NEWS - Computers & Technology

SBJ Staff Report

Feb 13, 2012 - Health Discovery Corporation (OTCBB: HDVY), headquartered in Savannah has partnered with Doctors Optimal Formula LLC to launch a new medical diagnostics device to assist Ophthalmologists and Optometrists with the detection of Macular Degeneration.

The new device will be launched this week at the upcoming Heart of America Convention geared for primary eye care practitioners. With thousands in attendance expected, this meeting will provide an excellent opportunity to launch this ground-breaking vision saving technology, according to Dr. Stephen Barnhill, chairman and CEO of Health Discovery Corp.

The Retinalyze Analytics will initially be used for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a progressive eye disease affecting more than 15 million Americans, with over 200,000 new cases diagnosed each year.  AMD is the leading cause of blindness in adults 55 years and older, which can result in severe visual loss because it affects the macula portion of the eye, where the sharpest central vision occurs, according to the companies.

Coinciding with the upcoming launch, the website www.Retinalyze.com will be unveiled.  This website will provide an extensive health care library relating to eye diseases as well as offer a Macular Degeneration Risk Assessment tool that will help evaluate the patient’s risk factors for developing macular degeneration. Also, the site will provide useful information on how best to prevent, minimize and/or treat eye disease.  Patients will be able to learn more about their eye disease and Retinalyze Analytics, as well as search for Retinalyze Providers in their area.

“With Doctors Optimal Formula’s current extensive physician network of over 7,000 eye doctors, we expect thousands of Ophthalmologists and Optometrists to begin utilizing Retinalyze Analytics within the first few months after this initial launch” according to Howard Loff, MD, a renowned Oculo-Plastic surgeon and CEO of Doctors Optimal Formula.

“For the first time we’re able to objectively quantify eye disease and very precisely monitor for even the most subtle of changes that even the Human Eye can’t see,” explains Dr. Sunil Malkani, a Vitreo-Retinal specialist.  “Moreover, we’re incredibly excited about the applications this affords not only with Macular Degeneration but also with other retinal diseases including cancerous eye lesions.  The earlier we can diagnose these diseases, the better we can treat and ultimately save vision or even lives.”

“With a sensitivity of greater than 95% accuracy in assisting with the diagnosis of AMD, Retinalyze has the ability to create a new standard of care for eye diseases and in the very near future could be used by the vast majority of eye doctors,” states Loff.   The initial pricing structure will include a continuing monthly participation fee of $25 per doctor and a $15 per patient fee for each Retinalyze scan. “ I not only see this as being a primary tool used by the more than 60,000 eye doctors here in the US but also by those around the world.”

“We are very proud of the work of Health Discovery Corporation’s SVM image analysis expert Dr. Hong Zhang and his use of HDC’s patented Support Vector Machine Technology in the development of Retinalyze Analytics,” said Barnhill.  “As a 50% joint venture owner in Retinalyze LLC, HDC could recognize significant revenue in the very near term as a result of the potential success of Retinalyze Analytics in the Ophthalmic arena.”

Health Discovery Corporation is a molecular diagnostics company that uses advanced mathematical techniques to analyze large amounts of data to uncover patterns that might otherwise be undetectable. It operates primarily in the emerging field of personalized medicine where such tools are critical to scientific discovery.