based-eye-tests-for-children/).
The level of interest in this year’s SfTI seed project funding round was the highest to date, with 133 proposals received, said fund directors. The government-funded SfTI was launched in 2015 to “grow a hi-tech New Zealand economy via the physical sciences and engineering.”
In other news, Drs Vaghefi and David Squirrel, of Toku Eyes, won the “audience choice” award for their A-Eye presentation at Healthtech Week 2019, pitched at potential investors and industry influencers. The award includes a funded trip to a conference of their choice to further investigate the commercial possibilities of A-Eye.
