EDMONTON, Alberta – (BUSINESS WIRE) – April 30, 2021–
The team at Edmonton-based KOVR tested the beta version of its new Stratos VR software platform and its first educational software, the Diabetic Retinopathy Module (DRM), on a select group of patients last month. This beta phase allowed clinicians to introduce the software to their diabetics and provide a real test sample ahead of the major DRM release in 2021. This technology enables diabetics to be better informed about the effects of vision loss from diabetic retinopathy, therefore realizing the importance of having regular eye exams to manage their health.
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KOVR is testing its new Stratos VR platform and the first health software, the Diabetic Retinopathy Module, for patients. (Photo: Business Wire)
The Canadian Diabetes Association and the Canadian Ophthalmology Society estimate that 11 million Canadians are living with diabetes or prediabetes and only about 30% of them have regular eye exams. Diabetics, whose eye health is routinely monitored so that problems can be detected early before their vision loss progresses, can ultimately enjoy an improved quality of life while helping to significantly reduce healthcare costs.
“The main problem we heard from doctors was how they could be more effective in educating their patients about the negative effects of diabetes on their vision and the increased risk of not having regular eye exams to prevent and treat vision loss,” says Robert Lennon. President and Creative Director at KO Group, the parent company of KOVR.
To get an accurate representation of the common patterns of vision loss associated with diabetic retinopathy, KOVR worked closely with Dr. Karim Damji, Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Alberta and Senior Ophthalmologist at the Eye Institute of Alberta, and Dr. Matthew Tennant, clinical professor at the University of Alberta Department of Ophthalmology. With contributions from Dr. Damji and Dr. Tennant, the KOVR team developed a simulation in which users perform simple everyday tasks while their vision begins to obscure when wearing a VR headset.
“The DRM goes beyond any brochure or poster and tells diabetics why it is important to take care of their eye health,” says Dr. Damji. “Being able to show how their eyesight can deteriorate and allow them to experience it in a simulated way in virtual reality can better convey to our diabetics the importance of maintaining their eye health on a regular basis to be monitored to prevent or mitigate future vision loss. “
Alberta Innovates provided support through its eXtended Reality Health Economic Acceleration and Development (xR HEAD) program. The program supports digital solutions that improve patient care or support training for health professionals. The DRM is also the first of many educational programs developed for Stratos. “We are very excited about the great progress we have made in developing the Stratos platform and diabetic retinopathy module to support diabetics,” said Bindi Ferguson, director of portfolio management health at Alberta Innovates. “This project is an example of how digital and data-enabled technologies can offer all Albertans more affordable, accessible and high-quality healthcare.”
For KOVR, the developers are actively looking for new partners in order to further expand the Stratos module library and to make full use of VR. “If the pandemic has taught us anything, then digital technologies are no longer the future of education or healthcare – they are the present,” says Lennon. “With VR, there is no limit to what can be shown and who it can inform.”
See KOVR’s Stratos program on YouTube.
About KOVR
The KO Group is one of Canada’s leading video production companies. Founded in 1993 as KO Productions, we produce hundreds of television commercials as well as corporate and marketing videos, 3D animation and web content every year. Through our VR and AR technology department KOVR, we develop groundbreaking sales, marketing and training applications for many industries.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210430005614/de/
CONTACT: To book interviews with researchers, developers, or patients, please contact:
Michael Bowman, Marketing Director
KOVR.
Email: mbowman@kovr.ca
Phone: 780 – 884 – 4566
KEYWORD: NORTH AMERICA CANADA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HEALTH DIABETES TECHNOLOGY AUDIO / VIDEO-MANAGED CARE SOFTWARE OPTICAL
SOURCE: KOVR
Copyright Business Wire 2021.
PUB: 04/30/2021 6:14 p.m. / DISC: 04/30/2021 6:14 p.m.
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Copyright Business Wire 2021.
