Automated computer software system improves accuracy of tissue evaluation, providing more corneas for sight-restoring transplants.
Washington, D.C. – The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) today announces its partnership with Lions Gift of Sight (LGS), a world-renowned eye bank, and ADCIS, a company specializing in innovative and high-performance image processing to distribute the latest innovation in donor cornea evaluation: Kerify Vision. As a result, this technology will be made available to all EBAA-member eye banks and partners around the world.
Kerify Vision is an automated computer vision software system which accurately measures the total processing damage seen in donor corneas. Developed by LGS and ADCIS, and supported by EBAA’s investment capital, Kerify Vision will analyze a photo of the donor cornea to quantify and map the areas of damage, returning results within 30 seconds. This will help eye banks and cornea surgeons determine donor corneal health more accurately, and far more quickly than current methods, thus improving patient outcomes and eye bank operations.
“Since our founding in 1961, EBAA has led the way in eye banking innovations,” said EBAA President and CEO, Kevin Corcoran. “Kerify Vision is the next step forward in eye banking; we’re confident that this technology will result in greater certainty for surgeons, improved operations for eye banks, and better stewardship of the gift of sight provided by our generous cornea donors.”
Eye banks typically determine whether a donor cornea is suitable for transplant by using a specular microscope or vital dyeing. However, both these tools have limitations, can be time consuming, and may result in inaccuracies that lead to the waste of transplantable tissue.
“Although corneal transplantation and corneal tissue processing techniques have evolved over the past two decades, our tools for evaluating corneas for transplantation have not kept pace. Bringing tissue evaluation up to par with modern transplantation techniques is critical for improving patient outcomes,” said Joshua H. Hou, MD, Medical Director LGS, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Minnesota.
“I am delighted to be partnering with LGS and EBAA to bring ADCIS computer vision expertise to eye banks,” said François Potevin, ADCIS Director. “I strongly believe that image processing software can support eye banks in their tissue assessment processes.”
Lions Gift of Sight is a community-based non-profit eye bank distributing corneas and ocular tissue for transplantation, research, and medical education throughout the world.
ADCIS is a Computer Vision pure player developing innovative image processing and analysis software in areas including ophthalmology, life sciences, and industrial processes.
The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) is the oldest transplant association in the U.S. EBAA leads the transplantation field by establishing medical standards, maintaining accreditation requirements, providing comprehensive training and certification programs for eye bank personnel, and engages in advocacy to support eye donation, cornea transplantation, and research. EBAA member eye banks have provided tissue for more than 2 million sight-restoring corneal transplants. To learn more, visit restoresight.org.
