Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 June 2024
To ask the Scottish Government which emerging medical technologies it considers to have the most potential to improve the treatment of glaucoma over the next five years.
The Scottish Government is investing £250,000 including VAT, in a Small Business Research Initiative focused on Home Glaucoma Monitoring. The innovation challenge is to develop and validate the tools needed for home (or near-patient) glaucoma assessment, including home tonometry and home assessment of visual function, and potentially even optic disc imaging.
Priority areas:
? Development and validation of an affordable tool for home perimetry for monitoring glaucoma.
? Development and validation of an affordable tool for home perimetry for detecting glaucoma.
? Development of method of secure data storage, analysis, and transfer (or integration) with NHS electronic patient records.
? Development of tools for home tonometry and /or home optic disc / retinal imaging, in addition to methods for integrating results from these tests with NHS electronic patient records.
The challenge was launched in 2022 and attracted a high number of applications. Three companies successfully completed 4-month Phase One feasibility projects in June 2023. Following a competitive application, two companies have embarked on their Phase 2 prototyping and validation projects.