German Diabetes Clinic Increases Diabetic Retinopathy Screenings From Zero to Thousands After Implementing Eyenuk’s EyeArt AI Eye Screening System
16.5.2019 10:05:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Eyenuk Inc., a global artificial intelligence (AI) medical technology and services company and the leader in real-world applications for AI Eye Screening™, announced today results of its expansion into Germany. Since adopting the EyeArt AI Eye Screening System in October 2018, Diabetes Center Mergentheim has screened thousands of diabetic patients, identifying approximately 10% with cases of referable diabetic retinopathy (DR). The center is the first dedicated diabetic clinic in Germany to use artificial intelligence for screening of diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of vision loss in working-age adults.1
The EyeArt AI Eye Screening System makes in-clinic, real-time DR screening possible for any physician, enabling quick and accurate identification of patients with referable DR during a diabetic patient’s regular physician visit. Once the patient’s fundus images have been captured and submitted to the EyeArt System, the DR screening results are available to view and export to a PDF report in less than 60 seconds. The EyeArt System can free eye care specialists to focus on sight-saving treatment rather than screening for DR.
At Diabetes Center Mergentheim, more than 20,000 patients with diabetes are seen each year by diabetes care specialists. Before adopting the EyeArt System, patients would be referred to ophthalmologists outside of the clinic. This process placed undue burden on patients, and often they would never get the necessary screening.
“EyeArt AI Eye Screening System is helping us improve diabetic patient care. We can now offer eye screening right in our clinic, without dilation, while reducing wait time for screening and results,” said Prof. Dr. med. Thomas Haak, head physician of Diabetes Center Mergentheim and founding member and board director of DiabetesDE. “The accuracy and convenience of the EyeArt System is allowing us to identify and treat DR effectively and quickly. The patients with no referable DR feel good that they can be screened again in a year, and the patients with identified referable DR can feel good that their silently progressing retinopathy has been identified and will be treated before any loss of sight.”
About 7.5 million people in Germany have diabetes mellitus2, with over 2,500 patients going blind due to diabetic retinopathy each year. German guidelines recommend at-risk patients be screened annually, but this can be difficult with the shortage of eye doctors. By incorporating the EyeArt System into their clinic, Diabetes Center Mergentheim has addressed a serious complication associated with diabetes — the center now screens 10 to 15 patients per day for this vision-threatening condition.
“Last year, we began our partnership with Diabetes Center Mergentheim with a great promise, and now it is very gratifying to see the promise turning into real meaningful impact that EyeArt System’s adoption is making to the diabetes patients in the Bad Mergentheim community,” said Kaushal Solanki, founder and CEO of Eyenuk. “We are now replicating our success to clinics throughout Germany, taking us one more step further in realizing our mission to screen every eye in the world.”
About Diabetic Retinopathy (DR)
DR is a complication of diabetes caused by damage to the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (retina). It is a silently progressing disease that at first may cause no symptoms or only mild vision problems. Eventually, it can cause blindness. The condition can develop in anyone who has type 1 or type 2 diabetes.3 It is estimated that one-third of all patients with diabetes will develop DR,4 making it the leading cause of vision loss in working-age adults.5
While DR screening is recommended for all diabetic patients, less than half get screened annually1, even in the developed world. Since diabetic patients outnumber ophthalmologists by 1,130 to 1 in Germany6, there are just not enough eye care specialists to meet the DR screening needs of the growing diabetic population. Even for those receiving an annual screening, ophthalmology appointment wait times for DR screening can be weeks or even months.
About the EyeArt AI Eye Screening System
The EyeArt AI Eye Screening System is the most extensively validated AI technology for autonomous detection of DR, tested in the real world on more than a half million patient visits globally with over 2 million images collected in real-world clinical environments. The EyeArt System was developed with funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is validated by the U.K. National Health Service (NHS). The EyeArt System has CE marking in the European Union and a Health Canada license. In the U.S., the EyeArt System is limited by federal law to investigational use.
About Eyenuk Inc.
Eyenuk Inc. is a global artificial intelligence (AI) medical technology and services company and the leader in real-world AI Eye Screening™ for autonomous disease detection and AI Predictive Biomarkers™ for risk assessment and disease surveillance. Eyenuk is on a mission to screen every eye in the world to ensure timely diagnosis of life- and vision-threatening diseases, including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, stroke risk, cardiovascular risk and Alzheimer’s disease.
EyeArt is a registered trademark of Eyenuk Inc.
