Eye surveillance can speed up the early diagnosis of neurological, eye or degenerative diseases for up to 10 years
It is now possible to intervene on patients without using hands or to supervise operations remotely by specialized medical teams between hospitals around the world
Gesture recognition or eye tracking allows medical personnel to access information on a computer during any non-invasive intervention
Healthcare technology has an annual turnover of 7,960 million euros
Technology surprises every day with applications that seem to have been taken from science fiction, but great progress has been made in recent years, moving them from futuristic to real technology, which are applied from day to day. Over the past year, research has accelerated and the fundamental role technology plays for the health of the population, for the functioning of the medical system and for society in general has been highlighted. It has been shown to be a highly effective tool, playing an important role in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of pathologies, as well as in the efficient management of medical spaces and processes. We must exploit the full potential that this industry can bring to society, and that is because the health technology sector is a driver of the economy, with an annual turnover of € 7,960 million (1).
It is therefore not surprising that it is estimated worldwide that the touchless market will reach a turnover of 13,000 million euros by 2025 (2) and that 50% of applications include at least one type of touchless experience, such as the look, voice, gestures or virtual reality or augmented reality in two years (3).
‘It’s not science fiction. The technology enables endless impactful healthcare applications in the lives of patients and the capabilities of medical personnel. However, it is essential that researchers have access to these technologies to explore and develop their full potential in healthcare. Technology companies should make their devices and developments available free of charge to healthcare personnel and institutions to enable substantial progress. From Irisbond we are promoting various initiatives in this regard and we have already transferred our technology and devices to various research centers in pilot projects of various kinds, ”said Eduardo Jáuregui, CEO of Irisbond.
That is why the Spanish company Irisbond highlights 5 technological applications that are revolutionizing medicine.
Early diagnosis of diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s
It is extremely effective in the diagnosis of neurological, degenerative or vision diseases; as well as the treatment of many ailments for both the elderly and children. It has been discovered that the use of eye-tracking technology can accelerate the diagnosis of diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or dementia by as much as 10 years, significantly improving recovery and treatment, as well as a change in the patient’s quality of life. This application is especially important given the advancing aging of today’s society, which is a global challenge for medicine. See work published in 2019 (4)
Eyetracking offers enormous potential for neurology, with this technology vital neurophysiological data can be obtained from the elderly population on a daily basis, facilitating diagnosis, prognosis and follow-up. The same is true for diseases such as dyslexia, where technology supports the assessment of cognitive impairment.
Remote control
In the operating room, time and precision reign, so touchless technologies such as gesture recognition or eye tracking are already being used to access information on a computer in any non-invasive intervention. This is the case, for example, with operations with orthopedic implants or cardiovascular devices. It becomes possible to manage information and analysis in real time about what is seen during an operation. So doctors could use a history of information to make decisions on the spot, using references to previous similar operations.
Also, and more spectacularly, artificial intelligence solutions allow teams of medical specialists to accompany others in hospitals thousands of miles away during operations. As an example, we can find the one performed by Dr. Antonio de Lacy at the Mobile World Congress 2019 that became the first remote surgical procedure thanks to 5G technology.
Supported communication technology for patients with disabilities
One of the first developments in this technology was aimed at improving the quality of life of people with varying degrees of disability. Known as assisted communication technology, it allows the patient to communicate freely and autonomously with his environment, giving him freedom and independence. For example, patients with severe neuromotor impairment, with severe involvement of both upper limbs and inability to communicate orally or in writing, predominantly patients with ALS, basilar artery thrombosis, infantile cerebral palsy, head trauma and pontine myelinolysis. In the Government Gazette of April 27, 2019, the expansion of the National Health System’s service portfolio was announced, with the total grant for eye readers announced from January 2020. the Generalitat Valenciana, which awarded the first tender for the supply of ocular devices to Irisbond for being the pioneer company in assistive technologies with the first 100% Spanish manufacturing and development software for eye tracking. This system includes the eye reader, computer software, patient and / or caregiver training and care, as well as all installation and after-sales services. Eye readers allow the patient to operate any device with his eyes. In combination with accessible communication programs, the patient can express himself autonomously with his environment, as he can, among other things, speak via virtual keyboards and synthesized voice, surf the Internet, use his social networks or even learn to read and write. This significantly improves the person’s quality of life and self-esteem.
Improvement and efficiency of doctor-patient communication
The pandemic has emphasized the importance of technology for contamination prevention and accelerated its widespread adoption. In fact, a global WHO survey found that during the first months of the pandemic – between March and June 2020 – 90% of countries experienced disruptions in their essential health services. In particular, emergency services were interrupted in almost a quarter, the treatment of mental disorders with 61% and the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in 55%, with devastating consequences. Among other things, touchless technologies enable toilets to operate remotely, identifying the relevant distance measures and also avoiding unnecessary movements.
The use of video conferencing for medical consultations is becoming more and more extensive, which has, among other things, relieved the burden on the first instance health system. Pilots are also being conducted to develop communication solutions between doctor and patient in situations where verbal communication is not possible, such as in ICUs and with intubated patients.
Do not touch surfaces to minimize contamination
Undoubtedly, hospitals are critical areas for infecting disease. And it is that, given the widespread use of technology in hospitals, interacting in these spaces through non-contact technology can be helpful in reducing the risk of contamination.
In the United States, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) cause 99,000 attributable deaths and cost $ 6.5 trillion a year. In Europe, they represent 16 million additional days of hospitalization, 37,000 attributable deaths and 7 billion euros in costs per year (5).
Today, ‘zero contact’ technology already makes it possible to avoid unnecessary interaction with many surfaces, thanks to eye tracking, voice or motion commands. In concrete terms, it is now possible to communicate with the screens, to facilitate access to information, to call the elevators at a glance or to activate the opening or closing of entrances.
(1) Data from Fenin (Spanish Federation of Healthcare Technology Companies) for 2019
(2) Gesture and touchless detection market by technology (touch-based and touchless), product (sanitary, touchless biometric), type (online, offline) industry and geography – global forecast to 2025
(3) Research conducted by Gartner
(4) Oyama, A., Takeda, S., Ito, Y. et al. Novel method for rapid assessment of cognitive impairment using high-performance eye-tracking technology. Sci Rep 9, 12932 (2019).
(5) World Health Organization. Report on the burden of endemic healthcare-associated infections worldwide. Geneva: WHO, 2011.
About Irisbond – It is a Basque technology company founded by engineer Eduardo Jáuregui in 2013. As a pioneer in assistive technologies, Irisbond bases its solutions on years of R&D. Irisbond’s advanced software algorithms, based on artificial intelligence, capture eye movements and translate them into precise movements within a screen. This gives everyone natural, intuitive and hands-free access to all information; creating a new way of interacting with our environment through eye tracking technologies. The technology has been developed for use in diverse fields such as mobile devices, automobiles, smart homes, robotics, science, healthcare and manufacturing.