HONG KONG, January 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
(PolyU) entered into a licensing arrangement with Vision Science
and Technology Co. Ltd. (VST), a local start-up supported by
HKSTP-PolyU Tech Incubation Fund (TIF) and PolyU Tech Launchpad
Fund (TLF), for commercializing PolyU's Defocus Incorporated Soft
Contact (DISC) lens for myopia control in children. The arrangement
exemplifies successful commercialization and transfer of PolyU
technology facilitated by entrepreneurship efforts.
(Photo:
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/631678/PolyU_Defocus.jpg )
Myopia (or short-sightedness) is a major cause of ocular
morbidity for school children, especially among ethnic Chinese. The
optometry research team led by Professor To Chi-ho, Head of the
School of Optometry at PolyU, and Professor Carly Lam from the same School, developed the
novel DISC lens for this purpose.
The award-winning DISC lens brought new hope to the myopic
population. The lens is a multi-zone soft contact lens which
provides clear vision and at the same time projects blurred,
out-of-focus (defocused) images onto the retina to slow down
excessive eye growth in myopia.
When a child has myopia, the light that enters the eye focuses
in front of the retina rather than on it. The new method involves
producing a clear image on the retina and another defocused or
blurred image in front of the retina. In doing so, the DISC lens
makes use of the natural homeostatic mechanism known as
'emmetropization', whereby the eye tends toward a size that allows
it to receive focused images as it would do with normal vision,
i.e. eye growth is regulated by optical inputs from the
environment. The lens improves the wearer's vision and provides
constant myopic defocus ("STOP" signal to myopia) at all viewing
distances.
Spanning two years with a sample of 128 subjects, the clinical
control trial showed that DISC lens retarded the progression of
myopia by approximately 60% in Hong
Kong school children aged 8 to 13. More importantly, the
children found the lens comfortable to wear. The new lens also
provided clarity that was comparable to conventional single vision
lens, which deliver the same optical focal point over their entire
area. This technology was patented in Australia, the Chinese mainland, the US and
various European countries.
Professor To explained, "Since the DISC lens takes advantage of
the natural homeostasis of the eye, the wearer can avoid suffering
from the adverse effects of drug or surgery. Moreover, the
functional element, optical defocus, can be incorporated into
widely accepted forms of contact lens to provide clear and
comfortable vision while myopia is being controlled." It opens up a
new opportunity for treating other refractive errors, such as
hyperopia, using suitable defocus. Besides Hong Kong, this technology is highly relevant
to many Asian regions, including Singapore, Taiwan, and the Chinese mainland, where myopia
prevalence is high.
"I am glad that after years of hard work, the research on DISC
lens eventually bears fruit through successful commercialization,
benefiting children in need with real products," added Professor
To.
VST, the licensee of the DISC lens for myopia control, is a
local company founded by Mr Jackson Leung
Tse-man, a PolyU alumnus. Specializing in developing and
distributing products for vision improvement, it is the first
company in Hong Kong which adopts
a tailor-made professional fitting approach to manufacture and
provide soft myopic control lenses. The lenses are manufactured
according to the prescription of the optometrists to ensure they
match the needs of individual customer.
VST manufactures DISC lenses using silicon hydrogel, a highly
oxygen permeable material approved by the US Food and Drug
Administration. It is also one of the most oxygen permeable
materials for contact lenses. Under the commercialization
arrangement, VST manufactures and provides DISC lenses via a
network of optometric clinics, which are recruited as the company's
authorized fitting centres.
PolyU also prescribes DISC lens at its Optometry Clinic and will
provide training for optometrists in fitting the DISC lens on the
eyes.
"As an optometrist graduate of PolyU, I see good potential in
this advanced myopia control method and am impressed by its
exceptional result in the clinical trial. The success of
commercialization also has to do with PolyU's unreserved support
for start-up companies. The licensing arrangement signifies PolyU's
remarkable achievement in technology transfer and commercialization
of the University's technology through entrepreneurship
development," said Mr Leung, Founder and Director of VST.
VST was awarded a total of HK$1.6
million, including a matching fund, under TIF and TLF
schemes with funding support from the Technology Start-up Support
Scheme for Universities under the Innovation and Technology
Commission of the Hong Kong SAR Government, and aims to increase
the number of authorized fitting centres so that the technology can
benefit a wider community.
PolyU has long been keen in nurturing the entrepreneurial
culture and in providing support to aspiring entrepreneurs. One
major way of support is the offer of various seed funds, which are
monetary grants awarded to start-ups with no strings attached. The
University also provides co-working space for entrepreneurs at
PolyU InnoHub, mentorship support through the Startup Consultation
Clinic manned by Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, practical training
workshops, and opportunities to network with incubators and
investors.
Press Contacts
Professor To Chi-ho
Head of the School of Optometry, PolyU
Tel: +(852)-2766-6102
Email: chi-ho.to@polyu.edu.hk
Mr Jackson Leung Tse-man
Founder and Director, Vision Science and Technology Co. Ltd.
Tel: +(852)-9098-8892
Email: jacksonlamma@hotmail.com