3D system to improve retinal surgery

According to Alcon, the NGENUITY 3D visualisation syst allows retinal surgeons to operate while looking at a high-definition 3D screen, instead of bending their necks to look through the eye-piece of a microscope.“Traditional vitrectomy surgeries range from 30 minutes to over three hours in length to complete,” a company statent explained. “[The syst’s] microscope-free design is engineered to improve surgeons’ posture and may reduce fatigue.”{{quote-A:R-W:500-I:2-Q: The easier it is for surgeons to perform these long, delicate surgeries, the better they can perform for our patients who count on us to provide th with the best possible care. -WHO:Dr Allen Ho, professor of ophthalmology at the Thomas Jefferson University}}NGENUITY’s 3D view is said to offer surgeons depth perception not previously available on standard television monitors, which are often used in the operation theatre.Surgeons may also increase magnification while maintaining a wide field of view, and use digital filters to customise their view during each procedure, highlighting ocular structures and tissue layers, which is imperative for visualising the back of the eye.Dr Allen Ho, professor of ophthalmology at the Thomas Jefferson University and director of retina research at the Wills Eye Hospital in the US, said the digital platform offered more than enhanced visualisation.“It will impact our therapies and the way we manipulate tissue,” he said. “The easier it is for surgeons to perform these long, delicate surgeries, the better they can perform for our patients who count on us to provide th with the best possible care.”The syst has also been designed to facilitate collaboration and teaching in the operating room; its panoramic surgical view allows the operating team to see exactly what the surgeon is seeing in real-time.The syst was launched in the US and selected European countries last month and is expected to be available in Japan in Decber. Alcon indicated that the syst would be released in “other countries” over the course of 2017, however the company had not confirmed whether Australia was included in this group by the time of publication.