26 March 2025
A virtual reality (VR) platform that uses eye tracking software to reduce issues caused by lack of fixation was discussed on the Catwalk on the Sunday of 100% Optical (2 March).
Dr Alberto Gonzalez-Garcia, ophthalmologist and chief executive of Olleyes, explained that the company has developed VisuALL-S, a VR eye care platform that allows for a more seamless eye examination experience.
The VisuALL-S is an extension of the previous VisuALL-ETS model.
It allows practitioners to complete visual field, visual acuity, colour vision and contrast sensitivity tests.
The technology uses eye tracking software to follow the eye, so it doesn’t matter if the patient loses fixation during the test, Gonzalez-Garcia explained.
Gonzalez-Garcia revealed that more than 674,000 patients were tested using the platform in 2024, with more than 10 research papers created to date.
As of March 2025, around 60,000 patients per month are using the platform, he said, adding that the numbers have been growing since the VisuALL was launched in 2021.
Comfort and efficiency
On stage, Gonzalez-Garcia explained the purpose of the product to attendees, and outlined some of its advantages and disadvantages.
“It is very unlikely that you walk into a doctor’s office and walk out without a diagnosis,” Gonzalez-Garcia said whilst introducing the product.
In fact, he believes that one of the biggest problems for patients is accessing healthcare in the first place, largely due to the amount of time practitioners have available.
“There is a significant increase in efficiency and productivity when you’re using this kind of platform,” he said.
The platform is composed of three parts, Gonzalez-Garcia said: the cloud, where everything is stored, the web application, which is accessible from any computer or device, and the headset, which is the part the patient interacts with.
Gonzalez-Garcia explained that the VisuALL-S uses different forms of technology, including VR and augmented reality.
VR is particularly useful because it allows practitioners to keep patients focused, which is helpful when completing the tests offered by this product, Gonzalez-Garcia said.
“Many companies are currently using virtual reality for these kinds of purposes,” he noted, adding that he believes VR will “become the standard of care” at some point in the future, as it can help to overcome a lot of disadvantages that currently available platforms have.
Advantages in using the VisuALL-S for the practitioner include the fact that it is space-saving: it is mobile and will not take up any space in the consulting room, Gonzalez-Garcia said.
“You just hang it on the wall, and you can access it at any time,” he added.
Gonzalez-Garcia also noted that the headset can be used in any room, so does not need to be confined only to a dark screening room.
The device requires minimal tech supervision, no position adjustment, and offers better data and compliance in clinical assessment, Gonzalez-Garcia said.
He explained that the process of using the VisuALL-S is likely to be comfortable for the patient: “The testing process is more physiological. The patient is in a much more comfortable position, so it is not limited by the discomfort time constraint.”
A binocular consecutive testing mode means increased testing objectivity, Gonzalez-Garcia noted: “The left eye is no longer disadvantaged to the right eye for being the second one to be tested, because both are being tested at the same time or during the same session.”
He added: “If a patient had central scotoma, for example, in a regular perimetry, the quality of the test in that eye used to be very bad. Not anymore, because the other eye is fixating and keeping concentration.”
Head and body movement does not affect test quality, so the test can be performed in the patient’s preferred position, Gonzalez-Garcia explained.
The technology also allows voice to be used for interaction, making it accessible for patients with Parkinson’s or arthritis who might not be able to hold a stylus pen.
He also noted that the virtual assistant that comes built into the software can communicate in up to 40 languages.
The platform provides not only a faster testing process, but also an overall faster testing experience for the patient, Gonzalez-Garcia said.
He added: “Even if the patient loses fixation, that won’t affect the test, because we move the matrix of a simulation to follow their position.”
Practicalities in the testing room
After his talk, an audience member asked Gonzalez-Garcia how older people are adapting to the new technology.
Gonzalez-Garcia acknowledged that, “the younger you are, the easier the adoption of technology is.”
However, Olleyes has found that the older people are, the more they appreciate seeing a shift in their standard of care, he said.
Older patients might feel overwhelmed by the technology at first, but in his experience they get used to it quickly, Gonzalez-Garcia shared.
He also noted that the VisuALL-S does not rely on the use of 3D, in order to lower the chance of patients experiencing sickness whilst using the headset.
Speaking about the future potential of remote monitoring, Gonzalez-Garcia noted that the cost of headset is going down every year.
“The greatest advantage of home monitoring is the amount of data you [can] collect,” he said, adding that Olleyes has patients who have completed as many as 120 visual tests in a single year.
The same hardware was used across all clinical trials in order to standardise care, Gonzalez-Garcia added.
He also noted that the VisuALL-S allows for very small changes in sensitivity to be detected, meaning any regression can be identified early.
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