MIAMI—Heru, a Bascom Palmer Eye Institute medical technology company developing a next-generation AI platform for vision diagnostics and augmentation, announced its class I listing with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its cloud-based augmented/virtual reality platform’s first diagnostic application for visual field exams. Additionally, it closed a $2.7 million seed investment round on June 15, 2020. The funding facilitates the completion of current clinical trials for FDA clearance of Heru’s wearable AI platform and subsequent commercialization efforts.

According to JAMA Ophthalmology, more than 50 million patients in the U.S. experience visual field defects and strabismus from glaucoma, stroke(s), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetes, and retinitis pigmentosa (450 million worldwide). Heru’s convenient, accurate, and validated AI software platform is ideally positioned to enable exponential access and scale for critical eye health diagnostics, screening, and visual augmentation for these patients, the company said.

“Gone are the days where large and cumbersome devices occupy exam rooms and medical-grade furniture. Heru’s modern approach to diagnostics enables eyecare professionals to deploy lightweight cloud technology both virtually and in person, saving time and space while maintaining the clinical standard of care,” says Eduardo C. Alfonso, MD, professor and chairman of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.



Heru’s AI platform was developed by the leading minds in ophthalmology from Bascom Palmer Eye Institute to alleviate significant bottlenecks and gaps in current patient care. Most importantly, the platform provides cost-effective scale to reach every patient in need of care.

The funding was led by Maurice R. Ferre, MD, Frederic H. Moll, MD, and a consortium of investors with extensive experience developing, launching, and scaling cutting edge medical technologies. “As a cloud-based software technology, Heru’s applications can reach care providers instantly, in all settings,” sayid Ferre. “Now more than ever, it is important that we leverage best-in-class technology to help patients diagnose and manage their vision health.”

The company was founded in 2018 and is led by Mohamed Abou Shousha, MD, FRCS, PhD., an expert in vision diagnostics and augmentation, associate professor of clinical ophthalmology, electrical and computer engineering, and biomedical engineering at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, and director of the AI and Computer Augmented Vision Lab.

Additionally, John T. Trefethen has been named chief marketing officer of Heru. Trefethen has more than 20 years of senior marketing and management experience in cutting edge ophthalmologic technologies. Most recently, he led global marketing and product design for Topcon Healthcare, where he successfully rebranded the global device manufacturer and launched the company's entry into the ocular telehealth market.

"The time is now," said John Trefethen. "Health care technology has changed. We are experiencing a fundamental transition away from physical devices to the software that controls them. We must scale to address the growing need for patient care.”

Heru originated as a spinout company from the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, ranked number one in the world as the leading hospital for ophthalmology, according to U.S. News and World Report. Heru has developed patented autonomous AI-powered vision diagnostics and augmentation software for the top commercially available AR/VR head-mounted displays. The technology, including patents, patent applications, de-identified clinical data, and software, has been licensed exclusively to Heru by the University of Miami.

Heru’s platform is the only solution that can autonomously diagnose vision defects and customize individual vision augmentation based on the user’s unique vision defects. Heru’s solution involves cloud-powered infrastructure, AI, web portals and apps. There is no need for dedicated exam rooms; technicians and patients alike can do tests in any setting (clinic, pharmacy, home), growingly more critical in today’s current environment.