Technologies

Device for Treatment of Gaze Stability

Invention novelty: This technology is a medical device to improve vertigo, which results from a patient’s damaged inner ear (vestibular system) on one side. This technology can improve the gaze stability.
Value Proposition: Researchers have been developing treatment methods for the gaze stability problem. Gaze stability is the problem that a patient cannot see clearly during head motion because of damage to the vestibular system. Current treatment for gaze stability involves rehabilitation that can improve the behavioral output from the vestibular system with non-specific behavioral exercises; however, there is no current means to treat gaze stability for one-sided vestibular damage. The new device can solve this problem.

Technical Details: Johns Hopkins researchers combined a customized 3D sensor with a 2D laser projection unit, and developed software to make combination work. The customized 3D sensor can measure the instantaneous head orientation (left/right, up/down, CW/CCW). The patient wears a lightweight headband comprising 3D head orientation sensor and 2D laser projection unit. The subject is seated in a darkened room facing a wall 1m in front of them. Their task will be to track the laser dot projected onto the wall by the device during self-generated horizontal or vertical head rotations. With this combined head and eye motion, the vestibular physiologic response is increased, which results in improvement in gaze stability. The Johns Hopkins developers believe this will also translate into improved balance and reduced fall risk. This device improves the vestibular response three times more than current best practice after a single 15 minute session, during horizontal and vertical head rotations, tracks compliance and integrates video eye movement recording to provide functional testing as well as rehabilitation.

Categories: medical device, treatment

Keywords: gaze stability, vestibular system, treatment, head rotation