Waiting months for a simple medical appointment has become a frustrating reality for many patients across Europe. Mirantus Health is changing this narrative by securing €5.5 million to expand its rapid eye screening platform. This Berlin based startup promises to cut wait times from months to just hours by connecting local opticians directly with top specialists using smart technology.
Why Finding an Eye Doctor is Getting Harder
The healthcare system in Germany and neighboring countries is facing a massive challenge right now. We have a growing number of older people who need more medical attention than ever before. At the same time the number of available eye doctors is shrinking at an alarming rate.
Recent data shows a worrying trend regarding the workforce in ophthalmology. Reports indicate that nearly 30 percent of eye doctors in Germany are over 60 years old and nearing retirement. This creates a significant gap in care that is hard to fill quickly.
When you combine an aging population with retiring doctors you get a bottleneck. Patients are stuck in the middle. They often face wait times of several months just to get a routine checkup or to have a worrying symptom looked at. This delay can be dangerous for eye conditions where early detection is vital to saving vision.
The pressure on existing clinics is immense. Doctors are overworked and waiting rooms are overflowing. This is the exact problem Mirantus Health aims to solve with its software platform known as mira.
optician performing digital retinal scan on patient with computer screen
How Mira Connects You with Specialists Faster
The mira platform offers a clever workaround to the bottleneck in clinics. Instead of waiting for an appointment at a specialist office patients can walk into a participating optician store. These are places people already visit for glasses or contact lenses.
Mirantus Health turns these optician shops into low threshold access points for medical screening. The process is simple and uses the high tech equipment opticians already have.
Here is how the process works for a patient:
- Visit an Optician: You go to a local partner store without needing a long lead time.
- Data Collection: The optician performs professional measurements. This includes retinal imaging and checking eye pressure.
- Digital Transfer: The data is securely sent through the mira software to a network of ophthalmologists.
- Rapid Review: A specialist reviews the images and data remotely.
- Fast Results: You receive a report within 24 to 48 hours instead of waiting months.
This system is efficient because it separates data collection from medical analysis. Opticians are experts at handling the machines and taking measurements. Doctors are experts at diagnosing the results. By splitting these tasks the system allows doctors to review far more cases in less time.
The platform covers a wide range of necessary examinations. Opticians using mira can perform slit lamp examinations and visual acuity tests. They also collect refraction data alongside the retinal images.
It is important to note that this report is not a full medical diagnosis. It acts as a highly effective filter. The report tells the patient if everything looks normal or if there are abnormalities that need a closer look. If the doctor spots an issue the patient is referred for immediate follow up care.
Big Names Backing the Vision for Better Vision
Investors are clearly seeing the value in this model. The €5.5 million funding round brought together some major players in the health and tech investment world.
Revent and Redstone led the investment round showing strong confidence in the business model. Other key investors include Entrepreneur First and Noaber. Arve Capital also joined the round to support the growth of this digital health solution.
The funding creates a bridge between traditional capital and industry expertise. The round includes backing from telemedicine pioneers who have built successful health companies before. Kai Eberhardt from Oviva and Katharina Jünger from TeleClinic are among the investors. Their involvement suggests that mira has the potential to become a standard tool in digital healthcare.
These investors understand that digital platforms are the only way to scale healthcare when human resources are limited. Building more clinics takes years but deploying software to existing opticians can happen almost overnight. This scalability is likely what attracted such a diverse group of backers.
The capital injection will primarily fuel expansion. The company needs to improve its software and support a larger network of partners. The goal is to make this service a standard part of eye care in the DACH region which includes Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Expanding Access to Over 1000 Locations Soon
Mirantus Health is already operating at a significant scale. The mira service is currently available at over 200 locations. This is a strong start but the founders have much bigger ambitions for the next few years.
By the year 2027 the company plans to have its service active in more than 1,000 locations. This would put rapid eye screening within easy reach of millions of people across the region.
The expansion plan focuses on the DACH region first. This area has a well developed network of opticians but suffers from the specific doctor shortage mentioned earlier. It is the perfect testing ground for this hybrid model of care.
Expanding the network also means building better connections for follow up care. Mirantus already helps schedule appointments through a network of over 400 ophthalmologists. If a screening picks up an issue the patient is not left alone. The system helps them jump the queue to see a doctor because their case is now proven to be urgent.
This approach saves money for the healthcare system in the long run. Detecting eye diseases like glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy early is much cheaper than treating blindness or advanced vision loss later. It creates a win for the patient and a win for the insurance providers.
The company is positioning itself as a vital layer in the healthcare infrastructure. They are not replacing doctors. They are giving doctors a tool to prioritize patients who really need help while giving peace of mind to everyone else.
With this fresh funding Mirantus Health is ready to reshape how we think about eye exams. No more waiting months in uncertainty. The future of eye care looks faster, smarter and much more accessible.
What do you think about using technology to speed up doctor visits? If you have experienced long wait times for specialists let us know in the comments below. If you believe digital health is the future share this story on social media using #DigitalHealth and tag a friend who hates waiting rooms.
