By Anna Mayor, University Communications and Marketing and USF Health
John Storms with his wife Catherine and youngest son Gregory [Photo courtesy of John Storms]
At first, it was just halos appearing around the lights on the basketball court.
As a teenager, John Storms didn鈥檛 think the subtle changes in his vision were serious. But glaucoma was slowly damaging his optic nerve 鈥 the pathway that carries sight signals to the brain. It鈥檚 something he鈥檚 been dealing with for nearly 30 years.
Known as the 鈥渟ilent thief of sight,鈥 glaucoma causes pressure to gradually build in the eye. It rarely feels urgent, and like Storms, many patients don鈥檛 see a doctor until their vision loss has progressed significantly.
As his vision continued to get hazier into adulthood, Storms was prescribed eye drops that he used for the following 10 years. But the drops were not enough. At follow-up visits, his eye pressure continued to rise, and he was told he would need surgery to prevent vision loss.
USF Health ophthalmologist Dr. Ramesh S. Ayyala [Photo by Anna Mayor, University Communications and Marketing and USF Health]
USF Health ophthalmologist saved Storms鈥 vision and relieved the pressure by placing stents in both eyes.
Five years later, Ayyala continues to monitor Storms鈥 condition every three months.
While the surgery preserved Storms鈥 vision, managing glaucoma remains a lifelong process.
Monitoring changes in vision associated with glaucoma requires constant vigilance, with regular appointments and testing that can be time-consuming, costly and difficult for patients to maintain.
鈥淧atients have to come to us for regular testing, using expensive equipment in specialized clinics and many simply don鈥檛 come often enough,鈥 said Ayyala, the James P. and Heather Gills Endowed Chair and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.
Patient analyzes the GlaucTest [Photo by Frederick Coleman, USF Health]
That challenge inspired Ayyala and his colleagues at the 最新天美传媒 to rethink how, and where, glaucoma is detected.
He is leading a study of GlaucTest, an investigational AI-powered app that allows patients to perform visual field testing at home using their own smartphone, a low-cost virtual reality headset and a handheld clicker.
Currently in the research stage, Ayyala鈥檚 goal is to replicate the gold-standard Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer found in clinics. Ayyala hopes the technology could transform the test that typically costs $30,000 in equipment into an at-home experience for about $42. After the patient performs the five-minute test per eye, results are securely uploaded for their ophthalmologist鈥檚 review.
Traditional glaucoma exams are conducted using the Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer [Photo by Frederick Coleman, USF Health]
The patent-pending GlaucTest is designed for at-home use [Photo by Frederick Coleman, USF Health]
Paired with a virtual reality headset, the AI-powered app runs on the patient鈥檚 smartphone [Photo by Frederick Coleman, USF Health]
The Storms family [Photo courtesy of John Storms]
鈥淲e want to use technology to move to a place where physicians monitor patients remotely while they test themselves at home,鈥 Ayyala explained. 鈥淭he goal is to give the power to the patient, the best way to manage chronic diseases like glaucoma.鈥
For Storms, the technology represents more than convenience. It helps ease the uncertainty that comes with living with glaucoma.
鈥淲ith a product like Dr. Ayyala鈥檚 I could test much more frequently 鈥 every month, or even every couple of weeks 鈥 and see if anything has changed. With traditional testing once a year, a lot can happen in that time,鈥 Storms said.
"I鈥檓 very grateful to be able to work with Dr. Ayyala and his team at USF to trial GlaucTest and provide feedback. It has given me a feeling of having more control over my glaucoma and I鈥檓 hopeful it can help others very soon.鈥
John Storms
Diana Shapiro, executive in residence for USF Ventures
To help bring the technology to patients, Ayyala founded to license the patent-pending technology and advance GlaucTest toward commercialization. Developed at USF, GlaucTest is advancing through a new Technology Transfer Office initiative, the USF Ventures Launch Program, which moves USF鈥檚 most promising inventions out of the lab and into companies best positioned to commercialize.
鈥淒isruptive research shouldn鈥檛 die on a lab bench,鈥 said Diana Shapiro, executive-in-residence for USF Research, Innovation and Commercialization and acting CEO for GlaucHome under the USF Ventures Launch Program. 鈥淲orking with the commercialization triage team, we鈥檙e deliberately selective, every technology has to clear our proprietary IP Commercial Assessment before it advances. GlaucTest cleared that bar, and GlaucHome is the company built to carry it forward.鈥
For millions worldwide, GlaucTest could mean the difference between early detection and irreversible vision loss, a long-term goal Ayyala hopes to achieve upon completion of the research and regulatory review.
鈥淭his is a first step in the right direction, delivering technology to patients everywhere and making it possible for them to keep their vision,鈥 he said.