DIAGNOS Inc. announced the launch of "IRIS-ai powered by DIAGNOS" by IRIS, The Visual Group, in partnership with DIAGNOS. For over two years, IRIS and DIAGNOS have joined forces to advance and combine technological innovations and provide front-line clinical experience to improve patient care through early detection and follow-up of various ocular diseases, with the training of DIAGNOS algorithms and with the help of annotations from 30 IRIS optometrists. A total of 14,000 patients across Quebec were screened, generating a comprehensive databank with images of patients across the province, reflecting the diversity of patients in Quebec.

Under the Quebec Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy's INVEST-AI initiative, a pilot program was submitted by the two partners in 2020, followed by a subsidy to adapt the AI technology in a commercial context one year later. Participating IRIS optometrists contributed their clinical expertise by validating the analyses of the algorithms, ensuring their relevance and accuracy. IRIS-ai is currently being deployed in all of Quebec and will be gradually introduced to all 150 stores in the rest of Canada.