More than one billion people around the world live with a preventable and treatable vision impairment, many of which lead to sight loss. Calgary-based startup RetinaLogik is making access to eye exams a priority, and developed a highly accurate, comfortable, portable and less-expensive test to replace the current gold standard. You’ll want to keep your eye on this team.
Unless you wear glasses every waking moment—and can’t see a darn thing without your trusty specs—you might be one of the millions of Canadians who don’t pay much attention to the health of your eyes. And while that’s somewhat understandable—most provinces and territories only cover eye exams for kids, seniors or for those who have certain medical conditions; plus, very few studies about our peepers have been done in this country—it’s a problem. The Canadian Association of Optometrists says adults should have an eye exam every two years, since eye health is a good indicator of quality of life and general wellbeing (certain diseases can be detected when we get our eyes checked).
More than 1.2 million Canadians live with vision loss, and more than 8 million suffer from cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, but here’s the thing: According to the Canadian Ophthalmological Society, 75 percent of visual impairment is avoidable with access to eye care, early diagnosis and treatment. It’s also worth mentioning the cost of vision loss in Canada back in 2019 was nearly $33 billion. Thanks to our aging population, cases stats are guaranteed to skyrocket. The cost of vision loss is expected to hit a whopping $56 billion in the next 25 years.
The significance of this issue hasn’t been lost on Dr. Abdullah Sarhan and Julia St. Amand. They’re the cofounders of RetinaLogik—a Calgary-based startup that’s developing game-changing platform not only to ensure the masses have access to quality vision screening, but also to detect and prevent vision loss using innovative virtual reality (VR) screening tests that replace the current gold-standard screening tools. “Technology in the vision space has been behind compared to advancements in other medical fields, but that’s all changing,” says Sarhan. The pair are driven by how they can affect change and often talk about their “impact”—they’re ardent about the good RetinaLogik can do for our vision, health and overall wellbeing. And based on the feedback they’ve already received from practitioners in the field, their impact is plain to see.
The Backstory
Sarhan, the company’s CEO, has a background in deep learning and artificial intelligence in vision science, but it was on a working trip to Uganda (when he was doing his master’s) when he started considering the broader idea behind RetinaLogik. His project looked at how best to digitize data collection on women’s health in the east African country. “It reminded me of my origins. Both countries have similar challenges when it comes to access to healthcare and specialists, and it made me think about the limitations in ophthalmology, and the ways we could bring it to patients, instead of the other way around,” he says. The company gained momentum once Sarhan met his cofounder and COO, St. Amand (who was a student at his alma mater, University of Calgary; she was pursuing a double degree—kinesiology and business). “I was interested in healthcare and the human body and thought I could use what I learned in business
to make more impact in the world,” she says. Looking for ways to apply both skillsets, St. Amand came across a health “hackathon,” a competition where participants have limited time to solve a problem in the healthcare field. The two cofounders ended up on the same team, and the rest is history. “We had the same values and work ethic; we didn’t mind staying up all night working on our problem, which was about reducing waiting times in emergency rooms. We won first place, then entered another competition and won that,” she says. When Sarhan suggested they focus their knowledge, talent and efforts to make RetinaLogik a reality together, she jumped on board. Working desk to desk in a tiny living room, they shared a big goal: making eye exams more accessible, affordable and convenient leveraging AI and VR.
The Technolgy
The eye exam Sarhan and St. Amand created isn’t like the test your optometrist or ophthalmologist is currently using—that huge, bulky, super-expensive machine that looks like a relic from the ’80s. RetinaLogik uses VR glasses to collect and analyze data relating to eye health—patients wear a headset (like the ones worn for online gaming), they’re given vision tests and data is uploaded for specialists to examine. The benefits are plentiful: The product is portable, accessible and intuitive; it eliminates the need for that big machine, saving valuable real estate in physicians’ clinics; it’s comfortable and engaging for patients; it’s much more affordable than what’s available now; and its results are highly precise.
In 2019, the team started testing their concept with the Oculus VR headset and spent the next two years in the discovery phase trying various iterations. The first test on the market projects light in a specific pattern while patients stare at a dot. “When you see specs in your peripheral vision, you press a button. Depending on what you saw—or didn’t see—an analysis is produced to tell the optometrist or ophthalmologist if you have blind spots in your vision,” says St. Amand. “This is important because patients with glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy, or people who are progressively losing their sight, don’t notice the slow deterioration. Detection and prevention are key.” This is just one exam out of a few available on the platform.
RetinaLogik’s device is now being used in clinics across North America. “We’ve already improved access to care for more than 1,000 people through our social-good initiatives, and that’s really exciting,” she says. Feedback from practitioners has been positive and validating. “We are commonly told they like our solution because it’s more comfortable and engaging. The previous test has that unpleasant chin rest, and sometimes patients sit for more than 30 minutes, which is hard for seniors or people with chronic pain.” As for the software, RetinaLogik’s web portal allows doctors to review results instantly—all they have to do is log in.
“The support we’ve received from HaloHealth has gone beyond just securing money from angel investors. We’ve been given advisory services, mentorship and important connections have been made thanks to this angel group.” – Abdullah Sarhan, RetinaLogik cofounder
The Angel Investor Journey
The pair were introduced to HaloHealth—an angel group based in Toronto and Calgary made up of physicians looking to provide mentorship, networking and capital to innovative health-tech founders—from a member of the group who’s a trusted advisor. “We were invited to pitch in July 2023 and secured funding, which was great, but there have been other advantages to connecting with HaloHealth,” Sarhan says, adding the group’s executive director, Luke Sheen, has been integral when it comes to business advice and strategy. “Luke and his team arranged for a HaloHealth ophthalmologist in Edmonton to do a full assessment of our technology and produced an investment memo. She’s now not only an advocate, but she’s also an investor,” he says, adding the company is backed by multiple opinion leaders across Canada who believe in their vision. “Ophthalmology is a niche filed, so having a respected expert who can explain and validate what we’ve done is vital.”
The Future
“We’re getting a lot of traction and we’ve published many studies. We’ve grown so much in the last few years, and we’ve learned a lot. But lately, it’s been a rollercoaster,” Sarhan says. “We closed our round, we’re securing more revenue, and more clinics are coming on board.” Since most of their customers currently find RetinaLogik through word of mouth—doctors sharing with peers and colleagues—their growing team is focusing on sales and outreach to ensure professionals are well-informed. Not only are Sarhan and St. Amand bringing on new hires, but they also have their sights on expanding their product offering. “We’ve replaced that old machine, and we know we can replace hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment with one VR headset. We’re planning to introduce more exams, so we’ve been doing a lot of testing and working with customers,” says St. Amand. What’s perhaps most exciting for these cofounders is how they’ve seen their product affect change here at home. “We’re proud of the impact we’ve made so far. We thought about our screening tests being used internationally, but access to eye care is an issue in our own country. We’re helping to fix this and we’ll continue to.”
Q&A with Dr. Shaheer Aboobaker, RetinaLogik angel investor
Q: How long have you been an angel investor?
A: I’ve only recently gotten into angel investing in the last 12 months. I joined HaloHealth earlier this year.
Q: What impressed you about Abdullah and Julia? Why were you interested in investing in RetinaLogik?
A: I met primarily with Abed [Abdullah]. I was impressed with his understanding of the subject matter. He has clearly put in the time working with this idea and testing it from the ground up in eye clinics in Calgary. He has taken this idea from conceptualization to a marketable product, and his passion for this is evident..
Q: Not only are you an angel investor, but you’re also an ophthalmologist and retinal surgeon. As an expert in your field, what excited you about RetinaLogik?
A: Part of investing is investing in the individuals, and I was impressed with the knowledge and work already done by Abed and Julia. The major selling point as a potential investor—but also
as a potential customer—is the reduction in physical footprint and efficiency this could bring to an ophthalmology or optometry clinic. The current devices used for visual-field testing are very large, bulky machines that can take up an entire consulting room—space that could be used for other needs, clinic depending. These devices are very expensive, and a smaller, cheaper device such as this would offer significant savings on capital outlay for clinics and offices. This would also allow for multiples of these devices to be purchased by a single office and increase the efficiency of testing, as multiple patients could be tested simultaneously in the waiting room. There’s also the huge potential benefit this device brings to screening of patients in remote provinces or territories in Canada, but also for ophthalmology outreach in places like Africa. Having been born and raised in South Africa, I was able to be a part of many such outreaches and we would never have dreamed of having a portable visual field device that would significantly assist on-the-spot glaucoma screening. I also happen to be a sucker for new tech, and this checks that list pretty strongly. I am also excited about the potential for additional indications and testing that this could provide in the future.
Q: Since investing, have you assisted the team when it comes to networking, mentoring or in any other ways?
A: Abed and I did speak about having me more involved in some role with the company. We are planning to meet soon, and I look forward to trying out the device in my practice, as well as working with Abed to see what potential options may exist for this hardware in the retina space.
Check out Retinalogik website here!
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Success Story was written by Lisa Van De Geyn
Lisa van de Geyn is a self-proclaimed magazine junkie and more-than-20-year veteran in Canada’s magazine industry. The multi-award-winning writer and editor has worked for many of the country’s most venerable publications, including Chatelaine, Canadian Living, Today’s Parent, House & Home, Toronto Star, Reader’s Digest, CAA Magazine and Globe & Mail. She’s been covering the fascinating stories of angels and founders for several years, working with Spark Centre, NACO, Access IO, Capital Angel Network, and Angel Investors Ontario (she served as editor-in-chief and feature writer of [XV].
Lisa is a mom to two teenagers and is very fond
of her many streaming services.