The Evolution of Eye Care: How VR is Shaping the Future

The eye care industry is facing a crisis — a growing patient population and a declining number of eye care professionals. The solution? A combination of VR technology and automation.

ccording to the journal Ophthalmology, by 2035 the demand for ophthalmologists is projected to increase by 24%, while the number of ophthalmologists is projected to decrease by 12%. That gap is expected to grow, as 60% of the current optometric workforce is planning to retire within the next decade.

It’s also estimated that up to 60% of existing optometry clinics are understaffed, leading to what is called “dim” (less than 3 days of doctor coverage) or “dark” (zero days of doctor coverage) clinics. These clinics can lose up to $16,000 per week of the practice revenue when there is no doctor present. As a result, optometry and ophthalmology care are evolving to add telehealth appointments, extending the reach and efficiency of remote eye care providers to care for in-clinic patients.

The “too many patients, not enough doctors” crisis in eye care threatens to increase preventable loss of vision and significant financial losses for existing clinics. This trend will only increase with aging populations, sedentary lifestyles, rising chronic eye diseases, decreasing reimbursements, and increasing healthcare costs. — Keith Brock, Chief Product Officer, Heru.

Turning Obstacles into Opportunities

Meet Heru—offering clinically-validated solutions that combine advanced VR technology with AI-powered software to improve efficiency, expand reach, and enhance patient outcomes amid growing demand and declining resources.

Prior to Heru, the remote eye exam consisted of a trained technician collecting all the necessary data required for a comprehensive examination by a remote optometrist. For many elements of the comprehensive eye exam, automation and digitization has enabled entry-level technicians to collect diagnostic data such as the fundus photo, intraocular pressure, and objective refraction. However, there are a handful of ancillary tests such as cover near, cover distance, extraocular motility, and pupils, that require manual collection. In those instances, on-site technicians were asked to collect this data themselves while being recorded or monitored remotely by an optometrist from a web camera. This manual process increased the potential for errors, leading to a decline in the standard of care.

Through pioneering innovation, Heru Prime has completely automated and digitized cover, extraocular motility, and pupil testing [Figure 1]. Now with Heru Prime, remote optometrists have access to highly sensitive and specific, reliable, repeatable and fully digitized ancillary testing for their telehealth evaluation, resulting in best-in-class correlation to the standard of care.

Redefining Eye Care with VR & AI Technology

Born out of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (BPEI), ranked the #1 Eye Hospital in the U.S, Heru has always placed a significant premium on the need for clinical validation. Proven through over 5,000 exams conducted in the BPEI laboratory, Heru has demonstrated best-in-class clinical performance on all testing modalities prior to releasing into production [Figure 2]. Our unique ability to rapidly cycle product prototypes into clinical studies, recruit diverse patients with a variate of diseases ranging from mild to severe, and drive learnings into innovative product solutions is the key to our superior and trusted clinical science.

Heru Prime leverages virtual reality (VR), cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and an interactive virtual technician to enhance the speed and efficiency of data collection. Once the technician fits the headset on the patient, they are free to multitask while the multimodal Heru Prime guides the patient through data collection. The patient is now able to sit comfortably while immersed in a supportive and interactive testing environment complete with instruction and attentive mediation when the patient needs assistance.

Heru continues to innovate around the evolving needs of the doctor, technician and patient to ensure every interaction with the Heru Prime results in a state-of-the-art comprehensive eye exam. Features like EyeStream™ empower the technician to fit the headset to the patient’s head with confidence and allows the technician to view the patient’s eyes in real time during testing [Figure 3].

RealView™ provides IR video exam data with every Pupil, Cover, and EOM exam, enabling remote doctors to practice with confidence, eliminate retests, and provide a unique educational opportunity for patients [Figure 4].

The Road Ahead

The eye care industry stands at a critical juncture due to projected shortages of Eye Care Professionals (ECPs) and emerging global health trends. This impending crisis is shifting the way eye care is practiced, with virtual reality (VR) emerging as a transformative solution.

The benefits are democratized, high-quality eye care accessible to all; while geographic limitations, time constraints, and the scarcity of specialized professionals become opportunities instead of obstacles. As we look to the future of using VR in eye care, the benefits are real:

• Enhanced Efficiency: Ability to serve more patients without compromising quality.
• Expanded Reach: Telehealth capabilities extend eye care services to underserved populations and remote areas.
• Improved Outcomes: Early detection and continuous monitoring of eye conditions become possible through standardized testing and reduced retests.
• Patient Education: Increased accessibility to professional-grade examinations encourages proactive eye health management and elevates the ECP.

The use of VR technology is poised to mitigate the impact of professional shortages, address the challenges posed by aging populations and increasing chronic eye diseases, and potentially improve visual health outcomes on a global scale. The evolution of eye care through VR technology represents a pivotal moment in healthcare innovation. As this technology continues to advance and integrate into mainstream practice, it promises to reshape the landscape of eye care. The future is here, and the time is now.

Schedule a demo today to learn more about how Heru can transform your private practice or telehealth solutions.