Erie Retina Research

What Erie Retina Research does

Erie Retina Research is a private, founder-led ophthalmology clinical research organization (CRO) headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2005 by Dr. David RP Almeida, MD, MBA, PhD, the company operates as a site-based clinical trial practice specializing in retinal conditions — age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, inherited retinal diseases, and other retinal pathologies — running approximately 60+ trials at its Erie facility and managing 52+ active trials across nine international sites. Its day-to-day operations include protocol execution, patient recruitment, data management, and regulatory compliance for pharmaceutical and medical device sponsors, supported by an in-house imaging team, research coordinators, and a Risk Management Team for regulatory affairs. The organization maintains a perfect FDA audit success rate and reports being on the leaderboard for 80% of trials it works on, and it earned 6 First Patient In Awards in 2023.

The business operates two revenue models. The core revenue stream is professional services revenue from pharma and medical-device sponsor contracts (protocol development, patient recruitment, data management, regulatory compliance, full trial execution) with a sponsor roster of 45+ companies including Roche, Novartis, Genentech, Regeneron, Alcon, Allergan, Bayer, Biogen, Bausch + Lomb, and others. A secondary consumer revenue stream comes from Virtual Retina Second Opinions, a $900 telehealth consultation service, plus modest hardware distribution support for Eyedaptic smart glasses. Supporting infrastructure includes a proprietary Physician Referral Software used by regional optometrists and an award-winning Mobile Retina Screening clinic for community outreach. Dr. Almeida has also founded parallel ventures — including The Centers for Advanced Surgical Exploration (CASEx), READ AI Digital (an AI-powered clinical trial platform claimed to reduce timelines by 40% and generate $100M+ in savings per drug development cycle), CLINOMICS.ai, and PAX IMPACT SOLUTIONS — which extend the organization's footprint into clinical research technology and healthcare AI.

Name

Erie Retina Research

Legal name

Erie Retina Research LLC

Website

https://erieretinaresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Erie Retina Research is a private, founder-led ophthalmology clinical research organization in Erie, PA, conducting retinal clinical trials for 45+ pharmaceutical and medical device sponsors while offering patient-facing services including Virtual Retina Second Opinions and Eyedaptic smart glasses distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ophthalmology Clinical Research Services

NAICS

Offices of Optometrists (62132), Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers (42346)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Retina & Vitreous Specialists (HLAKAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ophthalmology Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAK), Comprehensive Eye Exams & Vision Care (HLAKAKAA)

Keywords

• Ophthalmology clinical trials
• Retinal disease research
• Clinical research organization
• Virtual retina consultations
• Low vision assistive devices

Headquarters

HQ city

Erie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Clinical Trial Contracts: Revenue generated from pharmaceutical companies and medical device sponsors for conducting clinical trials. Includes protocol development, patient recruitment, data management, and regulatory compliance services. Sponsors cover all trial-related costs including treatment, exams and medical care at no cost to participants.
2. Virtual Retina Second Opinions: Fee-based virtual consultation service priced at $900, providing expert review of medical records and diagnostic imaging, 1-on-1 consultation with Dr. Almeida, personalized treatment recommendations, and detailed written summary of findings.
3. Eyedaptic Glasses Distribution: Offers demonstrations and sales support for Eyedaptic smart glasses for low vision patients with central vision loss conditions including AMD and diabetic retinopathy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Erie Retina Research is a private ophthalmology clinical research organization that conducts sponsored clinical trials for retinal conditions including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and inherited retinal diseases. It also sells paid Virtual Retina Second Opinion consultations ($900) and distributes Eyedaptic AI-enabled smart glasses for low-vision patients, while providing protocol design, patient recruitment, data management, and regulatory compliance services to pharmaceutical and medical device sponsors.

