The South Korean company Edenlux is preparing to launch the first device to treat eye strain in the United States

People all over the world now spend hours a day on their smartphones. On average, daily smartphone use exceeds three hours, and for many adults, total screen time amounts to six hours or more. according to research. This constant close-up screen exposure has been linked to a growing list of eye health problems, including dry and irritated eyes, eye fatigue, blurred vision, headaches, and worsening myopia, according to a report published by the British newspaper “Daily Mail”. Reports.

Edenluxa startup headquartered in South Korea, has developed technology to address eye and ear health issues caused by screen-heavy digital lifestyles.

The company’s mission is personal. Edenlux’s founder and CEO, Sungyong Park, knows firsthand what it feels like to lose control of your vision. While working as a military doctor, Park received a muscle relaxant injection due to severe neck stiffness. It caused a rare side effect: temporary paralysis of the eye muscles responsible for focusing. Doctors told him there was nothing to do but wait.

Park didn’t wait. He imported specialized ophthalmic equipment and began retraining his eye muscles himself. As time passed, his vision gradually returned. This experience reshaped his understanding of eye health, leading Park, a doctor-turned-entrepreneur, to develop technology to help people protect and restore their vision in a screen-overloaded world.

Now, Edenlux is gearing up to launch its second wellness device, Eyeary, a daily visual recovery tool targeting the US market, with an Indiegogo launch planned around the end of March. Unlike medical devices, Edenlux products fall Under the FDA wellness categoryallowing them to be prescribed for vision training and general eye health. (Park said the company chose to launch Indiegogo rather than seek funding from investors, citing sufficient cash reserves to support operations for several years.)

The company’s first product, Otus, was launched in 2022 in South Korea, Singapore, Japan and Taiwan. The massive VR-style device uses lenses to contract and relax the ciliary muscles. Otus has generated $10 million in cumulative revenue, and Edenlux says Eyeary is designed to be faster and easier to use.

“With Otus, it typically takes users about 12 months to reduce their reliance on reading glasses. Eyeary can shorten that to about six months,” Park claimed.

He added that Eyeary is also a leap in design. They look like regular glasses, are lighter and more comfortable, and the lens system has 144 diopter focal points, allowing for more precise focus adjustments and more precise eye muscle training. (The Otus has five diopter pivot points) The device pairs with a mobile app via Bluetooth, collects usage data and sends it to Edenlux’s servers. The company analyzes data sets across age, gender and vision profiles, using artificial intelligence to predict improvement timelines and customize training programmes.

Spending too much time in front of screens can fatigue the ciliary muscle, which controls the lens inside the eye. “When people are young, the muscles are strong enough to concentrate,” Park said. “But constant use of smartphones keeps them constricted, and over time, they can weaken, leading to fatigue and vision problems.”

Edenlux has developed a range of products targeting specific eye conditions, including Otus and Eyery for visual recovery, Tearmore for dry eye, Lux-S for strabismus, Lumia for myopia prevention, and Heary for hearing recovery. Park said the Tearmore, Lux-S, Lumia and Heary are expected to be launched in Asia.

Park sees companies like Oura Ring as peers. Both collect human data and provide insights via software, in a subscription model. But while Oura focuses on heart rate and sleep, Edenlux targets vision and hearing health.

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

Edenlux raised $39 million in its Series A round in 2020 and $60 million in Series B funding in 2022. The company recently set up a US subsidiary in Dallas, Texas, where its devices will undergo final assembly.

While Edenlux currently develops and manufactures its products internally, it is exploring partnerships with major technology companies such as Apple or Samsung, with the aim of integrating its vision protection technology with smartphones.

Combining direct vision with advanced science and devices, Edenlux believes that eye health in the digital age is more than just a health trend – it’s an emerging area in consumer technology.