Top 58 Eye Disease and Blindness treatment startups

Updated: Nov 17, 2025
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These startups develop new technologies to improve vision and cure cataract, glaucoma, myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, presbyopia, blindness.
1
AAVantgarde Bio
Country: Italy | Funding: $206.3M
AAVantgarde Bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops retinal disease gene therapies. One of its drugs is intended at patients with Stargardt disease, a leading cause of vision loss in children and young adults. By delivering the full-length ABCA4 protein, AAVantgarde hopes that it can address the root cause of this eye condition. Another asset is for patients with retinitis pigmentosa associated with Usher syndrome - rare genetic disease that affects both hearing and vision. AAVantgarde says that its proprietary technology has demonstrated high transduction, protein expression and safety for both Stargardt and Usher 1B.
2
Spark Therapeutics
Country: USA | Funding: $763.8M
Spark is a leader in the field of gene therapy, seeking to transform the lives of patients by developing potential one-time, life-altering treatments for debilitating genetic diseases. We initially are applying our integrated platform to treat rare diseases where no, or only palliative, therapies exist.
3
Pliant Therapeutics
Country: USA | Funding: $694.9M
Pliant Therapeutics is focused on discovering, developing and commercializing breakthrough treatments for fibrotic diseases.
4
Zenas BioPharma
Country: USA | Funding: $513M
Zenas BioPharma is a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on developing immune-based therapies for patients (including with Thyroid Eye Disease ).
5
Emendo Biotherapeutics
Country: USA | Funding: $317.8M
Emendo Biotherapeutics develops gene editing platform to expand the list of diseases amenable to treatment with gene editing, resulting in a pipeline of hematology and ophthalmology programs.
6
Beacon Therapeutics
Country: UK | Funding: $290.1M
Beacon Therapeutics is an ophthalmic gene therapy company to treat blinding retinal illnesses and restore and enhance eyesight.
7
GenSight Biologics
Country: France | Funding: $274.4M
We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering and developing novel therapies for mitochondrial and neurodegenerative diseases of the eye and central nervous system. To address these therapeutic areas, we leverage our integrated development platform by combining a gene therapy-based approach with our core technology platforms of mitochondrial targeting sequence, or MTS, and optogenetics.
8
Atsena Therapeutics
Country: USA | Funding: $237.6M
Atsena Therapeutics develops blindness gene therapy
9
ForSight Robotics
Country: Israel | Funding: $190M
ForSight Robotics created surgical platform designed specifically for ophthalmological (eye) surgeries — a category requiring a great deal of precision.
10
Digital Diagnostics
Country: USA | Funding: $173.4M
IDx is a leading AI diagnostics company on a mission to transform the quality, accessibility, and affordability of healthcare. The company’s first product, IDx-DR, is an FDA-cleared AI-based diagnostic system designed for use at the front lines of care to detect diabetic retinopathy. IDx is developing additional AI-based diagnostic algorithms for the detection of macular degeneration, glaucoma, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and stroke risk.
11
MeiraGTx
Country: USA | Funding: $162.7M
Meira Gene Therapy is argeting inherited retinal diseases with therapies designed to halt vision loss.
12
OrCam
Country: Israel | Funding: $130M
OrCam’s mission is to harness the power of artificial vision by incorporating pioneering technology into a wearable platform which improves the lives of individuals who are blind, visually impaired, and have reading difficulties. OrCam has created a technologically advanced device unique in its ability to provide visual aid through a discreet wearable platform and simple easy-to-use interface which serves to enhance the daily lives of people with vision loss.
13
SparingVision
Country: France | Funding: $127.6M
SparingVision is a biotechnology company focused on the discovering and development of an innovative, therapeutic approach for treatment of blinding inherited retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa.
14
Orasis Pharmaceuticals
Country: Israel | Funding: $126M
Orasis Pharmaceuticals develops a corrective eye drop to treat presbyopia as an alternative to reading glasses.
15
Aurion Biotech
Country: USA | Funding: $120M
Aurion Biotechnologies is on mission is to cure leading forms of blindness and transform the lives of millions of patients, by developing a platform of advanced therapies to treat ocular diseases.
16
Character Biosciences
Country: USA | Funding: $120M
Character Bio is a platform that merges genomics with clinical data and AI technology, focusing on patients affected by AMD.
17
Coave Therapeutics
Country: France | Funding: €111.1M
Coave Therapeutics develops retinal gene therapy
18
Claris Bio
Country: USA | Funding: $104.8M
Claris works to improve lives by uniting unmet needs in ophthalmology with robust science and data-driven decision making
19
Ollin Biosciences
Country: USA | Funding: $100M
Ollin is dedicated to advancing novel therapeutic candidates that target a broader spectrum of biology to improve outcomes for patients with severe, vision-threatening conditions.
20
VoxelCloud
Country: China | Funding: $78.5M
VoxelCloud provides automated medical image analysis services and diagnosis assistance based on AI and cloud computing technologies. VoxelCloud develops computer-aided detection systems for detecting and diagnosing various diseases ranging from cardiovascular and lung diseases to eye diseases. Our solutions are based on the state-of-the-art computer vision, deep learning and artificial intelligence technology.
Jason Kwon
Editor: Jason Kwon
Jason Kwon is a senior editor for MedicalStartups. He has previously covered the pharmaceutical and medical research industries for FDAnews and worked as a head of marketing for medical startup Sonic Therapeutics. Before that, he co-founded a startup consulting business for emerging entrepreneurial hubs in Asia. Jason graduated from St. Bonaventure University’s journalism school. In his free time, Jason enjoys yoga, watching movie trailers, traveling to places where he can't get cell service. You can contact Jason at jaskwon(at)medicalstartups(dot)com