Topcon Launches IDHea to Advance AI in Eye Health

Topcon Healthcare has officially launched the Institute of Digital Health (IDHea), a next-generation ocular data-as-a-service platform aimed at accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) research and digital health innovation. IDHea is designed to provide fast, secure access to real-world and clinical trial datasets, fostering breakthroughs that improve outcomes in both ocular and systemic diseases.

The platform is a key component of Topcon’s broader “Healthcare from the Eye” initiative, which utilizes AI-powered analysis of ocular imaging data to enable earlier disease detection and more effective disease management.

Transforming Clinical Data into AI-Driven Insights

IDHea delivers an AI-enabled ecosystem that converts complex clinical data into actionable insights, supporting the development of predictive, personalized, and proactive healthcare solutions. By providing streamlined connectivity and robust analytics, the platform empowers clinicians and researchers to drive digital transformation across eye care and general medicine.

According to Topcon, IDHea is intended to "bridge the gap between data and discovery," offering exclusive datasets that support precision research and scalable innovation.

Built on FAST Principles: Fast, Accessible, Safe, Transparent

IDHea is built on the FAST framework, which ensures:

• Fast: Rapid access to large-scale, structured real-world and clinical trial datasets

• Accessible: Global access via secure, cloud-based infrastructure

• Safe: Industry-standard privacy and data security protocols

• Transparent: Independent governance and review of all data access requests, with public-facing policies and summaries

Supporting AI Development and Clinical Decision Support

IDHea offers access to highly structured, multilevel-labeled ocular datasets gathered from both primary care and specialized eye care environments. The data includes contributions from both healthy individuals and patients with a wide spectrum of ocular conditions.

“We established IDHea to accelerate development of AI-powered clinical decision support systems and oculomics—the science of analyzing ocular data to identify, diagnose, and manage ocular and systemic disease,” said Julia Coelho, Vice President of Data and Digital Strategy at Topcon Healthcare.

THINC and Harmony Ecosystem Integration

Through the Topcon Healthcare Innovation Center (THINC), researchers benefit from additional tools and expertise that streamline AI development and reduce time to commercialization. Innovations built within the IDHea platform can be scaled globally via Topcon Healthcare’s Harmony digital health information platform.

IDHea’s datasets are described as deeply phenotyped and include:

• High-resolution imaging

• Visual function metrics

• Multimodal health data

• Linked clinical outcomes

These elements create a foundational framework for the next generation of digital healthcare solutions.

Strategic Partnerships Strengthen Real-World Research Capabilities

The launch of IDHea is supported by a network of strategic data partners, including:

• Illinois College of Optometry (ICO)

• Keplr Vision

• New England College of Optometry (NECO)

• New View Optometric Center (NVOC)

• Visionworks

These partnerships significantly enhance access to real-world ocular data and facilitate research into scalable, meaningful healthcare applications.

Governance and Ethical Oversight in Data Sharing

IDHea operates under a comprehensive governance framework to ensure ethical, secure, and transparent data practices. Central to this is an independent Data Access and Governance Committee composed of experts in medicine, technology, policy, and ethics. This committee rigorously reviews all data access requests and shares summaries of approved uses to promote transparency and accountability.

With advanced de-identification protocols and a secure computing infrastructure, IDHea safeguards contributor privacy while enabling impactful, compliant research.

Topcon describes this approach as one that "empowers scientific discovery while protecting the rights of those who contribute their data."