Around half of all surgeons have completed some type of training with augmented reality glasses and 49 percent say AR glasses have the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes and reduce errors, according to a report released June 20 from Vuzix, a leading supplier of the technology.
AR technologies like the glasses work by projecting the overlay of a computer-generated image juxtaposed with the user's view of the real world. For surgeons, this could mean projecting a 3D model or real-time patient data as they are working without having to turn away to glance at a computer screen with the same information.
Use of smart glasses during surgical procedures is already incorporated by 25 percent of surgeons who were surveyed for the report — which was prepared by a third-party — and an additional 26 percent say they believe the technology could expedite preparation times for surgical procedures.
One surgeon who uses the technology, Ahmed Ghazi, MD, a New York-based associate professor of urology and oncology at the Brady Neurological Institute at Johns Hopkins University, told Fox News he uses the glasses to train his students, but thinks that for them to be used during surgical procedures regularly more testing, training and upgrades to the hardware and software should be done first.
"We would have to go through tests to make 100% sure there are no dropped calls and no technical issues, compared to other types of virtual or augmented reality platforms," he told Fox News.
Current adoption of AR smart glasses for these purposes varies throughout the country with surgeons in southern U.S. states leading the trend. According to the report, 27 percent of surgeons in southern states said they are currently utilizing AR glasses in their practice followed by 26 percent in the Midwest and 26 percent in the Northeast.
The lowest adoption rate thus far, is actually the West, even with its regional technology hub of Silicon Valley in California.