Ocutrx Unveils ORLenz AR Surgery Visualization Headset

Ocutrx Vision Technologies LLC  revealed the company’s most significanttechnology milestone — a next generation AR (augmented reality) headsettechnology for Surgery Visualization called the ORLenz, a second medical devicerelated to their flagship Oculenz ARWear headset for Macular Degeneration. Aprototype of this technology is being formally introduced at the AmericanAcademy of Ophthalmology 2019 Conference in San Francisco this October duringthe dedicated Retina Subspecialty Day.

The ORLenz technologywill be available for surgeons and retinal specialists to utilize duringprocedures as an aid for delivering effective care. The ORLenz allows for a 120-degreefield of view and a resolution of 60 pixels-per-degree — the highest resolutionthe human eye can discern (at 20/20). Ocutrx has developed its own 6DoF (6degrees of freedom) platform for enhanced 2D and 3D “posing” of graphics andholograms from MRI’s, CT scans and other 2D/3D/4D medical imaging. The ORLenzalso takes the direct feed from a digital microscope and portrays the surgeryimages to the surgeon in 2D or 3D. ORLenz’s MedTiles provide an overlay ofvital surgery information on the 3D picture of the surgery. The ORLenz weighsabout 250 grams and is wireless and tetherless, providing comfort and completefreedom of movement for the surgeon. It operates with Ocutrx’s WiDtrx wirelesssystem, which allows video transmission without wires at multi-gigabit speedswith the same or less latency than a hard-wired connection like HDMI.

The ORLenz also has a MedTiles subsystem visualpresentation, which is an overlay of vital information (text and graphs) in virtualdisplay over the operating view. The MedTiles are virtually presented likewindows or chyron-generated information visible within the AR field-of-view.For Ophthalmologic surgery, included in the MedTiles is information like IOP(intraocular pressure), Cut Rate, and Flow Rate.  The MedTiles also show which "mode"a surgeon is in (vitrectomy, extrusion, dense tissue). This data is visible atthe voice command of the surgeon and will run at the option of the surgeon atthe bottom, side or top of his/her AR lens view. The MedTiles can also pose ina “horizon” view, where the surgeon can either dip his/her eyes below thevirtual horizon to include this information as an overlay or raise his/her eyesabove the horizon to only see the digital microscope view. The same works foreither side viewing or top horizon. In this fashion, surgeons who dislike datadistraction while conducting surgery can have the option of including the textand graph information at all times or make a slight head or eye adjustment whenneeded to “see” the information when they choose.

“The ORLenz providesthe surgeon with the immersive experience that he/she has been trained in andwill allow the surgeon’s full and undivided attention to rest on the patient,where it should be,” said Dr. Thomas A. Finley, MD, the chairman of the OcutrxInternational Advisory Board. “The ORLenz is AR, and there is a differencebetween immersion and isolation. With VR, you are cut-off from what else ishappening in the surgery room, while with the ORLenz, the experience isimmersive, yet, you can still easily stay connected with the other physicians,technicians and equipment in the surgery room.”

The ORLenz for Surgery Visualization technology introducedat AAO 2019 is a prototype, with the final version set to be available in Q22020 when the Oculenz ARWear headset becomes available for purchase.