Software plugin allows retina specialists to prepare, guide navigated laser treatment remotely

Navilas Laser System 577s

OD-OS is launching additional remote access capabilities for its Navilas Laser System 577s to address common challenges in ophthalmology which were enhanced during the pandemic.

The new teleguidance capabilities give doctors remote access to the device to pre-plan a retinal laser treatment, review treatment plans stored on the device, and to observe live treatments performed by a novice user. This distant access makes expert knowledge available independent from physical presence in times when resources are limited. At the same time, this supports tele-education scenarios where students observe treatments remotely without the need for a larger group to meet on-site in the clinic, e.g. due to social distancing protocols.

"Planning retinal laser treatments remotely and virtually assisting young colleagues allows us to focus on what is important, namely efficient, targeted treatment for the benefit of the patient,” Simo Mirovski, MD, Augenzentrum Erzgebirge, Germany, said in a statement. “Who would have thought 10 years ago that something like this can be possible."

Navilas is a fully fledged laser treatment system for common retinal applications. It combines precise and fast^1,2 laser therapy with advanced patient comfort, reporting, teaching, and advanced connectivity via integration of external diagnostic images and a DICOM interface. The color fundus image of the all-digital Navilas Laser System provides better overview during treatment.

Exclusion boundaries on sensible areas like the fovea and the optic disk combined with the integrated eye tracking allow for tracked and therefore highly precise lasering.³ As a result, over the past years navigated laser technology has been adopted by leading institutions around the world.

"Navigation continues to transform surgical interventions into safer, more standardized and more predictable procedures with finally better outcomes for patients,” Igor Kozak, Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, said in a statement. “Adding teleguidance to navigated laser broadens the possibilities for teaching and remote expert collaboration in retinal laser care."

To learn more about distant learning, distant guidance and distant planning of retinal laser treatments, watch the webinar with Dr. Kozak who published pioneer work in the field⁴ at www.od-os.com/teleguidance.

REFERENCES

1) Chhablani J, Mathai A, Rani P, Gupta V, Arevalo JF, Kozak I. Comparison of conventional pattern and novel navigated panretinal photocoagulation in proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2014 May 1;55(6):3432-8. doi: 10.1167/iovs.14-13936. PubMed PMID: 24787564.

2) Amoroso F, Pedinielli A, Astroz P, et al. Comparison of pain experience and time required for pre-planned navigated peripheral laser versus conventional multispot laser in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy. Acta Diabetol. November 2019. doi:10.1007/s00592-019-01455-x

3) Liesfeld, Ben et al: Navigating Comfortably across the Retina; World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, 2009

4) Teleophthalmology Image-Based Navigated Retinal Laser Therapy for Diabetic Macular Edema: A Concept of Retinal Telephotocoagulation. Kozak, Igor, John F. Payne, Patrik Schatz, Eman Al-Kahtani, and Moritz Winkler. "Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology,” April 26, 2017.