A new simulator allows patients to experience how their vision will improve before undergoing surgery.
Developed by scientists from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the device enables patients and surgeons to see the effects of an intraocular multifocal lens in a realistic way before it is implanted or experience how their vision will improve after cataract surgery.
"Experiencing vision with a multifocal lens before the surgery is very appealing to reduce uncertainty and to manage expectations," said CSIC researcher Susana Marcos, whose team has spent years developing the SimVis, a lightweight, binocular visual simulator.
Researchers validated the simulator's realism by comparing the visual acuity obtained at different distances through a commercial trifocal lens and through the same lens simulated by a spatial light modulator (another simulating technology) and by SimVis with a group of patients. "The response to multifocality depends on the subjects, but the real trifocal lens and the simulated one offered the same visual response in each patient," said co-researcher María Viñas.
The new simulator can be wirelessly controlled by a mobile application or a tablet which can also track functional tests conducted on each patient, wherever they are.
