Google, Epson and the Future of Electric Eyes

Photos: University of Washington

The future of eyewear is here, and it looks a lot like the stuff of science fiction. Out of labs all over the world, computers and eyewear are being combined for truly online living. While in sci-fi movies, robots have the edge with computer read outs in the vision lines, humanity is now getting their chance to integrate reality and virtual reality through visual tools.

The most recent development, HUD glasses (Heads-Up Display), are making their appearance in the consumer market. Google recently announced its Google’s tech fantasy lab, Google X recently announced Project Glass, a mobile unit intended to provide augmented reality in the form of anything from street directions to weather forecasts and cameras projected to the wearer’s view. Google X Glasses are expected to come out by year’s end, notes blogger at 9TO5Google, Seth Weintraub, but reports on the products’ arrival to the market vary from Weintraub’s soon to Tecca’s prediction that it needs more testing.  The glasses are expected to provide more of a “Terminator” experience with data flashing up in the corner of one lens in a chunky geek chic frame. Using a front-facing camera, the glasses will be able to take pictures, shoot video, and will be navigable using a head tilt to scroll or click.

The first techno horse out of the gate for consumers is Epson’s Moverio BT-100. The see-through display allows wears to watch movies projected from the eyewear and simultaneously see the world beyond as well. Powered through Android, the devices look like sunglasses, the see through eyewear is actually a display for or  downloaded digital content on what company representatives describe as a virtual “80-inch perceived ‘floating’ display into the user’s environment for browsing the web,  playing games, watching videos, and interacting with content privately, while still allowing the user to experience and see the real world.”

While the bells and whistles are amazing and offer fun, interesting applications, pumped up optical technology isn’t going to end there. Research labs all over the world are exploring Natural User Interface (NUI) technology.

Mirosoft and the University of Washington are currently developing contact lenses that will track glucose levels in the eye fluids of diabetes patients. Glucose sensors will upload data wireless to an app or monitor, ending the need to test blood through needles several times a day.

In a brief on the project, “The Functional Contact Lens Monitors Blood Sugar Without Needles,” Desney Tan senior researcher at Microsoft Research notes that the concept has opened a whole world of possibilities for contact lens use. “I’m walking through the hallways of this building—you could overlay directions; an arrow on the floor that guides me around the building,” Tan said. “Walking through the grocery store, personalized health information could appear on the items I select. I might see recipes that are useful in managing my health or I may be directed towards alternative options. The possibilities are endless if you are open to them.”

Other contact lens technology possibilities from the University of Washington, says Babak A. Parviz in a story from IEEE Spectrum  include translators, information feeds for the hearing impaired, and even gaming.

Thank goodness that self-driving cars are coming into play—people are going to be too busy watching their displays to be watching the road!

Portuguese soccer star, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Nike optical style NK7211!

Google tests 'smart' contact lenses for diabetes

Google is testing prototypes of a smart contact lens for people with diabetes. Using micro sensors and circuitry built into the soft shell, the smart lenses measure glucose levels in the tears of the wearer. 

 

The US web giant made the announcement in its blog on Thursday (January 16), with project co-founders Brian Otis and Babak Parviz stating that they are in preliminary talks with the US regulatory body for medicines (the Federal Drugs Administration) to take the prototype further.

 

The developers have plans to expand the project and say that incorporating an LED could be used to provide an early warning system if glucose concentrations stray beyond healthy levels.

 

Currently, the standard daily practice for those living with the condition involves pricking the skin to measure sugar levels in the blood, but the smart lenses could provide a less invasive method.

 

The technology could potentially be combined with a smartphone app to monitor the wearer’s glucose levels, and potentially remind them of meal times or alerting them to high or low levels.

 

An estimated 3 million people in the UK are thought to have diabetes, with the more common type 2 form accounting for around 90%. It is expected to become more prevalent in the UK, and the World Health Organization predicts that it will become the seventh leading cause of death globally by 2030.

 

In a statement on the Diabetes UK website, Simon O’Neil, director of health intelligence, said: “...we welcome any investment in new technology that might one day have the potential to make this easier for people, or to offer them choice.”

 

There are currently no details of timelines or how much the smart lenses might cost.

Theratears Nutrition - Pflugfelder confirms Omega 3 beneficial in Dry Eye patients

According to a study published in the journal Cornea, daily supplementation with a combination of omega-3 fatty acids for six months improves ocular irritation symptoms and halts the progression of inflammation characteristic of moderate-to-severe dry eye,.

Stephen Pflugfelder, professor of ophthalmology and James and Margaret Elkins chair at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and his team evaluated the effect of a supplement containing both gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on postmenopausal patients with tear dysfunction. This research study reinforces the findings of earlier works by people such as Gilbard et al whose studies showed that an optimised mix of fish and flax oil, Theratears Nutrition, both improved meibomian secretions and reduced inflammation in Dry Eye.

