An Expert's Opinion - "I’m really excited about the AX1. Here’s why…"

Looking ahead to the launch of Occuity’s new AX1 Axiometer™ in 2026, I wanted to share why I’m so excited about this device and why I believe it will become the go-to instrument for myopia management globally.

For some context, I’m a Retinal Imaging Scientist with a deep interest in children’s eyesight. Having worked closely with young people in both research and clinical settings, I know how important it is to have technology that’s accurate, practical and child-friendly.

My enthusiasm stems from recent hands-on experience. As part of the UKRI-funded Mynamics Project, I spent two weeks in a local primary school measuring the eyes of children aged 4–11 years. Our aim was to better understand the dynamics of childhood eye growth – knowledge that is crucial for tackling the rising prevalence of myopia (short-sightedness).

The work was rewarding, but not without challenges. Testing more than 150 young children, back-to-back, ultimately came down to a trade-off between maximising the amount of data we could collect and minimising time spent out of class – all while keeping the experience positive. This is where the choice of device really came into play.

We used two instruments: the Lenstar (Haag-Streit), a large desktop biometer, and Occuity’s PM1 Pachymeter, a handheld device.

The PM1 changed everything and gave me a glimpse of just how impactful the AX1 will be.

Why portability matters

The PM1 was a dream to transport. While the Lenstar required unplugging, careful packing, costly transport, and recalibration at the destination, the PM1 could simply be slipped into a rucksack. No fuss, no cost, no stress.

But portability really put us into motion:

• Easy alignment: The children we measured ranged in height from 50 to 160 cm. With the Lenstar, this meant a juggling act using adjustable desks, cushions, and even step stools, which was a trial-and-error process. With the PM1, the process was instant – I held the device up to the child’s eye, and we were ready to go.

• Freedom to move: Children wriggle. That’s just reality. Unfortunately, desktop chin/head rests don’t help much with a child who doesn’t want to stay still! But with the PM1, I could simply follow their movement, making the process faster, easier, and less stressful for everyone.

  
  

Smarter testing

The PM1 was also quicker and slicker:

• Seamless refocusing: Unlike the Lenstar, which required multiple steps and restarts if a child moved, the PM1 automatically adjusted on the fly.

• Better visibility: The Lenstar’s bulky profile blocks your sightline to the child, so troubleshooting involves a lot of guesswork and starting over. With the PM1’s sleek profile, I could keep the child within my eyeline throughout, so I could identify and fix problems in real time.

  
  

Lenstar shortfalls

• The Lenstar failed to measure corneal thickness in 10 out of 318 eyes, versus only 5 for the PM1.

• The Lenstar failed to measure axial length in 65 eyes. Although we could not compare with Occuity’s Axiometer, I suspect it will be easier to detect and address failures using the AX1, as it is only measuring one thing – axial length.

• What is most concerning is that the Lenstar sometimes displayed a mysterious value (“using a composite algorithm”) for measurements that had clearly not succeeded – not the kind of output clinicians can rely on.

Why the AX1 is a game-changer

Imagine all the advantages of the PM1 – portability, adaptability, reliability – applied to axial length measurement, the most important metric for myopia management. That’s what the AX1 offers.

This matters because children:

• vary in height

• struggle with complex instructions

• have shorter attention spans

• move – a lot

If we want to scale up myopia screening and management worldwide, we need a device that is quick, accurate, and child-friendly. The AX1 ticks every box.

• For me (and anyone else who uses it), this means no more lugging bulky equipment back and forth.

• For patients, it means smoother, faster, less stressful testing.

• For the field, it means unlocking large-scale screening in practices, outreach clinics, and even schools.

The bottom line

I’ve seen how handheld technology transformed our testing process. The AX1 will take that to the next level – applying the PM1’s proven usability to axial length, where it can have the biggest clinical impact for children at risk of progressive myopia.

Myopia in children is a huge and growing challenge, with 50% predicted to be myopic in just 25 years from now. Based on the PM1’s usability in real-world school testing, I’m confident that the AX1’s rapid adoption will ensure that more children get the monitoring and care they need, when and where they need it.

This is why I can’t wait for the AX1 to hit the shelves.

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