Product overview

Erie Retina Research operates as a clinical research organization specializing in ophthalmology, offering a unified platform of services centered on clinical research studies, patient care, and industry consulting. The core offering consists of clinical trials for retinal conditions (AMD, diabetic retinopathy, inherited retinal diseases), complemented by direct patient services including the Virtual Retina Second Opinions telehealth consultation and Eyedaptic smart glasses for low vision. Supporting programs include the My Vision 365 rapid screening program, Amsler Chart home monitoring tool, and the Vision 365 no-cost treatment program. For industry partners, the organization provides clinical trial design and execution services, a Risk Management Team for regulatory support, a Mobile Retina Screening Clinic for community outreach, and proprietary Physician Referral Software for patient recruitment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clinical Research Studies Sponsored ophthalmology clinical trials covering age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, inherited retinal diseases, and other retinal conditions, where patients may receive study-related care at no cost; serves pharmaceutical and medical device sponsors across 30+ companies.
• Virtual Retina Second Opinions (VRSO) Remote expert second opinion offering that includes review of medical records and diagnostic imaging, a 1-on-1 consultation with Dr. Almeida, personalized treatment recommendations, and a detailed written summary; designed for patients outside the Erie, PA region seeking expert retina consultation.
• Eyedaptic Smart Glasses Vision-enhancing smart glasses powered by augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI), offered via partnership with Eyedaptic for individuals with central vision loss conditions including AMD, Stargardt's Disease, and Diabetic Retinopathy.
• Clinical Trial Design & Execution Services End-to-end consulting and trial execution services for sponsors, including protocol development, patient recruitment strategy, process and timeline optimization, and complete trial execution from start-up to completion, leveraging the READ AI Digital platform and Block Enrollment Strategy.
• Risk Management Team Regulatory Services Regulatory affairs support offering deployable to other clinical research sites, staffed by industry-recognized professionals with decades of experience in regulatory and risk management for ophthalmology trials.
• Mobile Retina Screening Clinic Mobile retinal screening service that travels to local and rural community events to perform retina screenings and identify candidates for clinical trial enrollment, supporting diversity and community outreach goals.
• Vision 365 Program No-cost vision care program enabling patients with AMD to receive treatment with no insurance or payment required, complementing the firm's rapid retina screening program for any eye issues.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% leaderboard position across trials worked on
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stanford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with Stanford University mentioned as part of Dr. Almeida's network and healthcare innovation initiatives. Demonstrates academic collaboration for clinical research and development.
• The Centers for Advanced Surgical Exploration (CASEx)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Almeida founded CASEx which leads the READ AI Digital platform development. This is a core venture in AI-powered clinical trial optimization.
• READ AI DigitalcoreTechnology or IntegrationHealthcare AI platform founded by Dr. Almeida that has demonstrated consistent success in reducing trial timelines by 40% and generating over $100M in savings per drug development cycle.
• Sight Center of NWPAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErie Retina Research funds the Low Vision Clinic at the Sight Center of NWPA as part of community outreach and CSR initiatives.
• Erie Day SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerErie Retina Research funds the science lab at Erie Day School as part of community investment.
• EyedapticminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to offer Eyedaptic smart glasses for patients with low vision. Erie Retina Research provides free demos of these augmented reality glasses designed for AMD and diabetic retinopathy patients.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Medpace Holdings: Mid-to-large CRO running ophthalmology trials in addition to other indications; competes for sponsor trial awards at many of the same pharma clients, but its offering spans multiple therapeutic areas rather than specializing in retina.
• ICON plc: Global full-service CRO running large-scale ophthalmology and other therapeutic trials for top-20 pharma sponsors; overlaps with Erie Retina Research as a competing site network for the same Novartis, Roche, Regeneron-style sponsors, but with a vastly broader portfolio.
• Charles River Laboratories: Large CRO with dedicated ophthalmology and vision science capabilities that runs sponsor-funded trials for major pharma; represents the scaled incumbent that Erie Retina Research must differentiate against on speed and enrollment quality.
• IQVIA: World's largest CRO with deep ophthalmology franchise and relationships with essentially every top-20 pharma sponsor; competes indirectly with Erie Retina Research by aggregating sites globally and offering sponsors a one-stop trial outsourcing alternative.
• Syneos Health (now private): Large global CRO offering clinical trial site management and patient recruitment across ophthalmology and other therapeutic areas; overlaps with Erie Retina Research on trial execution but at significantly greater scale.

Direct peers

• Vitreoretinal Consultants: Network of vitreoretinal specialists running clinical trials for AMD, diabetic retinopathy and related indications; comparable site-based competitor pursuing the same sponsor relationships and investigator-led trial execution model.
• ORA, Inc. Ophthalmology-focused contract research organization providing clinical trial services, regulatory support, and endpoint adjudication to pharma and device sponsors — directly comparable to Erie Retina Research's core trial execution offering, with greater scale and a broader ophthalmology footprint.
• Mid-Atlantic Retina: Retina specialty practice actively running sponsor-funded ophthalmology clinical trials with multiple locations in the Mid-Atlantic; highly comparable to Erie Retina Research as a retina-only research site serving pharma sponsors with an investigator-led model.

Regional players

• Texas Retina Associates: Largest retina specialty group in Texas, running numerous investigator-initiated and sponsor-funded ophthalmology trials; comparable in scale and research orientation but concentrated in the Southwest U.S., distinguishing it from Erie's Northeast base.
• Florida Retina Institute: Multi-physician retina specialty practice with an active clinical research program; overlaps with Erie Retina Research in trial design and sponsor relationships but serves a different U.S. region (Florida vs. Pennsylvania), making it more of a regional than head-to-head competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100092715001841
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/erie-retina-research
• Instagraminstagram.com/erieretinaresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Erie Retina Research