Leica Microsystems has upgraded its Leica M320 F12 ENT surgical microscope with a new multifocal objective lens and a 1080p HD video camera.
The new lens allows surgeons performing ear, nose, and throat procedures to change the working distance between 200 mm and 300 mm from the surgical site without having to move the microscope. The cam (Read more...)
Last year we covered a new smartphone-based eye exam system that was being tested in Kenya as an alternative to traditional, costlier equipment. The PEEK (Portable Eye Examination Kit) combines the power of a smartphone, including its camera and flash, with a 3D printed clip-on adapter that makes taking eye exams a snap. Here’s Andrew Bastawr (Read more...)
A number of eye conditions can make a person to lose the ability to change the shape of the lens, also known as loss of accommodation. People with presbyopia and those that get traditional intraocular lenses for cataracts suffer from this frustrating condition. A new lens developed by PowerVision, a company out of Belmont, California, aims to resto (Read more...)
Researchers at Stanford University have developed two new smartphone attachments that allow imaging of the eye that would normally done with large, bulky instruments. Ophthalmologists imaging the anterior segment of the eye (cornea, iris, ciliary body, lens) use slit lamp instruments that shine a bright flat beam of light onto the eye in combi (Read more...)
The FDA issued approval to FCI Ophthalmics (Pembroke, MA) for the OphtaCath lacrimal duct balloon catheter, a device used to dilate the lacrimal duct for treatment of epiphora, or excessive tears in the eyes.
Available in 2mm or 3mm sizes, and a delivery device that uses one or two balloon catheters, the OphtaCath provides an incisionless and (Read more...)
Eye conditions like glaucoma and macular degeneration are best treated when spotted early, but often they go undiagnosed until symptoms appear because the instruments used to detect them are in an ophthalmologist’s office, not your primary care physician’s. A team at MIT has developed a hand-held device that can quickly, and with a sing (Read more...)
The doctor is always curious whether you have been taking your medication, and some drugs are more difficult to administer than others. Numerous ways have already been put to practice to ensure medication compliance, but now another innovation is significantly closer to practical realization: drug-eluting contact lenses to ensure prolonged delivery (Read more...)
A modern child growing up in today’s gadget-filled world is photographed nearly all day long by parents who must capture every precious moment that time would otherwise eat up. Conveniently, a basic camera with a flash can also help spot retinoblastoma, a malignant cancer that, like others, is easier to treat if diagnosed early. Professi (Read more...)
Avedro (Boston, MA) received CE Mark clearance in Europe for its KXL II System that’s used for Accelerated Cross-linking and PiXL (Photorefractive Intrastromal Cross-linking) procedures for treatment of myopia.
“As one of the first KXL II clinical sites, we experienced the amazing capabilities of customized accelerated c (Read more...)
Surgical microscopes now offer 3D capabilities, but to see the images one had to use a separate cart with a 3D screen and related equipment on it. Now Leica Microsystems is releasing a couple new microscopes with with TrueVision (Santa Barbara, CA) 3D technology built right in.
The new Leica M720 OH5 and Leica M525 OH4 models stream (Read more...)
Glaucoma is a progressive eye disease that eventually causes blindness and has no true cure. Yet, early detection of glaucoma offers options to slow down its development, but too many people notice symptoms much too late for effective therapy. Intraocular pressure sensing is currently the go-to method, but it’s not effective for screening the (Read more...)
In large part due to 2009′s Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, there has been a proliferation of electronic medical record systems. Many of the largest providers, such as Johns Hopkins and Kaiser Permanente, have seen a consolidation onto large systems like Epic, while many small to middle-sized provi (Read more...)
Smartphone camera quality may sound like a first world issue, but camera-equipped cell phones may be the key to treating the eyes of over 250 million people with visual impairments who live in third world countries. A new application called PEEK (Portable Eye Examination Kit) puts a number of standard tests on a standard smartphone. The phone&rsquo (Read more...)
Critically elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) represents the important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with intracranial pathology, but measuring it has long been a problem because doing it effectively has required invasive methods that are not exactly practical on the sidelines of a football field or by a bedside.
Third Eye Diagnost (Read more...)
Smart contact lenses are no longer science fiction. In the last few years we have covered several smart contact lenses with different purposes. One of these electronic contact lenses is the Sensimed Triggerfish, a device capable of continuous measurement of the intra-ocular pressure (IOP). It is the first of its kind, since current measurement (Read more...)
Infrared ear thermometers, cordless vacuum cleaners, and memory foam mattresses are all products you’ll likely find around your home. But these three household items also had their beginnings in space, assisting astronauts in exploring the final frontier.
The latest space technology spinoff comes from the engineers at the UK Astronomy Technol (Read more...)
Germany’s Retina Implant AG has received European regulatory approval to begin offering its Alpha IMS implant for restoration of moderate sight in people blinded due to retinitis pigmentosa. The system essentially replaces the function of the retina, capturing light on a 3×3 mm wireless microchip that has a 1500 pixel resolution, and st (Read more...)
People with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) experience progressive vision loss in parts of their retinas. Typically, either specialty glasses or surgically implanted telescopic lenses are used to project images to the healthy parts of the retina. The glasses are uncomfortable and look goofy, resembling ones surgeons use with telescopes protr (Read more...)
Today’s ophthalmic surgeons continue to rely on on bulky, manually operated tools that can be quite invasive while being limited as to what can be done with them. Lasers offer precision, but they’re not applicable in many situations because of the potential of damage to the eye.
A research team at the Swiss science and technology instit (Read more...)
Retinal prostheses have the potential to bring sight to people that would otherwise stay blind for the rest of their lives due to retinal degenerative disease. While the basics of the technology are getting ironed out, the issues of delivering power to an implant and interfacing it with an external camera remain. Wires penetrating the skin can get (Read more...)