Trial begins to see if app and VR can help slow children’s nearsightedness

Clinical trial start-up Lyndus Health and Berlin-based digital health start-up DopaVision have launched a new clinical trial in the UK of a new therapy using an app and VR headset to slow the progression of nearsightedness. Will see the potential. or myopia in children.

The trial will assess the potential clinical impact of MyopiaX – a smartphone application that stimulates dopamine release in participants’ retinas while playing a game using a virtual reality headset – in children and adolescents. The 12-month study will involve more than 20 participants aged 6 to 12 in the UK.

The announcement follows research from 2022 indicating that myopia is becoming more common in the UK. The study, using people within the UK Biobank, found that almost 50 percent more people with myopia were born between 1965 and 1970 (29%) than those born between 1939 and 1944 (20%). % has increased.

MyopiaX is the first treatment to enter the clinic, announced by DopaVision, a company developing therapeutic medical devices in ophthalmology.

Lyndus Health will be responsible for implementing the trial in the UK, including site selection, participant recruitment, endpoint data collection and regulatory submissions. The trial will leverage the clinical trial start-up’s clinical trial system to optimize various aspects of each trial.

Mark Wutke, CEO of DopaVision, said: “We believe MyopiaX has the potential to be the first clinically validated myopia intervention that digitally targets the dopamine pathway of the eye. The MyopiaX-1 clinical trial is an important milestone for us, as it will provide the first clinical insights into our unique therapeutic approach to manage myopia. We are excited to see the trial launch in the UK and are delighted to have the support of Lindus Health in this endeavour.”

Michael Young, co-founder of Lyndus Health, said: “Working with DopaVision and other high-growth companies, we want to help discover the next wave of breakthrough therapies. DopeVision is a healthtech pioneer developing an exciting ophthalmology therapeutic that, when delivered digitally, could make a huge impact on the lives of the growing number of children affected by childhood myopia. We are thrilled to support their trial in the UK using our own innovative technology platform, which will help bring new treatments to patients more quickly.