Virtual Reality Concussion Diagnosis
Virtual Reality Concussion Diagnosis – With the fall football season underway, doctors are looking for a better way to diagnose a concussion on the sidelines. Virtual reality concussion diagnosis might just provide that tool. Last season, over 291 players suffered a concussion in 2017. However, many others sustained hits to the head but were not diagnosed with a concussion and allowed to resume playing. Let’s take a look at how virtual reality may help doctors on the sidelines diagnose a concussion on the field, and remove injured players from the game.
Eye-Sync Goggles Provide Virtual Reality Concussion Diagnosis
The Eye-Sync Goggles is an FDA-approved device made by the Palo Alto company called SyncThink. According to company information, it is used to track and analyze impairment of eye movement. The user sees a dot moving in a circle, and the device tracks the movement of the user’s eyes as they look at the dot.
How Do Eye-Sync Goggles Work?
This virtual reality concussion diagnosis tool actually measures a user’s ability to predict where the dot will be as it moves. This relates to the way the brain tracks movement. When an individual looks at a car moving on the highway, they are actually looking at something that has already happened. By the time the user “sees” the vehicle, it has already moved on. The brain adapts by using the information it sees and predicts where the car will be. In short, the brain synchronizes past data to predict where an object will be, once the previous information is received, so the user can interact with what they see in real time. There is a .25 second delay between the information input and synchronization. The virtual reality concussion diagnosis device measures how well the user’s brain synchronizes the movement.
How Concussions Affect Movement Prediction
When an individual suffers a concussion, his brain’s ability to predict movement will be impaired. The Eye-Sync Goggles will measure this impairment. While the chance that a concussion occurred if the user’s eye movement is impaired is not 100-percent foolproof, it would be reason enough to pull a football player from the game.
Other Tools for Determining Concussions
Aside from the virtual reality concussion diagnosis tool, other means are becoming available to quickly determine if a player has suffered a concussion at a game. These are:
- Artificial intelligence enabled headset: This portable device uses artificial intelligence and computer models to measure brain electrical waves. Essentially, it performs a brain injury inquiry similar to an electroencephalogram or EEG at the sidelines. It takes a few moments to measure damage in the brain.
- Biomarkers: While still under development, blood biomarkers would be able to determine if the brain has been injured. Such devices would use metabolites in the blood to alert doctors to an injury.
Why Subjective Information Does Not Always Help
One of the best ways to diagnose a concussion remains with the verbal information a doctor receives from a patient. However, oftentimes the player will not want to leave the game and therefore, will lie about his symptoms. Game site devices to determine a concussion would eliminate this impediment to taking a player off the field.
Why It Is Important to Take a Player Out of the Game
Returning to the game after a blow to the head can have disastrous effects on a player. Some of these are:
- Future brain disorders such a chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)
- Loss of balance leading to more accidents
- Decreased reaction time, increasing the risk of subsequent injury
Sacramento Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento traumatic brain injury lawyer. If you have suffered a brain injury or a loved one has been injured by a blow to the head, you have the right to be compensated if it occurred through negligence. Call me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free and friendly advice. You can also contact me online.
I have helped many California residents, including those in Sacramento, obtain the compensation they deserve in all types of car accidents, motorcycle crashes and in wrongful death cases.
I am a California member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. We are a national group of trial lawyers who have won over $1 million for a client.
If you are thinking of hiring a lawyer, you need to know more about their practice before you retain them. You can easily learn about mine if you view the following pages:
Photo Attribution: https://pixabay.com/en/american-football-sport-competition-63109/
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