A total of 38 patients were included in the study and randomly assigned to receive the supplement or a placebo for six months. Disease parameters including Ocular Surface Disease Index, Schirmer test, tear breakup time, conjunctival fluorescein and lissamine green staining and topographic corneal smoothness indexes were assessed after four, 12 and 24 weeks and compared to the start of the study.

The researchers found that the Ocular Surface Disease Index score significantly improved with supplementation and was significantly lower than the placebo after six months. The surface asymmetry index was also significantly lower in supplement-treated patients than those receiving the placebo. Supplementation was also found to suppress ocular surface inflammation.

“Prior to this study, clinical evidence showing that nutritional supplements were beneficial in treating dry eye was scarce,” said Mr Pflugfelder. “Within three months, the group treated with theOmega 3 supplement showed statistically significant improvements in irritation symptoms of dry eye, and no progression of ocular surface inflammation or corneal irregularity. The placebo group’s dry eye symptoms actually worsened over the six-month testing period.”

He added: “While the trial studied post-menopausal women, the largest group of dry eye sufferers, we think the benefits of Omega 3 supplementation should apply to other populations suffering from dry eye since inflammation is believed to be a common thread in dry eye.”

Oraya therapy reduces need for anti-VEGF injections in wet AMD

Results of Oraya Threaperutics’ INTREPID study show that a single does of Oraya Therapy significantly reduces the need for anti-VEGF injections for patients with wet AMD.

 

The study, which was published online in the journal Opthalmology this month (April 18), enrolled a total of 230 patients from 21 sites across five European countries. The investigators evaluated the effectiveness and safety of Oraya Therapy – a one-time radiation therapy – in conjunction with as-needed anti-VEGF injections.

 

The researchers reported that patients who had previously been treated with anti-VEGF for up to three years experienced a 32% reduction of injections and substantially drier retinas with Oraya Therapy compared with the control group. Moreover 25% of Oraya Therapy patients needed no further injections. 

 

Among the best responders to Oraya therapy, there was a 52% decrease in injections. 

 

“The results of the INTREPID study reported to date are encouraging for clinicians and individuals with wet AMD,” said lead investigator, Timothy Jackson, from King’s College Hospital in London. “The prospect of maintaining vision while needing fewer eye injections will appeal to any patient receiving anti-VEGF therapy, and for certain subsets in the trial there is the added advantage of an improved visual outcome.”

 

Oraya Therapeutics CEO, Jim Taylor, added: “It is rare for a new therapy to demonstrate improved patient outcomes while simultaneously offering the potential to significantly reduce treatment burden and costs.”

 

Oraya Therapy involves a low-voltage X-ray source along with advanced robotics, laser-guided positioning system and a patented methodology for eye stabilization and tracking. 

 

The procedure can be delivered in an outpatient setting, averages about 20 minutes and requires no post-treatment recovery period before resuming normal activity.

New DME drug released in the UK

A drug developed to treat chronic diabetic macular edema (DME) was made available in the UK on Monday (April 29). Announced by biopharmaceutical company Alimera Sciences, Iluvien is the first sustained release pharmaceutical product to be designed for the treatment of the sight-threatening condition. 

 

Iluvien is administered as an implant and works for up to 36 months. Injected into the patient’s eye, it delivers sustained sub-microgram levels of fluocinolone acetonide (FAc).

 

Alimera Sciences has submitted a Patient Access Scheme (PAS) to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), with its Appraisal Committee expected to meet on May 15 to discuss the submission. A 30-day review period is likely to follow.

 

If accepted, Iluvien would be funded for NHS use with chronic DME patients in England and Wales.

 

Dan Myers, president and chief executive officer at Alimera Sciences, said: "We are pleased that Iluvien is now available in the UK. We continue to work with NICE and are hopeful that our simple PAS will make Iluvien available to a larger group of chronic DME patients in England and Wales, who are considered insufficiently responsive to available therapies."

CL giant raises awareness of vision-related allergy issues

An estimated one in three people in the UK experience seasonal allergies in their lifetime, according to research carried out by allergyuk.org. With allergy season upon us, contact lens giant Johnson & Johnson has produced a new educational leaflet which aims to support contact lens wearers who suffer from eye allergies. 

 

There are four million contact lens wearers across the UK. Research has found that those who experience eye allergies have a higher incidence of contact lens discomfort, while symptoms can be so troublesome that it interferes with sports activities, leisure time, school performance and workplace productivity. 

 

J&J has launched the patient leaflet to coincide with Allergy Awareness Week, which takes place from April 22-28. It contains information on reducing the chance of developing problems that could affect a person’s vision and the health of their eyes, as well as how to relieve allergy symptoms such as swelling and discomfort. 

 

Director of professional affairs at J&J, Marcella McParland, said: “The good news is that there are steps practitioners can take to start new contact lens patients off with a happy first-lens experience while also minimising the number of allergy-related contact lens dropouts from current contact lens wearers in your practice.”

 

She added: “Putting in a clean, fresh lens every day minimises the potential for accumulation of allergens and irritants that can often build up with repeated use of the same pair of lenses.”

 

The guide can be accessed at www.acuvue.co.uk/allergy-guide