MIAMI—Heru Inc., the developer of wearable AI-powered vision diagnostics and augmentation software, closed its Series A financing of $30 million to advance the company’s eye diagnostic and vision correction technology platform. An estimated 450 million people worldwide experience visual field defects or double vision, according to Heru, but limited access can mean long waits for eye appointments. Heru’s patented autonomous AI-powered vision diagnostics and augmentation software, designed for use on commercially available AR/VR devices, helps ensure that patients’ vision can be tested earlier so that diagnosed defects can be treated in a timely manner, the company said.

“With Heru’s technology, eyecare practitioners can now have access to an innovative, service-per-use model,” said John Trefethen, Heru’s chief marketing officer. “Our innovative AR wearables, decades of research and clinical testing will help customers quickly aid in the diagnosis and treatment of visual defects.”

James Rogers of D1 Capital Partners, which led the Series A funding, noted, “This technology has the potential to fundamentally transform eyecare,” said. “Heru’s technology is designed to reduce the burden on the practitioner, increase billing opportunities and expand the point of care beyond the traditional eyecare practice.”

Heru, based here, originated as a spinout from Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. This financing round will advance the development of the company’s groundbreaking Heru RE: eye diagnostic and vision correction (augmentation) technology platform, the company said. Registered with the FDA, the Heru platform is designed to diagnose a wide range of diseases without the need for large capital equipment investment and dedicated exam rooms.
 
The platform is designed to include a novel diagnostic technology capable of automatically detecting disease and supporting greater diagnostic care for eyecare physicians.

“Combined with Heru AI and the power of Bascom Palmer Eye Institute’s dozens of patents, it is now possible to streamline diagnostic care as part of a comprehensive exam strategy through a wearable device,” said Heru founder and CEO, Mohamed Abou Shousha, MD, PhD.

Heru holds 24 patents on vision augmentation and wearable diagnostics to date. Their patented diagnostics software is registered with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as a Class I exempt device.

The company continues to work in collaboration with developers of next-generation augmented reality (AR) headsets and is compatible with off-the-shelf AR/VR headsets, including Microsoft and Magic Leap devices, and is developing vision augmentation software that is designed to correct the user’s vision defects in real time using AI.