The mobile application for eye wellness by Singaporean startup Plano has been added to the apps gallery of mobile gadgets and wearables brand of Chinese electronics giant Huawei.

WHY IT MATTERS

The inclusion of Plano's mobile app to Huawei devices comes as part of their partnership to tackle the global issue of myopia or nearsightedness. In a press statement, the startup said its entire ecosystem, including its mobile app, online eye health booking system, planoEyecheck, and its eye health education-based website, will become available for Huawei users in China. 

Myopia is one of the common health problems affecting one in three people or 2.6 billion persons globally. A study published in the journal Ophthalmology had projected that the number of people with the condition will rise to 5 billion by 2050. Its incidence is highest in countries in the East and Southeast Asia and has become more common in Europe, Australia and the US. 

Based on a WHO report in 2015, myopia is costing Asia an estimated $328 billion annually with an additional $244 billion in productivity losses. 

THE LARGER TREND

Plano has established various partnerships in the past few months. Most recently, it collaborated with US-based myopia education platform Review of Myopia Management to provide the latest in educational content for eye care professionals via the RMM web portal.

It also partnered with Thomson X, a unit of SGX-listed Thomson Medical Group, to offer its AI-enabled eye care solutions to patients of the hospital group. Their partnership also intends to assist e-sports players who have their eyes exposed to electronic devices for longer periods.

In other news, one of Malaysia's largest eye specialist centres, VISTA, today announced its adoption of the MYAH diagnostic tool for myopia and dry eye management. The diagnostic platform by US-based Topcon Healthcare features a reporting system that tracks myopia progression over time and analyses data for the effectiveness of treatment, aiding doctors to better manage children's myopia. 

ON THE RECORD

"We are humbled by this partnership. We are excited to be part of Huawei's forward-thinking ecosystem, with our app now available on its AppGallery and its new Huawei Watch 3. This is an outstanding start to our partnership. We are eager to continue our work with the fast-moving and friendly team at Huawei to help tackle the global problem of myopia," Plano Founding Managing Director Mohamed Dirani said.

"Our collaboration marks an important milestone that addresses the needs of consumers who are increasingly using technology to track, manage, and improve their health and wellness for better living," Sun Pei Yuan, head of Huawei Ecosystem Development in Singapore, also commented.