Mobility improvement of patients with peripheral visual field losses using novel see-through digital spectacles

Digital health and wearable devices for retinal disease monitoring

Digital health is wielding a growing influence across all areas of healthcare, encompassing various facets such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence (AI), and electronic healthcare records. In Ophthalmology, digital health innovations can be broadly divided into four categories: (i) self-monitoring home devices and apps, (ii) virtual and augmented reality visual aids, (iii) AI software, and (iv) wearables. Wearable devices can work in the background, collecting large amounts of objective data while we do our day-to-day activities, which may be ecologically more valid and meaningful to patients than that acquired in traditional hospital settings. They can be a watch, wristband, piece of clothing, glasses, cane, smartphone in our pocket, earphones, or any other device with a sensor that we carry with us. Focusing on retinal diseases, a key challenge in developing novel therapeutics has been to prove a meaningful benefit in patients' lives and the creation of objective patient-centred endpoints in clinical trials. In this review, we will discuss wearable devices collecting different aspects of visual behaviour, visual field, central vision, and functional vision, as well as their potential implementation as outcome measures in research/clinical trial settings. The healthcare landscape is facing a paradigm shift. Clinicians have a key role of collaborating with the development and fine-tuning of digital health innovations, as well as identifying opportunities where they can be leveraged to enhance our understanding of retinal diseases and improve patient outcomes.

Wearable Travel Aids for Blind and Partially Sighted People: A Review with a Focus on Design Issues

The ability to travel (independently) is very important for participation in education, work, leisure activities, and all other aspects of modern life. Blind and partially sighted people experience a number of barriers to travel, including inaccessible information and environments, and consequently require support from technology or other people to overcome them. Despite the potential of advanced technologies and the development of electronic travel aids, the long cane and guide dog remains the most commonly used solutions. Wearable technologies are becoming increasingly popular. They have the particular advantage of keeping the hands free, thereby facilitating the use of a long cane, guide dog or another device at the same time. They also have the potential to change the ways in which users interact with the environment. The main contributions of this paper are surveying the current state-of-the-art of travel aids from a design perspective and investigating the following issues: (1) The important design issues in wearable travel aids and the extent to which they are taken into account in different devices; (2) The relationship, if any, between where and how travel aids are worn and their design, features and functions; (3) Limitations of existing devices, gaps in provision and future research directions, particularly with regard to meeting potential users' needs.

Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Game Technologies in Ophthalmology Training

Ophthalmology is a medical profession with a tradition in teaching that has developed throughout history. Although ophthalmologists are generally considered to only prescribe contact lenses, and they handle more than half of eye-related enhancements, diagnoses, and treatments. The training of qualified ophthalmologists is generally carried out under the traditional settings, where there is a supervisor and a student, and training is based on the use of animal eyes or artificial eye models. These models have significant disadvantages, as they are not immersive and are extremely expensive and difficult to acquire. Therefore, technologies related to Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are rapidly and prominently positioning themselves in the medical sector, and the field of ophthalmology is growing exponentially both in terms of the training of professionals and in the assistance and recovery of patients. At the same time, it is necessary to highlight and analyze the developments that have made use of game technologies for the teaching of ophthalmology and the results that have been obtained. This systematic review aims to investigate software and hardware applications developed exclusively for educational environments related to ophthalmology and provide an analysis of other related tools. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages, limitations, and challenges involved in the use of virtual reality, augmented reality, and game technologies in this field are also presented.

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Ophthalmology: A Contemporary Prospective

PURPOSE

Most published systematic reviews have focused on the use of virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR) technology in ophthalmology as it relates to surgical training. To date, this is the first review that investigates the current state of VR/AR technology applied more broadly to the entire field of ophthalmology.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL databases were searched systematically from January 2014 through December 1, 2020. Studies that discussed VR and/or AR as it relates to the field of ophthalmology and provided information on the technology used were considered. Abstracts, non-peer-reviewed literature, review articles, studies that reported only qualitative data, and studies without English translations were excluded.

RESULTS

A total of 77 studies were included in this review. Of these, 28 evaluated the use of VR/AR in ophthalmic surgical training/assessment and guidance, 7 in clinical training, 23 in diagnosis/screening, and 19 in treatment/therapy. 15 studies used AR, 61 used VR, and 1 used both. Most studies focused on the validity and usability of novel technologies.

CONCLUSIONS

Ophthalmology is a field of medicine that is well suited for the use of VR/AR. However, further longitudinal studies examining the practical feasibility, efficacy, and safety of such novel technologies, the cost-effectiveness, and medical/legal considerations are still needed. We believe that time will indeed foster further technological advances and lead to widespread use of VR/AR in routine ophthalmic practice.