Eye Protection for Neonates Under Phototherapy - Industry Track

Hyperbilirubinemia affects up to 60% of term newborns and 80% of preterm newborns each year. Treatment for more severe hyperbilirubinemia involves phototherapy, the use of blue-to-green LED, fluorescent or halogen light to eliminate the excess bilirubin in the blood. Infants traditionally wear masks or covers over the eyes to protect them against retinal damage during phototherapy. Several products currently exist to meet this need; However, they become dislodged when the infant moves or fall off, and fail to protect the infant’s eyes. The downstream impacts of this include retinal damage, disturbance to the infant through repositioning, and poor family rapport/satisfaction scores.

The goal of this project is to develop a safe and comfortable way to cover and protect the eyes of neonates undergoing phototherapy.

Design requirements

 Protect the eyes from light  Is Stable, does not become dislodged or slip above and below the eyes due to poor fit

throughout use

 No compression to the face

Deliverables

 Design, prototype and go to market strategy

Project Mentor:

Engineering Mentor: Hieu Le, Executive Director, Product Development, Innovation Lab, hieu.le@ii4change.com, Suzy Engwall, National Director, Western Region, Innovation Lab, suzy.engwall@ii4change.com

Physician Mentor: To Be Announced once team is assigned

Team: