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Home virtual reality system treats binocular vision problems
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CHICAGO – Vivid Vision introduced a home version of its virtual reality therapy system for patients with amblyopia, strabismus and convergence insufficiency, here at the American Academy of Optometry meeting.
Tuan Tran, OD, chief of optometry for the company, explained at an academy-sponsored press conference that patients are first evaluated with the Vivid Vision clinical system to establish baseline findings, then the doctor prescribes the hardware for the home system, and patients activate the software through the company’s website.
Tran said Vivid Vision was started 4 years ago by James Blaha, who was born with strabismus and amblyopia.
“He got down to 20/25 visual acuity with training with Vivid Vision,” Tran said.
He explained that virtual reality is used to manipulate images between the two eyes.
“We refer patients over to clinics with our device, with more than 10,000 organic patient sign-ups, representing tens of millions of dollars in potential revenue,” Tran said.
He noted that the price for the hardware has dropped significantly.
Vivid Vision Home will support headsets such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Android-based devices such as the GearVR and Google DayDream, according to a company press release.
Tran noted that Vivid Vision is conducting research in conjunction with the University of California – San Francisco and Berkeley, the State University of New York and the University of Geneva. – by Nancy Hemphill, ELS, FAAO
Disclosure: Tran is chief of optometry for Vivid Vision.