Topcon Healthcare, Inc. has announced a strategic investment in Senseye, Inc., a neurotechnology company that has developed the world's first diagnostic platform for objectively assessing mental health through artificial intelligence and ocular biomarkers. This marks Topcon's first investment in mental health and neuropsychiatry technology, supporting the company's Healthcare from the Eye initiative launched in May 2024.
Revolutionary Smartphone-Based Mental Health Assessment
Senseye's platform leverages the eye as a non-invasive window into the brain, using smartphone technology to capture and analyze ocular metrics. The Austin, Texas-based company, founded in 2015, has developed a 15-minute test that patients can complete using a mobile app downloaded to their smartphone.
The diagnostic process involves multiple visual tasks while Senseye's patented computer vision technology captures the patient's responses. The system simultaneously records critical data metrics including pupil gaze, heart rate, and iris biomechanics. This extracted data is then processed through Senseye's proprietary machine learning algorithm to calculate validated digital biomarkers, generating a comprehensive results report that includes mental health diagnosis and severity assessment for clinicians.
Targeting Major Mental Health Conditions
The platform currently supports diagnosis and monitoring of three significant mental health conditions: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). According to Senseye founder and CEO David Zakariaie, "We envision a world where mental health conditions are as visible and treatable as an arthritic knee. Where objective mental health diagnostics and monitoring lead to a new era of personalized care that helps people to live their best lives."
Expanding Access to Mental Health Care
The technology addresses a critical gap in mental health care delivery, particularly in underserved settings where behavioral health specialists are scarce. The platform enables primary care providers, who are often on the front lines of initial diagnosis, treatment, and management of mental health conditions, to incorporate objective mental health screening into routine examinations.
For eyecare providers, the technology offers the ability to identify and flag potential neuropsychiatric concerns discovered during routine annual eye exams, allowing them to refer patients to primary care for additional evaluation and care when needed.
Strategic Alignment with Healthcare from the Eye Initiative
Ali Tafreshi, CEO and president of Topcon Healthcare, emphasized the strategic fit: "Senseye is breaking new ground by providing objective, measurable mental health assessments from the eye. Their work exemplifies our Healthcare from the Eye vision, expanding the role of ocular data beyond eye and systemic disease into psychiatry. We are proud to support Senseye in accelerating their mission and see exciting opportunities for future collaboration."
The Healthcare from the Eye initiative, introduced by the Japanese-based ophthalmic medical devices and software solutions manufacturer, utilizes artificial intelligence disease detection and management with noninvasive retinal imaging to enable earlier detection and better management of ocular and systemic diseases.
Integration with Harmony Platform
The investment paves the way for Topcon to explore potential new diagnostic modules by embedding Senseye's technology within its Harmony platform, a connected care platform that integrates imaging, AI analytics, and data sharing across clinical settings. This integration aims to provide clinicians with a more holistic understanding of each patient's mental and physical health status, captured through the eye.
Continued Strategic Expansion
This partnership represents one of several strategic investments Topcon Healthcare has made in recent months. In July, the company announced a strategic investment in OKKO Health, a UK-based software medical device company developing home-monitoring apps for vision testing. In May, Topcon entered strategic partnerships with Pangaea Data, a health AI company, and Eye-Go, a Danish med-tech company specializing in ophthalmic drug delivery.
David Zakariaie noted the significance of the partnership: "Topcon Healthcare's investment is more than capital, it is validation from a global leader in digital health technology that the eye holds the key to understanding the brain and mind. Together, we can bring objectivity, accessibility, and trust to mental health diagnostics worldwide."
