Ocutrx’s Oculenz Advances from AR Headset to Full Surgery Visualization Theatre

Ocutrx Vision Technologies, the maker of augmented-extended reality (AR/XR) glasses that provide a new surgical viewing experience for retinal surgeons and patients, said it is launching new technology that provides modern options for surgery visualization.

The Ocutrx OR-Bot Surgery Visualization Theatre will be unveiled at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) to be held virtually May 16 and 17. Ocutrx has a ‘virtual’ booth at the event.

“It’s an exciting day for our company as we move into the full surgery visualization theatre,” Thomas A. Finley, MD, head of the Ocutrx Medial Advisory Board, said in a company news release. “Surgeons have been hindered by equipment that is not ergonomically sound. The resulting discomfort is not only bad during the surgery, but potentially the next day, and can result in an unexpected early retirement. With our new OR-Bots, we will be able to offer surgeons a comfortable, lightweight and ergonomically sound solution to better perform some of the most exacting procedures in modern medicine.”

Ocutrx said the OR-Bot’s all-digital system offers three unique visualization options depending on the surgeon’s preference. The first is the new ORLenz augmented reality surgery headset featuring: (1) a surgery view with augmented virtual patient and operating tool information; (2) the choice of using an autostereoscopic “3D glasses-free” 3D 8K display monitor positioned directly in front of the surgeon; or (3) viewing the surgery through a microscope-like VR viewing station positioned on one of the OR-Bot’s robotic arms. Each of these surgery visualization choices provide a full 4K resolution to the surgeon’s eyes. Additionally, called “cobotic” by Ocutrx, the OR-Bot’s arms are both human and robotic controlled so doctors will be able to move the device’s gravity compensated 6-axis arms with only a slight touch while using voice commands or foot pedal to engage and position the VR microscope or cameras on the arms.

“With our new cobotic OR-Bot, we’ll be able to offer surgeons several comfortable, lightweight and ergonomically sound solutions to better perform these delicate ophthalmic procedures with faster-surgery set-up and turn around,” said Michael H. Freeman, CEO/CTO of Ocutrx.

Many current ophthalmic surgery systems provide poor ergonomics, which has been found in a recent American Academy of Ophthalmology survey to cause pain in nearly half the surgeons surveyed, including 15 percent who have to have surgery themselves, and 7 percent who were forced to cut their careers short due to ergonomic-related pains in their back, neck and/or shoulders, according to Ocutrx.

“The OR-Bot solves a number of space constraints facing surgeons currently by separating the camera from the standard optical microscope (SOM) and reducing the size of equipment in the operative field,” Linda Lam, MD, MBA, Octurx CMO, said in the news release.

The OR-Bot’s Lenticular Autostereoscopic 8K 3D “glasses-free” monitor allows surgeons, nurses, techs, and students to view surgery in the operating room along with the surgeon. Current systems require surgeons to turn their heads or crane-around equipment to view a TV screen while operating, which creates ergonomic challenges and surgeon discomfort. Also, the 3D glasses used with current systems block either 50% or 100% of the visual light as they alternate, meaning that the view to the surgeon is dramatically dimmed. For the first time, with the OR-Bot’s 8K monitor, surgeons will get a full, true 4K 3D resolution per-eye without the use of 3D glasses. This technology works by unique lenses which display two sets of the same image – one to the left eye and one to the right eye – which the brain puts together and interprets as one 3D image.

“The ORLenz Surgery AR headset has the highest resolution the eye can see, being 60 pixels per degree at 20/20,” said Mitchael C. Freeman, COO of Ocutrx, “The headset receives 4K feed from surgery cameras with less than 10-millisecond delay, which is as fast as an HDMI cable, to ensure the surgeon doesn’t lose any critical visual information. The ORLenz also touts the widest field of view (120 degrees), is the lightest weight on the market (250 grams), and is wireless, which will aid in creating more comfortable surgeries and allow the surgeon to change positions while the 3D hologram surgery image stays always directly in front of the surgeon’s eyes.”

The ASCRS meeting is being held virtually this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Ocutrx representatives will be continually active and accessible through their digital “booth.”

To learn more about Ocutrx and its products, visit the company’s online magazine.