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NEI funding supports trial of virtual reality glaucoma detection device
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SAN FRANCISCO — A clinical study of NGoggle, a virtual reality device that aims to detect glaucoma, will begin at Duke University, according to a press release from the National Eye Institute, which is funding the investigation.
A head-mounted virtual reality device that uses light to stimulate targeted areas in a patient’s visual field, the NGoggle has the potential to be used in multiple environments including a doctor’s office, a patient’s home or community centers.
“It’s a portable and accessible way of assessing visual function, all done in an objective way,” Felipe A. Medeiros, MD, PhD, co-founder of NGoggle Inc., told Healio.com/OSN at the Glaucoma 360: New Horizons Forum.
The device is integrated with wireless electroencephalography to measure brain activity, allowing patients to be tested for glaucoma while playing a virtual reality-based video game or exploring a virtual art gallery, the release said.
Funding to study the NGoggle is provided through an NEI Small Business Technology Transfer grant.
“This grant will allow us to really refine and improve our device,” Medeiros said. “Our device was a prototype modification of an existing commercial virtual reality goggles. Now with this funding, it allows us to develop our own device with specific targets to assess visual function.”
Initial cross-sectional studies are planned, with a hope for funding to conduct longitudinal studies in the future, he added. – by Rebecca L. Forand
Disclosure: Medeiros reports he is the co-founder of NGoggle Inc.