In New Richmond, AI technology to help diagnose concussions

When you suffer a concussion the real danger lies in not treating it seriously and failing to get it diagnosed by a doctor. 

Dr. Rosina Samadani, a neurosurgeon, is the CEO of Oculogica, the New Richmond-based manufacturer of EyeBOX, an innovative medical device that evaluates eye movements to detect clues about cranial performance related to the impact from a concussion.

“The saying is, if you've seen one concussion, you've seen one concussion. Every single person's concussion is different. Concussions are complex. They require a multimodal assessment,” Samadani said.

Uzma Samadani, Rosina’s sister, founded Oculogica in 2013 to develop the Eye Box technology as one component of a comprehensive concussion testing protocol. 

The technology employs AI in a number of ways including to develop an algorithm that determines what to look for in eye movements that might indicate the absence or presence of a concussion.

“Our technology tracks the movement of your eyes while you are watching a simple stimulus video as it moves around on the screen. We are watching to see how well your eyes move together and if they are moving smoothly,” Samadani said.

The EyeBOX weighs 12 pounds and the test takes four minutes to complete.

“It's as easy as watching TV,” Samadani said.

Traditional concussion testing requires a baseline screening. The baseline measures how a person’s brain function looks normally (pre-injury), so it can be compared against after an injury to identify changes or abnormalities. 

Baselines take time and planning, are subjective and not always available. In the case of an athlete, there is also the possibility that they can be gamed or compromised to prevent them from being pulled out of a game.

The EyeBOX does not require a baseline. 

In 200 seconds the EyeBOX captures 100,000 data points from a patient’s eye movements in response to the stimulus video. The information is then passed through Oculogica’s proprietary algorithm and the device delivers a score (BOX score) between 0 and 20. 

Concussions are measured in different degrees of severity.

Oculogica built its database by testing both normal and concussed people between the ages of 5-67. The U.S.Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed that the test data aided in the diagnosis of concussions in 2018. 

The FDA considers a score of less than 10 to be normal and a score greater or equal to 10 to be abnormal indicating the possibility of a concussion.

Samadani made it clear that the EyeBOX is meant to be used in conjunction with other tests to determine whether or not a person has a concussion. 

“A concussion diagnosis must be done in the context of everything else that is going on with that person at the time of the diagnosis. Not just one test is used,” Samadani said. 

At their headquarters in New Richmond, a staff of 10 employees conduct research and development, quality control and order fulfillment. The EyeBOX is manufactured by Minnetronix in Minneapolis.

“We are a small company trying to make noise in a very noisy world. We've got a long way to go but we've also made some good progress,” Samadani said. 

EyeBOX technology can be found in private clinics and hospitals and is currently being employed in pediatrics, emergency medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, pain medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, sports medicine and orthopedics. 

Do not expect to find this tech on your phone in the near future.

“The FDA is not really interested in having people diagnose their own concussions. The FDA and the industry believe that the brain is important enough that a doctor needs to be involved,” Samadani said. 

Multiple concussions can lead to cognitive, mood, vestibular and visual impairments.

“If you do take a hit to the head, take it seriously and get it diagnosed quickly and accurately. That can make all the difference to your long-term outcomes. Go to somebody who knows what they're doing and make sure you're fully recovered before you go back to work or play,” Samadani said.

The test is covered by some insurers. Check with your insurance company or call Oculogica.