Their Eyes Were Watching Dots

When serial entrepreneur, Wharton grad, and former collegiate and professional lacrosse player Pat Carney ’87 first glimpsed EyeGuide Focus, it was a light-bulb moment.

“I thought, The world needs this,” he says.

The portable, affordable, pain-free device can instantly lock onto anyone’s pupil, from a preschooler’s to an NFL quarterback’s, to test for a concussion or other type of ocular motor impairment.

Athletes rest their chin in the device and train their eyes on a dot moving in a figure eight on an iPad. In just 10 seconds, EyeGuide Focus can gather 1,200 data points on eye movement. Because of its speed and simplicity, the optical device can be used at any point in the continuum of care.

After Carney came aboard as CEO, he helped the startup become a 2018 finalist in the NFL’s 1st and Future competition for innovative technologies. He also launched successful pilots at about 30 scholastic, collegiate, and clinical sites. The company is now bringing the product to market and working closely with thought leaders across the clinical spectrum, from neurosurgeons to athletic trainers.

Carney wants to see EyeGuide Focus eventually applied to help detect other neurological impairments, such as fatigue or drug use, or even as a test for dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.

“We envision our device being as ubiquitous as the automated external defibrillator (AED),” he says, “and as beneficial for monitoring neurological health.”