A view of an eye examination at the ophthalmology department. A domestic bio corporation has developed a software medical device that can early diagnose diabetic retinopathy, which causes blindness, through a blood test, and has received approval both domestically and internationally. /Courtesy of northern vision Care

A domestic bio corporation successfully diagnosed a diabetic patient on the brink of blindness with a self-developed blood test during a health examination conducted by a Vietnamese company and brought them to a domestic hospital for treatment. This simple detection of blindness risk without expensive ophthalmic examination equipment is expected to be of great help to Southeast Asian countries with a high number of diabetes patients.

Retimark noted on the 23rd that it introduced the medical device "iDMas-DR" for early diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy at the health checkup of employees at Changshin, successfully identifying and treating asymptomatic patients.

Changshin is a Korean company that manufactures Nike shoes through original equipment manufacturing (OEM), with factories located in Vietnam, China, and Indonesia. The labor union of the Changshintanpu factory near Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, has been conducting health examinations in collaboration with a nearby Dong Nai hospital for its union members.

A patient in Vietnam, being asymptomatic, was unaware of their illness until they received a diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy during this health checkup with Retimark's medical device. The employee sought treatment at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital alongside local healthcare professionals and underwent laser surgery to restore their vision, the company reported.

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that damages the retina of diabetes patients due to prolonged exposure to high blood sugar levels. In severe cases, it can lead to blindness. It occurs due to aging, Westernized dietary habits, and lack of exercise, and once it develops, returning vision to normal is difficult. Diabetic retinopathy is diagnosed by examining the eyes with expensive equipment, but if there are no symptoms, patients often do not visit an ophthalmologist, making early diagnosis difficult.

Woo Se-jun (in the middle), an ophthalmology professor at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, is examining ophthalmology tests at Dong Nai Hospital in Vietnam. Professor Woo develops a technology to diagnose diabetic retinopathy through blood tests without expensive ophthalmology examination equipment. /Courtesy of Changsin

Retimark plans to explore overseas markets, focusing on Southeast Asia. According to the International Diabetes Federation, the prevalence of diabetes in Southeast Asia reached between 6% and 19% as of 2021. Notably, 39.5% of diabetes patients in Vietnam have ophthalmic complications.

Retimark was founded in 2016 by Lee Chul-joo, a principal researcher at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), and Woo Se-june, an ophthalmology professor at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital. The core technology, iDMas-DR, analyzes blood and genomes to identify retinal diseases. This technology received approval in Korea last May, followed by successive approvals in Vietnam and Singapore. Professor Woo's research team conducted clinical trials on 700 diabetes patients, demonstrating a diagnostic accuracy rate of 85.8%.

Professor Woo said, "Diabetic retinopathy can be sufficiently prevented and treated through appropriate care and diabetes management," adding that "the screening diagnosis and treatment program for diabetic retinopathy demonstrated in this Vietnamese patient can be a significant strategy not only for developing countries like Vietnam but also for developed countries."