The Brien Holden Vision Institute has taken a quantum leap into the future of health and vision care by taking a controlling share holding in US based Quantum Catch.
Quantum Catch is a social enterprise, founded in 2009, that focuses on the design, manufacture, and sale of ‘break through’ medical devices to make detection and screening of diseases, as well as measurement of the progression of chronic diseases, easy, convenient and affordable for all health practitioners and centres – including those working in disadvantaged communities.
Professor Brien Holden, OAM, CEO of the Institute and Vision CRC, and now Chair of the Board of Quantum Catch Inc. said, “The principals of the firm, Tom Cornsweet, David Green, Peter Galen, Paul Peterson and Paul Loftness focused firstly on producing high-tech, breakthrough instrumentation capable of imaging, detecting and diagnosing eye disease and, secondly, on making it affordable for all health practitioners and centres, even those in the most underserved communities worldwide.”
Prof. Holden said that over a career spanning 50 years, Professor Tom Cornsweet invented the auto-refractor along with other technologies and David Green has had a major impact on affordable health technologies including low cost intraocular lenses and advanced affordable high-tech hearing aids.
Imagine a world where everyone, everywhere had access to this type of accessible, ‘instrument based’ diagnosis
Through cutting edge research over the past 25 years, the Institute has contributed to the commercialisation of products that have enhanced the vision of billions worldwide. Professor Holden continued, “We know there are in excess of 640 million people (123 million1 with distance impairment and 517 million2 with near impairment) mostly in the developing world, without access to the eye care they need. We also know that the cost to the global economy in lost productivity, for distance vision alone, is a staggering AUD$269 billion each year.3
“In addition, over 152 million people are blind or vision impaired because of eye disease. The link between avoidable blindness and loss of quality of life is indisputable. Uncorrected refractive error and undiagnosed eye disease cause profound economic disadvantage to individuals, their families and communities,” he said.
“A major part of the problem, from the remote outback to the high-end professional practice, is the efficient detection, diagnosis and timely treatment of early eye disease. The Institute will combine its clinical, epidemiology, eye care technology and delivery knowledge of the Institute and its partners with that of Quantum Catch to take the next step in developing instruments that can capture, analyse and diagnose conditions such as glaucoma, retinal disease, early signs of vascular and other chronic diseases and refractive error,” he said.
Peter Galen, CEO of Quantum Catch is acutely interested in making medical technology accessible to all and dedicated to the design and development of affordable medical products for emerging countries. “Our first two products are an affordable retinal imaging system and anterior segment imaging and diagnostic device for ocular and neurological disorders affecting pupillary responses and eye movements,” he said. “It’s an exciting time… this partnership with Brien Holden Vision Institute includes the injection of capital and expertise needed to take our research and development to a wider market and continue to develop new technology and systems for more diagnostic capabilities. It’s very motivating.”
Professor Holden reflected on the impact of Quantum Catch technology in developing communities, “Imagine a world where everyone, everywhere had access to this type of accessible, ‘instrument based’ diagnosis – it could have a direct impact on morbidity rates and change the social and economic situation for individuals, communities and nations. To be an active part of that change is something the Institute and its partners have been moving towards for more than a quarter of a century,” he concluded.
References
1. Pascolini D, Mariotti SP. Global estimates of visual impairment: 2010. British Journal of Ophthalmology. 2012; 96 (5): 614-618.
2. Holden B A, Fricke T R, Ho SM, Wong R, Schlenther G, Cronjé S, Burnett A, Papas E, Naidoo, K S, Frick KD. Global vision impairment due to uncorrected presbyopia, Archives of Ophthalmology. 2008; 126 (12):1731-1739.
3. Smith TST, Frick KD, Holden BA, Fricke TR, Naidoo KS. Potential lost productivity resulting from the global burden of uncorrected refractive error. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2009; 87:431-437.
