Technology Opportunities

Need:

Acute demyelinating optic neuritis (ON) is the most common cause of unilateral visual loss in young adults and is known as a frequent presenting symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). Following ON most patients experience rapid visual recovery as measured by visual acuity. However, even when visual acuity and other standard visual measures return to normal levels, patients continue to perceive difficulties in performing everyday visual tasks, suggesting sustained visual deficit which is not routinely assessed. We have developed a set of visual tests that address dynamic visual functions.

Innovation:

Our visual tests can be part of the clinical tools used to diagnose and follow optic neuritis patients. In the diagnosis progress, this set will reveal visual deficit that cannot be assessed currently and will explain the continued visual complaints of patients long after recovery of visual acuity. During follow-up, our tools can measure recovery. This is indicated by remyelination in demyelinated segments of the optic nerve and is indicated by shortening of the initially prolonged VEP latencies. Due to the strong association between motion perception and VEP rates, performance level on our tests can be used as a measure of recovery.

Applications/Indications:

Optic Neuritis, Multiple Sclerosis

Competitive Advantages:

Tests currently used to diagnose and follow patients after ON measure only static visual functions. We found that dynamic visual functions are more vulnerable in ON and thus can serve as a sensitive marker for follow-up. VEP tests demand special equipment and are not available in all medical centers. Our test is an accessible and cheap tool and can be applied without any preliminary demands.