Industry News

Eyesi Milan

Haag-Streit invited delegates at the annual ESCRS Congress in Milan to attend a “Cataract Surgery Virtual Reality (VR) Training Experience”, and get some hands-on experience with the Eyesi Surgical Simulator. The 20-minute training experience allows delegates to see the surgical field in stereo and high resolution while operating with life-like surgical instruments. Delegates first perform initial warm-up tasks that train hand-eye coordination and microsurgical skill, without involving any pathologies, as an introduction to the simulator. Once warmed up, delegates can perform cataract procedures such as capsulorhexis, hydro manoeuvres, phaco divide-and-conquer, irrigation and aspiration, and IOL implantation. Participants received evaluation scores after the Congress.

www.haag-streit.com

NEWS IN BRIEF

LENSAR’S ALLY ENTERS THE CLINIC

Following the US FDA approval of its ALLY Adaptive Cataract Treatment System in June, Lensar announced the clinical launch, with the performance of the first commercial cases in the US. The ALLY system integrates its proprietary imaging technology with an optimised femtosecond laser in a compact system. The integrated system allows the surgeon to perform the entire cataract procedure in an operating room or in-office surgical suite, increasing efficiency and decreasing costs. ALLY includes the company’s proprietary Streamline® software technology. The system uses advanced astigmatic management tools to improve accuracy and precision. Performing the cataract procedure in a single, sterile setting reduces the overall time and improves both the patient and surgeon experience, the company believes. lensar.com/technology/ally-adaptivecataract-treatment-system

HEIDELBERG APPWAY

Also in Milan, Heidelberg Engineering launched AppWay, an AI-powered software app. The company says the app is a “novel gateway solution for secure data exchange that will allow seamless access to ophthalmic ‘apps’ that aid clinical decisionmaking.” The company has partnered with the AI companies RetInSight and RetinAI to provide eyecare specialists with AI software systems that support retinal diagnostics and therapeutic monitoring. The app is embedded into the image management platform HEYEX 2, and is designed to provide an innovative workflow solution. This solution facilitates seamless exchange of ophthalmic image data with AI-driven analysis services to deliver additional clinical insights and treatment monitoring tools for enhanced patient care, the company said. For example, clinicians in any practice or clinic can send routine images from their SPECTRALIS platform to the cloud service for a detailed, AI-powered analysis of disease activity and therapeutic benefits. While the patient is still present, the surgeon receives a concise Fluid Monitor report indicating fluid type, distribution, and quantity—in a completely secure, encrypted environment.

“This seamless workflow provides clinicians with easy access to fluid parameters—the most important biomarkers in the routine monitoring of patients with nAMD,” says Professor Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth, Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. www.heidelbergengineering.com