Australia’s Seonix Bio has announced the launch in the United States of SightScore, the first commercially available clinical polygenic risk score testing service for primary open-angle glaucoma.
Already in use in Australia and New Zealand, SightScore uses a saliva test to identify individuals at high risk for glaucoma, enabling earlier diagnosis, intervention, and more personalised treatment. It can also identify low-risk individuals who may benefit from less frequent monitoring.
SightScore is the brainchild of Jamie Craig, Professor of Ophthalmology at Flinders University, and his team.
Glaucoma is a highly heritable and strongly genetic eye disease that damages the optic nerve and causes irreversible vision loss. It affects some 80 million people worldwide1 and is a leading cause of irreversible blindness.2,3
The disease is difficult to detect in the early stages, when treatment is most effective, and over 50% of glaucoma is undiagnosed in developed nations, leading to unnecessary vision loss.4,5
Seonix Bio said glaucoma risk is usually calculated on family history, age, and eye tests like ocular pressure and imaging, but they lack sufficient predictive power to reliably triage patients.
SightScore uses a saliva test that looks at millions of genetic variants in the patient’s genome to create a personalised polygenic risk score for glaucoma. The test estimates the patient’s genetic risk of developing glaucoma in the future or, if they already have glaucoma, it assesses the risk that the patient’s glaucoma might get worse.
It is an invaluable tool for identifying individuals who may not show obvious signs of the disease yet and are at higher genetic risk
Game Changer
US Ophthalmologist Dr Inder Paul Singh described SightScore as a “game changer in the way we will assess and manage patients at risk for glaucoma”.
“It is an invaluable tool for identifying individuals who may not show obvious signs of the disease yet and are at higher genetic risk,” said Dr Singh, who is president of The Eye Centers of Racine and Kenosha in Wisconsin.
“By incorporating SightScore into our practice, we can more effectively prioritise patients for early screening, personalise their care, and ensure we’re detecting glaucoma in its earliest, most treatable stages.”
Seonix Bio CEO Nick Haan said he was “incredibly pleased” to make SightScore clinically available in the US, describing it as a “significant advancement in the fight against glaucoma”.
To learn more about SightScore, visit seonixbio.com.
References
- Tham YC, Li X, Cheng CY. Global prevalence of glaucoma and projections of glaucoma burden through 2040: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ophthalmology. 2014 Nov;121(11):2081-90. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2014.05.013.
- National Eye Institute, Don’t lose sight of glaucoma – information for people at risk, NIH Publication No. 12-3251 (revised 2012) available at: nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/outreach-resources/outreach-materials/dont-lose-sight-glaucoma-0.
- World Health Organization, VISION 2020 Global Initiative for the Elimination of Avoidable Blindness: Action plan 2006-2011. 2007, available at: iris.who.int/handle/10665/43754 [accessed March 2025].
- Mitchell P, Smith W, Chey T, Healey PR. Open-angle glaucoma and diabetes: the Blue Mountains eye study, Australia. Ophthalmology. 1997 Apr;104(4):712-8. doi: 10.1016/s0161-6420(97)30247-4.
- Shaikh Y, Yu F, Coleman AL. Burden of undetected and untreated glaucoma in the United States. Am J Ophthalmol. 2014 Dec;158(6):1121-1129.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2014.08.023.
