Companies to Watch: Vizzario

Vizzario is developing an artificial intelligence platform that performs computer modeling of common eye diseases. Founder and CEO Khizer Khaderi, MD, a neuro-ophthalmologist, explains that Vizzario takes the vision evaluation beyond visual acuity to “contextualize” vision behaviors so vision-care providers can obtain what he calls a “deeper understanding of overall vision function.” Instead of measuring visual acuity, it generates a Visual Performance Index (VPI) to create a unique score for every user.

Digital technology provides multiple wellness mobile platforms with hundreds of millions of users, creating opportunities to understand vision at a deeper level. The Vizzario platform uses an interactive experience, like a game, tailored to the patient, and employs vision science models and machine learning to generate the VPI, creating a holistic view of an individual’s eye health.

The VPI comprises multiple components, including field of view, accuracy, multi-tracking endurance, and detection for a more holistic and granular way of measuring vision. The platform utilizes the mobile experience, and, says Dr. Khaderi, includes empowering the front-facing camera to be a powerful observational tool.

The technology taps into devices such as head-mounted displays and smart frame technology to gather data on a person’s visual experience, turning “peoples’ eyes into powerful insight generators,” as Dr. Khaderi explains.

The platform defines vision behavior in five domains – performance, comprehension, emotional state, fatigue, and engagement – drawing from a wide variety of data sources – wearables, sensors, mobile cameras, head mounted displays, demographic data, EMR, and vision data.

Dr. Khaderi explains that Vizzario combines that data with the Vizzario core technology that includes deep learning and AI models, natural language processing, computer vision, and the world’s largest vision knowledge graph to generate the VPI for each individual.

The VPI is a customized vision behavior profile that can be used to improve individuals’ digital content optimization, workplace productivity, mixed reality environments, ergonomic experiences, sports and e-sports, and virtual eye care.

Eyestrain is another area Vizzario is focusing on. Dr. Khaderi says the company is working with partners to create smart frames and smart optics and use multiple data sources and knowledge graphs combined with other data to generate an eyestrain index measure.