[NE Coffee Chat] ICU Corporation "Pediatric Strabismus Can Be Treated Without Surgery"

Interview with Kim Donghyuk, CEO of ICU Corporation
Developing a Non-Surgical Digital Therapeutic for Pediatric Strabismus
Clinical Trials to Be Completed This Year... Launch Planned for Q1 Next Year

Strabismus is a common eye disorder that can occur in growing children. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of strabismus patients under the age of 10 has been increasing from 83,589 in 2020 to 92,831 in 2023. Although the number of patients approaches 100,000, mild cases are often neglected and only treated after worsening to severe cases requiring surgery. ICU Corporation is a startup founded in 2022 to address this issue. They are developing a digital therapeutic for pediatric strabismus based on virtual reality (VR) that treats the condition without surgery, and are currently conducting confirmatory clinical trials this year.

On the 25th, Kim Dong-hyuk, CEO of ICU Corporation, said, "Once the clinical trial is completed in October this year, we plan to launch a non-surgical digital therapeutic for pediatric strabismus in the first quarter of next year." The digital therapeutic, which has completed development and is currently in clinical trials, uses the binocular cameras of a VR device to focus stimulation on the areas causing strabismus. The core concept is the digitalization of 'vision therapy' practiced in countries like Australia and Germany. CEO Kim explained, "By delivering separate images to each eye and repeatedly contracting and relaxing to fuse and separate them, the extraocular muscles are stimulated to lengthen as needed, which is the principle behind treating strabismus."

Kim Dong-hyuk, CEO of ICU Corporation, is participating in CES 2025 to introduce solutions. Photo by ICU Corporation

The development of this therapeutic is deeply rooted in CEO Kim’s personal experience. Over ten years ago, while working as an optometrist at a university hospital, he realized the need for a digital therapeutic for pediatric strabismus. Severe cases require surgery, but even then, the recurrence rate is high, and mild to moderate patients often do not receive adequate treatment. Moreover, in rural areas, strabismus treatment is difficult, forcing patients to travel frequently to Seoul. The idea was to provide a non-face-to-face rehabilitation treatment method that stimulates the extraocular muscles. CEO Kim said, "I started a strabismus-specialized optical shop in Changwon, and after securing various clinical cases, we developed the digital therapeutic."

Although VR-based digital therapeutics for eye diseases are still unfamiliar in Korea, they are spreading globally. In the United States, a company called Luminopia received FDA approval for a VR device used to treat amblyopia. ICU Corporation believes the market potential is sufficient. CEO Kim stated, "Based on the metropolitan area, about 190,000 children and adolescents receive treatment for eye diseases annually, and approximately 9% of them undergo strabismus surgery." He added, "Considering the increasing number of patients, the market size for strabismus digital therapeutics is expected to grow to 800 billion KRW annually."

The hurdles to overcome include completing confirmatory clinical trials this year and obtaining approval for the digital therapeutic. ICU Corporation has secured 24 clinical cases, including patients who experienced complete recovery, through their own clinical trials. Once this digital therapeutic is released, treatment can be conducted with a prescription from an ophthalmologist. CEO Kim envisions a rental model where hospitals rent the VR devices and software. To provide inquiries and support outside the hospital, they established an optometry center called ICU Vision Care, currently operating four locations. The goal is to expand to 10 centers this year, including in the United States. CEO Kim said, "We are in discussions with strabismus specialists at Paik Hospital, Seoul Asan Medical Center, and Konkuk University Medical Center." He added, "Hospitals are showing great interest in digital therapeutic methods, and we plan to continue development tailored to the needs of medical staff."

ICU Corporation is also preparing to expand into the global market. They achieved success exporting their solution to Hong Kong at CES 2025 this year. CEO Kim said, "In March this year, we established a branch office in Los Angeles, USA, and decided to acquire an optometry center to conduct technology verification." Although the starting point is strabismus treatment, they plan to continuously broaden their scope. He said, "The second phase is a therapeutic for amblyopia in East Asian children," and added, "Ultimately, within five years, we aim to enter the pediatric myopia treatment market."