Five years later, Ayyala continues to monitor Storms\u2019 condition every three months.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the surgery preserved Storms\u2019 vision, managing glaucoma remains a lifelong process.<\/p>\n
Monitoring changes in vision associated with glaucoma requires constant vigilance,
\n with regular appointments and testing that can be time-consuming, costly and difficult
\n for patients to maintain.<\/p>\n
\u201cPatients have to come to us for regular testing, using expensive equipment in specialized
\n clinics and many simply don\u2019t come often enough,\u201d said Ayyala, the James P. and Heather
\n Gills Endowed Chair and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology in the USF Health
\n Morsani College of Medicine.<\/p>\n
That challenge inspired Ayyala and his colleagues at the University of South Florida
\n to rethink how, and where, glaucoma is detected.<\/p>\n
He is leading a study of GlaucTest, an investigational AI-powered app that allows
\n patients to perform visual field testing at home using their own smartphone, a low-cost
\n virtual reality headset and a handheld clicker.<\/p>\n
Currently in the research stage, Ayyala\u2019s goal is to replicate the gold-standard Humphrey
\n Visual Field Analyzer found in clinics. Ayyala hopes the technology could transform
\n the test that typically costs $30,000 in equipment into an at-home experience for
\n about $42. After the patient performs the five-minute test per eye, results are securely
\n uploaded for their ophthalmologist\u2019s review.<\/p>\n
![\"Patient](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ayyala-machine.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Traditional glaucoma exams are conducted using the Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer
\n [Photo by Frederick Coleman, USF Health]<\/p>\n
![\"Patient](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ayyala-glasses.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The patent-pending GlaucTest is designed for at-home use\u00a0 [Photo by Frederick Coleman,
\n USF Health]\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Phone](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ayyala-phone.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Paired with a virtual reality headset, the AI-powered app runs on the patient\u2019s smartphone
\n [Photo by Frederick Coleman, USF Health]\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to use technology to move to a place where physicians monitor patients remotely
\n while they test themselves at home,\u201d Ayyala explained. \u201cThe goal is to give the power
\n to the patient, the best way to manage chronic diseases like glaucoma.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
For Storms, the technology represents more than convenience. It helps ease the uncertainty
\n that comes with living with glaucoma.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith a product like Dr. Ayyala\u2019s I could test much more frequently \u2013 every month,
\n or even every couple of weeks \u2013 and see if anything has changed. With traditional
\n testing once a year, a lot can happen in that time,\u201d Storms said.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019m very grateful to be able to work with Dr. Ayyala and his team at USF to trial
\n GlaucTest and provide feedback. It has given me a feeling of having more control over
\n my glaucoma and I\u2019m hopeful it can help others very soon.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
John Storms<\/p>\n
To help bring the technology to patients, Ayyala founded GlaucHome <\/a>to license the patent-pending technology and advance GlaucTest toward commercialization. \u201cDisruptive research shouldn\u2019t die on a lab bench,\u201d said Diana Shapiro, executive-in-residence For millions worldwide, GlaucTest could mean the difference between early detection \u201cThis is a first step in the right direction, delivering technology to patients everywhere Bold Research. Real Impact.<\/p>\n Discover how USF research is transforming lives and helping build stronger communities.<\/p>\n
\n Developed at USF, GlaucTest is advancing through a new Technology Transfer Office
\n initiative, the\u00a0USF Ventures Launch Program, <\/a>which moves USF\u2019s most promising inventions out of the lab and into companies best
\n positioned to commercialize.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n for USF Research, Innovation and Commercialization<\/a> and acting CEO for GlaucHome under the USF Ventures Launch Program. \u201cWorking with
\n the commercialization triage team, we\u2019re deliberately selective, every technology
\n has to clear our proprietary IP Commercial Assessment before it advances. GlaucTest
\n cleared that bar, and GlaucHome is the company built to carry it forward.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n and irreversible vision loss, a long-term goal Ayyala hopes to achieve upon completion
\n of the research and regulatory review.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n and making it possible for them to keep their vision,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n