IT sounds like something from a Hollywood movie, but it is in fact right here on your doorstep – 3D technology was used by Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust to perform eye surgery in order improve results for patients.
The Trust has become the first in the UK to use 3D technology in eye surgery, by trialing a £60,000 system at the Birmingham Midland Eye Centre (BMEC).
Traditionally, eye surgeons use a surgical microscope to perform eye surgery, which requires the surgeon to be fixed in the same posture for many hours, depending on the complexity of the surgery.
With the new 3D technology, surgeons can look at the large monitor and see the different layers of the eye in higher definition. By using this technique, surgeons can perform intricate surgery much more precisely, thus improving the surgical outcomes for patients. The surgeons can also move their body more frequently since they do not have to constantly look down into the microscope.
Mr Ajai Tyagi, Surgical Group Director and Consultant Ophthalmologist said: “The quality of the 3D image is excellent. It will be very useful for training future eye surgeons and teaching medical students and theatre teams, as everyone is able to see the operation in 3D whereas with the traditional surgical microscope, only the surgeon can have a stereoscopic view.
“We are very proud that we are the first Trust in the country that has used this technology and we believe that this technology will improve surgical outcomes.”
ENDS