Topcon Corporation (Tokyo:7732) (ISIN:JP3630400004) today announced that a joint laboratory collaboration with A*STAR’s Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R) to pursue advanced technologies for earlier detection of major eye diseases such as myopia, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). R&D will be conducted at The ATLANTIA(Advanced Technological Laboratory for A*STAR aNd Topcon’s Innovative Alliance) joint laboratory, located in I²R’s premises in Fusionopolisin Singapore.

With the global aging phenomenon, patients of these common eye diseases and subsequent loss of sights are increasing. Singapore has many Glaucoma and AMD patients as well, and it has one of the highest cases of myopia in the world.

Leveraging on the expertise and capabilities of I²R’s Ocular Imaging Programme and Topcon Corporation, the joint laboratory will develop automated intelligent technologies aimed at improving accuracies and reducing the time taken to detect eye diseases and disorders. These technologies will be able to automatically process and analyze eye images captured by ocular imaging equipment, to eventually identify the diseases accordingly.

The collaboration will allow for the future screening of glaucoma, myopia and AMD during routine eye checks at hospitals and at optical shops as an added convenience, as the technology can be embedded into eye screening machines.

In addition, a cloud based data management system will be co-developed in this joint laboratory to enable better integration of innovative software and hardware technologies to provide more widespread access for doctors, opticians and patients. The ATLANTIA joint laboratory will use Topcon’s Swept-Source OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography), a revolutionary imaging technology that enables eye doctors to view cross-sections of the eye and determine the underlying causes of eye diseases. The joint laboratory will also tap on I²R’s Ocular Imaging Programme’s vast experience and expertise on inter-disciplinary eye-related research using a suite of ocular imaging-based computer-aided diagnosis/screening systems for major eye diseases.

“It is great pleasure to establish a joint laboratory with I²R. For early detection of eye diseases, Topcon is developing the cloud based eye screening and management system. I²R has capabilities in developing the image recognition software from horizontal and cross-sectional ocular images which can be incorporated into our system. We acknowledge I²R’s further potential to make mutual growth for early detection of eye disease.” said Mr. Yasufumi Fukuma, President of Eye Care Company, Topcon Corporation.

“Our eyes are the windows to the world. Early detection of eye diseases such as glaucoma, myopia and age-related macular degeneration can potentially reduce healthcare costs and prevent and reduce pain and suffering for the patients. We are very happy to work with Topcon Corporation to develop a wide spectrum of capabilities to help detect these common eye ailments before they deteriorate and cause loss of sight,” said Dr. Tan Geok Leng, Executive Director, Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R).

About Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R)
The Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R pronounced as i-squared-r) is a member of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) family. Established in 2002, our vision is to power a vibrant and strong infocomm ecosystem in Singapore. We seek to foster world-class infocomm and media research and develop a deep talent pool of infocomm professionals to power a vibrant knowledge-based Singapore. At I²R, intelligence, communications and media form our 3 strategic thrusts. Our research capabilities are in information technology, wireless and optical communication networks, interactive and digital media, signal processing and computing.

About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is the lead agency for fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based and innovation-driven Singapore. A*STAR oversees 14 biomedical sciences and physical sciences and engineering research institutes, and six consortia & centres, located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis as well as their immediate vicinity. A*STAR supports Singapore’s key economic clusters by providing intellectual, human and industrial capital to its partners in industry. It also supports extramural research in the universities, and with other local and international partners. For more information about A*STAR, please visit www.a-star.edu.sg.