GAITHERSBURG, Md., Nov. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Access to diabetic retinopathy (DR) screenings by global populations is now much easier. LKC Technologies’ RETeval, on display at the recent 2013 American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting, is a handheld DR screening device that enables virtually any health care provider to screen for and detect sight-threatening DR. DR is the leading cause of working age blindness, worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates more than 75 percent of people who have diabetes for more than 20 years will have some form of DR. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that better DR detection can reduce blindness by 50-60%.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131120/NY20067)
“For a number of reasons, most of the world’s diabetic population does not get an annual eye exam,” said LKC Technologies President James J. Datovech, who is also chairman emeritus of The Maryland School for the Blind. “By the time damage occurs it’s often too late for effective intervention and blindness can ensue. Blindness is a forever impact and anything that can be done to preserve sight is amazing for the individual and for the society that they live in.”
Mr. Datovech continues, “As the father of a son totally blind from birth, this has inspired my commitment to develop a device that can be used wherever a diabetic meets their care to help prevent blindness in the world.”
Currently, DR screenings are done either by photographing the back of the eye and assessing the images or by an Ophthalmologist/Optometrist looking for visible signs of DR during a dilated eye examination.
In contrast, RETeval is a functional test of the retina to assess the ischemic level of the retina which, based upon published literature, correlates well to DR and other ischemic diseases such as Central Retinal Vein Occlusion, Birdshot and others. RETeval is fast, easy to use and provides immediate results at a very low cost without dilation.
Ease of use and low cost are key. LKC believes that any health care provider, from physicians’ offices to community clinics to mobile clinics in third-world countries, could easily use the RETeval and be highly effective in alerting patients to their risk of diabetic retinopathy.
AMA award-winning physician Dr. V.K. Raju, who is founder and chief medical officer of the Eye Foundation of America said, “RETeval is the best and most cost-effective way to reach diabetics around the world to screen for diabetic retinopathy.” He is using the RETeval as a part of the Foundation’s DR screening efforts in rural India.
Beyond India, the RETeval is CE marked and already approved in Canada and Japan and is being used in a number of countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan and the U.K. For the U.S., Datovech notes that it is not yet approved by the FDA for clinical use, “We are in the process of developing the clinical data necessary to submit for FDA approval.”
LKC Technologies is pursuing creative means such as strategic distribution relationships and the potential of symbiotic relations with companies that have similar interests in ischemia and DR treatment.
This article contains forward looking statements. This press release contains forward-looking statements related to product growth drivers, product performance, market position, strategies for growth, and LKC’s future results of operations, which are subject to risks and uncertainties, such as competitive factors, difficulties and delays inherent in the development, manufacturing, marketing and sale of medical products, government regulation and general economic conditions.. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results. LKC does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.
SOURCE LKC Technologies, Inc.
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