NJ testing new concussion detection protocol
The Eyeguide Focus tracks the human eye as it tried to follow a dot across the horizontal field of vision.
The New Jersey State Athletic Commission is one of the most respected in the nation and recently tested of a new concussion detection protocol, the Eyeguide Focus. Dr. Michael Kelly, author of Fight Medicine and New Jersey ringside physician, appeared recently on the Three Amigos Podcast to discuss it.
“Over the past several years, we’ve seen more and more evidence that you can detect concussions earlier using changes in eye movement,” said Dr. Kelly to Iain Kidd for BE. “They found that eye doctors could diagnose a concussion with 98% accuracy by examining the eyes of someone who had suffered a concussion, even when they had no other information on the patient.”
The Eyeguide Focus tracks the human eye as it tried to follow a dot across the horizontal field of vision. An eye driven by a brain that functions properly moves like a marble rolling on glass. Concussion or for that matter alcohol leaves the eye with a distinct jittery pattern.
“The trial went very well,” said Dr. Kelley. “There was a 90 percent correlation between the changes predicted by the ringside physician, and the changes detected by the machine. Even fighters who won, but sustained heavy blows, showed some changes.
“The hardest part of using the device is taking a few minutes to get the head set up, and to calibrate the machine to the patient’s pupil, but that only takes a few seconds. From what I’ve seen, the machine is almost idiot-proof. Someone can learn how to use it in about a minute.”
The NJSACB plan to test the machine at a boxing event in May, which should provide even more useful data as KOs are more common in boxing.