____________________
| 1 | Prokofyeva E, Zrenner E. Epidemiology of major eye diseases leading to blindness in Europe: a literature review. Ophthalmic Research. 2012;47:171-188. doi: 10.1159/000329603 | |
| 2 |
International Diabetes Federation (2017) IDF Diabetes Atlas, 8th edn. http://www.idf.org/diabetesatlas |
|
| 3 |
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-retinopathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20371611 |
|
| 4 | Yau JW, Rogers SL, Kawasaki R, et al. Global prevalence and major risk factors of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes Care. 2012;35:556-64. doi: 10.2337/dc11-1909 | |
| 5 | Prokofyeva E, Zrenner E. Epidemiology of major eye diseases leading to blindness in Europe: a literature review. Ophthalmic Research. 2012;47:171-188. doi: 10.1159/000329603 | |
| 6 |
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190516005207/en/
Contact information
Media Contact:
Capwell Communications
Ida Yenney
ida@capwellcomm.com
949-999-3303
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
HistoSonics Opens Expanded Histotripsy Training Center in Hong Kong20.7.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
HistoSonics today announced the opening of its expanded Histotripsy Training Center in Hong Kong, reinforcing the city's position as a leading hub for physician education, clinical collaboration, and innovation in Asia. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260720812810/en/ Pictured at the expanded Histotripsy Training Center in Hong Kong. Front row (left to right): Dr. Angus Yuen, Chief Medical Officer, Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong; Prof. Albert Chan, Director of Liver Cancer Surgery Centre, Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong; Dr. Kenneth Tsang, Regional Chief Executive Officer, IHH Healthcare North Asia, and Chief Executive Officer, Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong; Dr. Vince Lau, Director of Interventional Radiology Centre, Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong; Dr. Joe Herman, Vice President, Medical Affairs, HistoSonics. Back row (left to right): Jay Lee, APAC Regional Manager, HistoSonics; Eric Kwong, Hong Kong Sales Manager
Shaping a Generation Through Dialogue: Inside the Doha Debates Ambassador Program20.7.2026 14:29:00 EEST | Press release
In a world shaped by change and competing narratives, the ability to listen, question and engage in constructive dialogue has never been more critical. Through the Doha Debates Ambassador Program, a production of Qatar Foundation, young people from around the world are not only learning these skills, but actively applying them in their communities, careers and areas of study. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260720452437/en/ Shaping a Generation Through Dialogue: Inside the Doha Debates Ambassador Program. Applications are open for young people from around the world to learn to engage and lead through truth-seeking conversations about complex global issues. (Photo: AETOSWire) This online educational program teaches young people from across the globe to debate differently. Rather than engaging in a Western-style battle of ideas, participants take an approach to dialogue that is grounded in the Majlis—a welcoming
Kinaxis Appoints Herb Yeh as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer20.7.2026 14:01:00 EEST | Press release
Kinaxis® Inc. (TSX:KXS), a global leader in supply chain planning and orchestration, today announced the appointment of Herb Yeh as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, effective July 27, 2026. In this role, Yeh will oversee the global finance organization and corporate strategy operations at Kinaxis, leading all Finance, Accounting, Investor Relations, Corporate Strategy, and Corporate Development. He will work closely with the executive leadership team and Board of Directors to support disciplined execution, long-term growth, and shareholder value creation. "Herb has spent his career working with boards and management teams at their most critical inflection points in enterprise software, and we are thrilled to have him join Kinaxis," said Razat Gaurav, Chief Executive Officer of Kinaxis. "He has followed Kinaxis and the broader supply chain technology sector closely for more than a decade, and that depth of perspective, paired with his expertise advising companies on c
IFF Announces Agreement to Sell Its Portfolio of Botanical Extracts, Vitamins & Minerals and Food Enhancement Activities to SuanNutra, a Portfolio Company of Carbyne Equity Partners.20.7.2026 13:45:00 EEST | Press release
IFF (NYSE: IFF) — a global leader in flavors, fragrances, and health and biosciences — today announced that it has entered into an agreement with SuanNutra, a Carbyne Equity Partners portfolio company and global provider of science-backed branded and functional ingredients, to sell its portfolio of botanical extracts, vitamins and minerals, and food enhancement activities, including its range of natural colors and antioxidants and certain localized flavor activities in Peru. The portfolio serves a broad range of food, beverage and nutritional end markets through a comprehensive selection of customized solutions. “These businesses are highly respected, and we are confident they will continue to thrive under the ownership of SuanNutra and Carbyne,” said Erik Fyrwald, CEO IFF. “This transaction is another step in optimizing our portfolio and reinforces our focus on our core innovation-led businesses — Taste, Scent and Health & Biosciences — where we see the greatest opportunities to drive
NIQ Appoints Irina Stoian as Chief AI Commercial Officer20.7.2026 13:45:00 EEST | Press release
NIQ today announced that Irina Stoian has joined the company as Chief AI Commercial Officer, a newly created role designed to accelerate NIQ’s enterprise AI commercial strategy and help clients turn the company’s AI capabilities into business impact and growth. Stoian will help align Product, Technology, Commercial, Partnerships, and Marketing around a unified AI growth strategy. Her remit includes shaping commercial AI offerings, strategic partnerships, pricing and business models, and deeper integration of NIQ capabilities into client workflows. The appointment builds on NIQ’s broader AI strategy, which positions the company as a trusted intelligence infrastructure powering AI-driven commerce. Across its AI portfolio, including ConnectAI, NIQ Optiq™, and NIQ Cadence™, NIQ is expanding how clients access trusted data, intelligence, and AI-powered workflows. “AI is not a feature we are adding to NIQ; it is core to our product strategy,” said Jim Peck, Chief Executive Officer of NIQ. “I
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom