Concussion could be detected and evaluated by a video taken on a smart device, through the use of an app which monitors the eye’s reaction to light.
The Reflex app takes a digital video recording of a person’s eye to measure a pupillary light reflex (PLR) response.
This works by the user holding the camera up to their eye, and a light flashes to initiate a response from the pupil.
The app, developed by tech startup brightlamp, has been used as part of a retrospective clinical review of patients cared for in neurological clinics across North America.
“A concussive injury to the brain is associated with changes in the PLR that persist over the life span, representing biomarkers that might be used in clinical diagnosis, treatment, and decision making,” said a report prepared by a number of doctors in the US, which looked at PLR as a biomarker of concussion.
Dr Frederick Carrick, professor of neurology at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, said Reflex identifies biomarkers that might be used in clinical diagnosis, treatment and decision-making for concussions.
“Physicians have measured pupillary light reflex since the earliest time of recorded history,” Dr Carrick said.
“It is only recently that advances in technology have allowed us to quantify it accurately. This is the largest study of concussion and PLR to date.”
Kurtis Sluss, CEO and founder of brightlamp, said the report indicates Reflex is suitable as a concussion clinical decision support tool.
It builds further on the applications of brightlamp’s patented technology, which monitors the eye’s reaction to light so medical professionals can obtain more accurate and consistent neurological information in seconds through a mobile device.
“We are rapidly integrating this knowledge into a new concussion-based clinical decision support metric that current and future users can use to monitor their patients more rigorously,” Sluss said.
“Clinicians and trainers now have the evidence they need to confidently integrate Reflex into their concussion workflow.
“Our goal as a company is to optimise the recovery trajectory for concussion patients and prevent compounding injury so they can lead healthier lives.”
Reflex has been named as a Class I 510(k) exempt regulated medical device, according to the US Food and Drug Administration, supporting its continued development.
Indiana-based Brightlamp has received commercialisation guidance from the Purdue Foundry, an entrepreneurship and commercialisation hub, and the company is now part of the Purdue Foundry’s Double Down Experiment, which includes high-growth businesses.
