South Korea’s Edenlux was launched in the US for an eye-correcting device

People all over the world now spend many hours every day on their mobile phones. On average, daily cell phone use is more than three hours, and for most adults, the total screen time rises to six hours or more, According to research. Such chronic exposure has been linked to a growing list of eye health problems, including dry and irritated eyes, eye fatigue, blurred vision, headaches, and increased nearsightedness. reports.

Edenluxa start-up company based in the capital of South Korea, has developed technology to address eye and ear health problems caused by a rich digital lifestyle.

The company’s work is personal. Edenlux founder and CEO Sungyong Park knows what it feels like to lose sight. While serving in the military, Park received a muscle relaxant injection for a stiff neck. It caused a strange side effect: a temporary paralysis of the eye muscles that focus. Doctors told him there was nothing to do but wait.

Park did not wait. He imported special eye equipment and began to strengthen his eyes. Over time, his vision gradually returned. The experience also changed his understanding of eye health, leading Park, a doctor turned entrepreneur, to develop technology to help people protect and restore their vision in a world of extreme poverty.

Now, Edenlux is planning to launch its second wellness device, Eyeary, a daily display tool aimed at the US market, with an Indiegogo plan scheduled for the end of March. Unlike medical equipment, Edenlux products are collapsible under the FDA health categoryallowing them to be explained to teach vision and good eye health. (The company chose to launch on Indiegogo instead of seeking funding from investors, Park said, citing enough funding to support the project for several years.)

The company’s first product, Otus, was launched in 2022 in South Korea, Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan. A larger, VR-like device uses glasses to hold and relax the ciliary muscles. Otus has invested $10 million, and Edenlux says Eyeary is designed to be fast and easy to use.

“With Otus, users typically take about 12 months to reduce their reliance on reading glasses. Eyery can shorten that to six months,” Park said.

Eyeary also jumps, he added. They look like normal glasses, they are light and comfortable and the lens mechanism includes a 144 diopter main point, allowing for better focus adjustment and better training of the eye muscles. (Otus has five points of diopter) The device integrates with the mobile app via Bluetooth, collects usage data and feeds it to the Edenlux servers. The company analyzes data across age, gender, and vision, using AI to predict changes over time and adapt training programs.

Prolonged vision can overwork the ciliary muscles, which control the lens inside the eye. “When people are young, the muscles are strong enough to think,” Park said. “But using a mobile phone all the time increases the coordination, and over time, it can weaken, causing fatigue and blurred vision.”

Edenlux has developed a range of products that focus on the eyes, including Otus and Diso for recovery, Tearmore for dry eye, Lux-S for strabismus, Lumia for myopia prevention, and Heary for recovery. Tearmore, Lux-S, Lumia, and Heary are expected to expand to Asia, Park said.

Park sees companies like Oura Ring as peers. Both collect personal data and provide information through applications, on a subscription basis. But while Oura focuses on heart rate and sleep, Edenlux focuses on vision and hearing health.

Its target customers include all people who use earphones regularly. “We want to address the causes of eye and hearing problems caused by excessive use of digital devices,” Park said.

Edenlux raised $39 million in Series A around 2020 and $60 million in Series B funding in 2022. The company recently established a US branch in Dallas, Texas, where its facilities will be held for the final meeting.

Although Edenlux is developing and producing in-house, it is looking for partnerships with large companies such as Apple or Samsung, in order to combine its vision protection technology with mobile phones.

Combining awareness, advanced science, and hardware, Edenlux believes that eye health in the digital age is more than a health condition – it is an emerging area in consumer technology.