IRIS Celebrates 5th Anniversary with More Than 335,000 Patient Exams Performed for Sight-Threatening Retinal Disease

PENSACOLA, Fla., Sept. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As it celebrates its fifth year serving clients, Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems (IRIS) announced today that its cloud-based diagnostic imaging solution and retinal telemedicine platform has performed more than 335,000 patient exams for diabetic retinopathy and other diseases since its launch in 2013 with its first client. This announcement comes on the heels of the company's move to a newly remodeled corporate office in a historic theatre in downtown Pensacola, Florida.

Since its inception, IRIS has helped to identify over 49,000 patients with advanced sight-threatening pathologies that would have led to imminent blindness had they remained undetected, resulting in what they are calling "IRIS saves."

"IRIS' talented team of employees has accomplished so much in a rapidly shifting marketplace since our inception, but what I'm most proud of is that our goal has always remained the same: To improve lives and change futures," said Sunil Gupta, MD, founder and chief medical officer of IRIS. "This unwavering dedication to our original vision has also resulted in commercial success. We continue to grow year-over-year in team size, customers and exam volume. We have even exceeded our sales targets for the first three quarters of 2018 and are on track to exceed sales goals for the year. We are excited to see what the future holds and remain committed to our mission of diagnosing eye disease early enough to treat it and stop the progression of vision loss."

In just the past year, IRIS has achieved numerous milestones in addition to those already mentioned:

• Doubled employee headcount since August 2017
• Reached highest one-month volume of patient exams in August 2018, with over 12,500 diabetic retinal exams
• Added over 100 new client sites in the last 12 months, while expanding the footprint and contracting for additional sites with 8 existing customers

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in adults in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Early detection and treatment can reduce the risk of blindness by 95 percent, but unfortunately only about 40 percent of people with diabetes pursue early detection or receive the recommended annual retinal examination.

Without action, the crisis may become more acute. The CDC predicts that between 2018 and 2050, based on overall population growth projections, the number of Americans with diabetes is expected to grow more than five-fold to 161 million, meaning that 1 in 3 Americans will have type 2 diabetes if current trends continue. Similarly, the number with diabetic retinopathy is expected to surge by a similar amount to 1 in 5 Americans meaning there will be 65 million people suffering from retinal disease and the risk of blindness if the crisis is not addressed.

IRIS is dedicated to helping solve this problem by partnering with healthcare organizations to increase patient compliance with recommended annual retinal exams. Currently active at more than 300 sites including primary care clinics and retail settings, the IRIS retinal telemedicine platform is a complete end-to-end solution that helps clients close their care gaps and achieve quality metrics while driving additional revenue.

About IRIS: About Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems
Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems (IRIS) is a Pensacola, FL-based company founded in 2011 by nationally recognized retina surgeon Dr. Sunil Gupta, with a vision to end preventable blindness through the development and deployment of retinal screening services in the primary care setting.  The company's IRIS solution is an FDA-cleared, cloud-based service that has improved quality, expanded access and reduced costs for diabetic retinopathy exams across the U.S. A team of physicians, technicians and practice management experts at IRIS seek to partner with forward-thinking providers and payers to enhance quality patient outcomes and the overall healthcare system. For additional information, visit www.retinalscreenings.com.

Media Contact:
Erik Yorke
Amendola Communications for IRIS
330-416-2461
[email protected]

SOURCE Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems