Swiss health startup Vivior has developed a wearable device to objectively measure patients’ behavioural data to optimise intraocular lens (IOL) choice.
Collecting daily activity data from patients, the Vivior Monitor analyses a patient’s lifestyle patterns using machine-learning algorithms, so cataract and refractive surgeons and optometrists don’t have to rely solely on patients’ subjective accounts of visual needs, said New Zealand distributor Toomac Ophthalmic’s Ian MacFarlane, adding it has the potential to be a real game changer. “We all embellish our health concerns one way or the other. If I go to my ophthalmic surgeon and they ask me what my normal day is like, I might say I start the morning off with a jog, play golf mid-morning and do some reading in the evening… sounds nice and healthy. In reality, I might be a gamer sitting in front of a computer screen all day. The Vivior Monitor is going to show me up and give a far more accurate and objective analysis for the specialist!”
The device consists of sensors measuring distance, ambient light and colour, an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a magnetometer, and can be worn on prescription or plano glasses. The recorded data are uploaded to the cloud when the system is returned for analysis. The sensor data are then converted into patient behavioural data, providing the ophthalmologist with intuitive visual reports for the pre-op planning discussion with the patient.
