Barron Associates Awarded NEI Grant to Develop Vision Therapy Games

Barron Associates, Inc. has been awarded an SBIR Phase IIB Competing Renewal 2-year grant (2R44EY021079-05) from the National Eye Institute (NEI) to develop a commercial iCare software system providing effective and motivating vision therapy for children with non-strabismic amblyopia or convergence insufficiency. The iCare product builds on Barron Associates’ expanding portfolio of FDA cleared, evidence-based games for rehabilitation and therapy by enabling inexpensive home-based vision therapy for patients and providing web-enabled tools to streamline delivery, supervision, and documentation of care. iCare transforms vision therapy exercises into 3D action-based video games that both improve vision and inspire adherence through incorporation of features that satisfy the basic psychological needs underpinning human motivation. Sustained game play over a prescribed therapy regime improves visual acuity in patients with amblyopia and positive fusional vergence in patients with convergence insufficiency. Through a supporting web application and cloud-based services, providers will be able to configure the game for the individual patient, monitor adherence, track progress, and document results.