NIH Funds Dry Eye Diagnostic Device
September 30, 2004

Opticology, Inc. (New York, NY) has been granted a Phase I STTR award for the continued development of a Nanoliter Tear Osmometer in cooperation with the Aborn Eye Research Center (New York, NY).  The award was made by the National Institutes of Health’s National Eye Institute.

Tear osmolarity, well accepted as the objective measure for presence and degree of Dry Eye Syndrome, is not widely used in clinical practice due to the lack of a commercially available osmometer that can measure nanoliter sample volumes.

is believed to be a disruption in the stability of the tear film Dry Eye Syndrome caused by a deficiency of one of the three components that make up a tear. Dry Eye affects a large percentage of the population with symptoms predominately of discomfort, yet can cause progressive pathological changes in the conjunctiva and corneal epithelium.

Despite it prevalence, Dry Eye has been difficult to accurately diagnose, as the Dry Eye symptoms can be misinterpreted as evidence of other conditions.  The recent introduction of prescription pharmaceuticals for Dry Eye treatment has accentuated the lack of instrumentation engineered specifically for Dry Eye detection, and thereby heightened the timeliness of Opticology’s research.

Opticology, Inc. Expands Product Development Group
August 10, 2004

Opticology announced today the expansion of its Product Development Group to further broaden and solidify the company’s role in prototype development and innovative optical engineering solutions.  The enhancements will streamline prototyping services for the medical device industry, corporate and academic level R&D, and core business customers.

Improvements include a 4-axis computer controlled machining center, the addition of state-of-the-art CAD and CAM software, and several improvements to the physical workspace.  Furthermore, the onsite staff has been expanded to include an Industrial Designer.

“Our customers expect their jobs to be done quickly, and done right” explains Tony Cappo, Principal Engineer at Opticology.  “The expanded capability allows us to get more of the job done in-house, avoiding the pitfalls with outside labor.  Both our clients and our internal projects will experience more innovative designs, even more attention to detail, and a faster development cycle.” 

The growth continues Opticology’s history of designing and building custom optical and opto-mechanical systems.  In response to the increased use of optics in medical devices and the like, full services are offered in proof-of-concept, prototype, and production-ready systems.

NIH Awards Phase II STTR Grant to Opticology, Inc. and Aborn Eye Research Laboratory
July 1, 2003

Opticology, Inc. (New York, NY) has been awarded a Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer grant in collaboration with the Aborn Eye Research Laboratory (New York, NY) from the National Institutes of Health’s National Eye Institute. The two will continue research funded in Phase I, toward the development of a visual field device specifically designed to accurately depict centrally located pathological areas of non-vision on the retina.

The alliance has developed a prototype ophthalmic instrument which addresses the shortcomings of commercially available perimeters, which fail to produce accurate results in patients with centrally located retinal defects such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy due to their inability to fixate. The instrument uses a combination of sophisticated software and optical hardware and has been clinically shown to enable patients to maintain fixation during an exam, allowing measurements of the central and paracentral visual field with unprecedented accuracy.

The intention of the Phase II research is to design the instrument for commercialization and incorporate all the features of a modern perimeter, with the ability to render an accurate depiction of central retinal defects previously unattainable in an office setting. Clinical trials will continue at the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary (New York, NY).

Opticology Introduces Beta Version of Full-Color LED Based Fiber Optic Illuminator
January 31, 2003

Opticology, Inc. has released preliminary product that has applications in machine vision and general color-sensitive systems requiring optical illumination. The unit launches light from multiple ultra-bright LED’s into a ½ diameter fiber bundle. Light output is adjustable in intensity, but also color – either pure red, green, or blue OR any mix of the three allowing the user to obtain virtually any color output. Even varying shades of white can be produced yellow-white, blue-white, etc. mimicking varying color temperatures.

Ideal for machine vision applications where illumination of objects in a particular color band can boost signals. Also beneficial for transilluminated and reflected microscopy where colored illumination is beneficial and heat can cause problems.

The device benefits from advantages of LED’s – low power consumption, long lifetimes, and minimal heat generation. There are no bulbs to replace, no bulk transformers, no fans, and the output light does not vary with time. No color filters, no heat filters, on-the-fly color adjustment, and high output. Opticology is offering custom versions of the device at this time, competitively priced with conventional units.

For pictures and more information on the device please go to our Standard Products page.

NIH Awards Grant to Ophthalmic Research Laboratory and Optical Engineering Firm
October 24, 2001
 
A Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer grant has been awarded to Opticology, Inc. (New York, NY) in conjunction with the Aborn Eye Research Center (New York, NY), for the continued development of an ophthalmic device to accurately measure centrally located pathological areas of non-vision on the retina. The award has been made by the National Institutes of Health’s National Eye Institute.

The alliance has demonstrated new technology that enables a patient that suffers from diseases such as macular degeneration and other centrally located retinal defects to maintain fixation, enabling measurements of their central and paracentral visual field with unprecedented accuracy. It is intended to make the device available clinically, and uses a combination of sophisticated software and optical hardware to perform the measurements. Clinical trials of the prototype device will be performed at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary (New York, NY).

Opticology, Inc., Old Chelsea Station, P.O. Box 1080, New York, NY 10113. Tel: 212-243-4328; Fax: 212-366-5508.

back to home page