Devices & Diagnostics, Startups

Early diagnosis of macular degeneration: Maculogix raises $5M

It's tough to detect macular degeneration until it's gotten pretty serious. Pennsylvania startup Maculogix has a device that picks up on signs early.

Macular dysfunction is a common vision issue associated with aging – but often, it’s not detected until it’s somewhat advanced. Pennsylvania startup Maculogix has developed a device that can detects vision impairment associated with age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa and other macular diseases before individuals actually notice symptoms – helping doctors intervene earlier with this condition.

Maculogix just raised $5 million, according to a regulatory filing. It’s got a diagnostic tool on the market that detects age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa and other macular diseases. The device has had 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration.

It works by measuring dark adaption function – which is the way the eye recovers vision when going from daylight to darkness. Because dark adaption function is impaired when a patient has even early AMD and retinitis pigmentosa, the company finds it a useful metric to track when monitoring disease progression.

It works in a similar manner to a cardiac stress test. When measuring heart function, patients are studied after the stress of walking on a treadmill. With the AdaptDx test, the company says it measures how the eye recovers after the stress of a mild photobleach.

The devicemaker has raised about $11.5 million since 2011, according to SEC filings. It hasn’t yet returned calls from MedCity News about the specific use of its funding – though one would wager it’s to further market the already-approved device.

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