SBIR-STTR Award

This SBIR Phase I project seeks to develop a novel software solution to treat convergence insufficiency (CI), a binocular vision disorder that affects 5% of the general population, as well as 50% of patients with post concussive syndrome. Typical symptoms of CI include double/blurry vision, headaches, dizziness, eye stress and strain, and nausea when performing tasks close to the face, such as reading. In addition, a childhood diagnosis of CI is correlated with the diagnosis of an attention disorder and difficulty in school. This project aims to build a software platform that turns any game playable in supported virtual reality (VR) headsets into a therapeutic experience that will treat CI. While current therapy protocols are generally effective in treating CI, patient engagement can be particularly low in pediatric populations especially within the home setting, due to the repetitive nature of common therapeutic activities. By allowing pediatric patients to play any VR game of their choosing, this project will increase engagement in the therapeutic intervention, and permit patients to complete schoolwork without visual symptoms sooner than with traditional therapy protocols. The software designed during this project is unique in both function and implementation. Functionally, this software effectively breaks the elements of VR that create visual comfort for binocularly normal players. To do this for any VR game on a supported headset, this software interacts with core device parameters, transforming any delivered content into a therapeutic experience. This project will develop a fully functional prototype software capable of delivering vision therapy in this novel way. Specific goals of the project include creating software specifications, prototype development, and multiple levels of software testing. As well, this project will evaluate the current and future VR ecosystem to design software that is robust to future updates and is useable on the primary dominant commercially available VR system. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to rapidly screen for binocular vision disorders that impact over 20% of the general population. Unlike simple vision problems that can be corrected for with glasses, binocular vision disorders take longer to treat, and are typically underdiagnosed. Childhood diagnosis of these vision disorders is correlated with attention disorders and poor performance in school, so early detection and treatment is vital to student success.The proposed project advances development of a virtual reality system for diagnosis of vision problems. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop a virtual reality screening platform for a variety of binocular vision disorders. It will take advantage of eye-tracking technology to precisely measure the eye movements of the wearer in response to specifically designed visual stimuli. Software will rapidly and automatically quantify recorded eye movements and correlate them to real-world values, which optometrists can use to make meaningful diagnostic decisions. The technology described in this proposal will be tested on many users to verify its ability to screen for a wide variety of disorders in a diverse population.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.