PerZeption wins NEI Phase I SBIR grant for AMD detection
What's the deal? PerZeptionDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Eye InstituteDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → for a project on detecting age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The Boston-based company will run the study with researchers at the Brunson Center for Translational Vision Research at the University of California, Irvine.
What's the endgame? PerZeption develops rapid, self-administered vision tests delivered via a cloud-based app on standard tablets, phones, and computers. Its flagship Angular Indication Measurement (AIM) platform can test more than 20 visual functions, some with no commercial device currently available.
The grant funds an achromatic and chromatic photostress recovery test on the AIM platform. It measures how quickly vision recovers after bright light exposure — a sensitive early indicator of macular health that can reveal deficits before standard acuity tests do.
Why now? Conventional photostress testing reduces recovery to a single time, needs specialized equipment and trained staff, and is not widely adopted. PerZeption aims to characterise the full recovery function in a format suited to routine clinical use.
"An estimated 20 million people live with AMD in the United States alone," said Jan Skerswetat, founder and chief executive officer of PerZeption. "Detecting functional deficits caused by the disease early is a critical issue in eye care."
The Phase I project will generate clinical data to establish feasibility and support the company's regulatory pathway. The goal: a fast, repeatable, and quantitative measure of macular function that fits routine clinical workflow.
The signal: The award follows validation studies of AIM tests published in journals including Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science , Optometry and Vision Science , and, earlier this month, Scientific Reports . Because SBIR grants are peer-reviewed by vision scientists and clinicians, the selection signals that PerZeption's platform addresses a recognised clinical need.
Image credit: NavyMedicine
