Oculo and plano Partner to Protect Children's Eyesight
MELBOURNE, Australia and SINGAPORE, July 9, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Oculo and plano are pleased to announce a new partnership designed to combat the growing global myopia epidemic.
The plano(TM) app provides a suite of child safety functions, while using science-based features to help modify behavior in children to reduce myopia related risk factors and empower healthier device usage. plano users (families with children ages 2-to-16 years) will have access to the extensive Oculo network to make the process of finding an optometrist seamless and easy.
The plano app makes it easy for parents to follow World Health Organization's (WHO) guidelines relating to device usage for children, released in April 2019. The guidelines follow a 2018 revision of the International Classification of Diseases, which saw Gaming Disorder formally recognized as a global challenge that requires increased attention to prevent its development and curb the increase of associated health risks. The issue of gaming addiction has also received significant attention in South Korea and China, with the latter tightening regulation on video gaming to address rising levels of myopia among children.
"plano empowers parents to work with their children to develop healthy screen habits - and this includes regular and timely comprehensive eye check-ups. As part of plano's inbuilt eye referral system, users will get reminders when their children are due for an optometry review and can seamlessly find an optometrist in the Oculo(TM) network for care," explained plano founder and CEO, Dr. Mo Dirani.
Since launching in 2017, plano have validated the premise of their app and market presence through the accumulation of 150,000 registrations and associated data, proving an increase in the uptake of eye care services. The announcement of WHO device usage guidelines has further substantiated the premise of the app, putting plano and Oculo in a strong position as they announce their partnership and plan to move in to other global markets.
"Oculo's mission is to connect eye care so that patients don't get lost in the system. As a working mother, I know how busy life gets, and I really appreciate seamless connections. Oculo and plano are working to connect kids to eye care that translates into better vision for life," says Oculo founder and CEO, Dr. Kate Taylor.
The world is in the midst of a dual myopic and smartphone epidemic, with half the world's population expected to have myopia (short-sightedness) by 2050. Children are particularly vulnerable, and early interventions can matter for life. plano and Oculo are working together to help parents protect their children's eyesight by being able to make better choices about kids' exposure to screens and gain recommended eye care support.
About Oculo
Oculo is a secure, cloud-based clinical communications network designed to support better triage, teleophthalmology and screening to connect clinicians around their patients, facilitating seamless co-managed care. The Oculo platform facilitates the secure, instant transfer of clinical imaging, referrals, and other clinical correspondence between health care professionals.
Oculo was founded by the Centre for Eye Research Australia and is based in Melbourne, Australia. Since launching in 2016, Oculo has grown a user base of over 3300 clinicians in Australia and New Zealand and has managed over 640,000 patients. Oculo is also the technology partner for KeepSight, a first-ever national diabetes eye care programme funded by the Australian government in a public-private partnership.
Oculo is now working to connect clinicians around their patients around the world. In March 2019, Oculo partnered with Topcon Healthcare Solutions (THS), a global leader in eye care devices and image management. We work with "best in breed" technology partners to connect clinicians with high quality patient information to support better patient outcomes.
For more information see https://www.oculo.com.au or contact media(at)oculo(dot)com(dot)au.
About plano
The plano app is the first of its kind to provide a suite of child safety functions, while using science-based features to help modify behaviour in children to reduce myopia related risk factors and empower healthier device usage.
plano first launched in Singapore in 2017, where they have already generated over 500,000 downloads, established broad industry collaborations and partnered with Singapore's Health Promotion Board, to drive awareness and education to over 320,000 Singaporean children in the next 12 months.
For more information see https://www.plano.co/ or contact media(at)plano(dot)co
About myopia or short-sightedness
1.5 billion people across the world currently suffer from myopia (short-sightedness). This number is expected to rise exponentially reaching 5 billion people by 2050. Of these, 1 billion of whom are expected to develop high myopia. High myopia increases the risks of blinding eye conditions and reduced quality of life.
The correlation of the onset of myopia with the rapid increase in excessive smart device use in children worldwide, is not the only adverse effect resulting from the shift in our lifestyle habits concurrent with an increasingly digitised world. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially classified internet addiction syndrome and gaming addiction as mental health conditions.
Over 80 per cent of young adults affected in East Asian cities and predictions of 50 per cent of the global population affected by 2050,[i] it is possible that the incidence of myopia will exceed rates of other chronic conditions, such as obesity and diabetes. Myopia confers significant financial costs, both for individuals and healthcare systems. The global cost of myopia in 2011 was estimated at US$65 billion, and continues to grow.[ii]
[i] Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA, Jong M, Naidoo KS, Sankaridurg P, Wong TY, Naduvilath TJ, Resnikoff S. Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016;123:1036-42
[ii] Lim CSS, Frick KD. The economics of myopia. In: Beuerman RW, Saw SM, Tan DHH, Wong TY, editors. Myopia: animal models to clinical
SOURCE Oculo
