# AI4Eyes wins $700,000 MEDTEQ+ award to test its dry eye AI in clinics > Source: > Published: 2026-07-07 16:44:25+00:00 [AI4Eyes](https://www.aiforeyes.com/?ref=runtimewire) said it has been accepted into the [MEDTEQ+ Avise Program](https://www.medteq.ca/programmes/?ref=runtimewire) and awarded $700,000 to validate its AI-powered dry eye platform in real-world clinical settings, according to a [July 7, 2026 announcement](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ai4eyes-accepted-into-medteq-avise-program-and-awarded-700-000-to-be-tested-in-real-world-clinical-setting-302819514.html?ref=runtimewire). The award gives AI4Eyes a structured evaluation inside Quebec's health system. MEDTEQ+ introduced the company to [CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Ile-de-Montreal](https://www.ciusssnordmtl.ca/?ref=runtimewire), which will serve as the official evaluator for the one-year project. AI4Eyes says the work will assess clinical performance, workflow integration, ease of use, efficiency, and potential impact on patient care. "This support will allow us to validate the performance of our AI-powered dry eye platform, designed to streamline diagnosis and treatment recommendations in just minutes," said Dr. Tara Akhavan in the announcement. ### The product bet: compress the dry eye exam AI4Eyes' pitch is to replace a fragmented dry eye workup with a single scan. On its website, the company says its platform consolidates 10 essential tests into a five-minute scan, compared with a 40-plus-minute, multi-device process. The compact device integrates with a slit lamp, captures high-resolution ocular surface images, and feeds AI analysis that clinicians review before patient care decisions are made. Those figures are company claims, and the clinical validation project is the mechanism that will test whether the pitch survives contact with actual clinic flow. MEDTEQ+ describes the project as real-world evaluation to generate evidence and assess how AI4Eyes can be integrated into clinical workflows. That is the useful part of the award. AI4Eyes does not need another demo environment to show a plausible recommendation. It needs evidence that the product can fit into the minute-by-minute constraints of an eye clinic, where device setup, technician time, reimbursement logic, physician trust, and patient throughput decide whether a tool gets used. ### Quebec is funding validation MEDTEQ+ says eight Quebec-based solutions will be tested in real-world clinical settings through the second intake of its Support Program for Validation, Health Innovation and Evaluation (AVISE). [MEDTEQ+ cohort summary](https://www.medteq.ca/en/eight-quebec-based-solutions-to-be-tested-in-real-world-clinical-settings/?ref=runtimewire) Earlier this year, AI4Eyes said it expanded its board (Feb. 10, 2026) and later announced it graduated from Creative Destruction Lab Montreal AI and won the RBCx Innovation Prize (May 11, 2026). [Board announcement](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ai4eyes-announces-expansion-of-board-of-directors-302683778.html?ref=runtimewire) | [CDL and RBCx release](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ai4eyes-graduates-from-creative-destruction-lab-ai--wins-rbcx-innovation-prize-302767349.html?ref=runtimewire) ### What remains unproven AI4Eyes has not disclosed a valuation, revenue, customer count, or regulatory clearance status for the platform. The $700,000 MEDTEQ+ award is tied to real-world evaluation, not a venture round, and the announcement does not specify whether the funding is milestone-based, reimbursed, or structured another way. The company is also leaning on metrics that need outside testing. AI4Eyes says its platform reaches 89%+ accuracy, costs $9,000 per year compared with $17,000 per year for traditional methods, and uses one device instead of three or more. Those claims are useful as a commercial thesis, but they are not a substitute for the real-world evidence the Avise project is meant to generate. Co-founder Daniel Hofmann put it plainly in the release: CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Ile-de-Montreal's involvement is essential to assess how the technology performs in real care settings and how it can support clinicians in delivering better dry eye care. AI4Eyes is starting with dry eye disease and says it plans to expand into myopia and corneal management. The expansion story will be easier to sell if the first module proves that AI4Eyes can compress a cumbersome diagnostic workflow without forcing clinicians to trade speed for confidence.