Australian biotech helps US veterans

Australian export case study

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs has turned to a small Adelaide-based biotech company to help injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who are suffering neurological vision impairment.

The company, Neuro Vision Technology Pty Ltd (NVT), has produced a unique scanning device which runs on a dedicated laptop to detect and diagnose neurological vision loss.

Two major Department of Veterans Affairs’ facilities in the United States are now using this equipment.

Chief Marketing Officer Gayle Clarke said that Neuro Vision’s technology draws upon the expertise of vision therapists who have worked in the field of neurological vision impairment for over twenty years.

“The Neuro Vision product is unique,” she said.  “No other biotech company has a product that is the same as ours. It’s simple, but it works.”

During a patient’s assessment process the scanning device is used to determine the extent of visual field loss and vision impairment. The aim is to maximise the use of a patient’s remaining vision.”

Ms Clarke said that Neuro Vision was interested in exporting these unique products to the United States, “but we knew it would not be straightforward and that we could do with some help.

“Austrade’s Selling to Government export advisers in Washington were excellent.  We were very impressed by the advice and service we received from them – and they gave us so much more credibility than if we had been on our own.”