OUR HISTORY
We casually starter virtual visual rehabilitation in 1991.
Dr. Paolo Limoli, was an ophtalmologist who worked on low vision patients in the Low Vision Centre of Pio Albergo Trivulzio in Milan, and he had to wrote a monograp on low vision which had to be presented to APIMO congress.
In that period low vision was simply considered as legal blindness.
Limoli visually represented scotomas, visual field contractions and amputation and their impact on reading process with the aid of a computer Macintosh MAC II ; this representation of vision using a computer could be considered as the first step towards virtual visual rehabilitation.
With the aid of a computer the operator could change characters size enlarging them to a point at which our virtual patient could easily read them, understanding what he was reading. This new born software could recreate the visual field obtained through each magnifying system in order to understand if that particular aid could really help the patient or not, without confusing the patient with long lasting and tiring trials.
This work was presented in 1992 in Paris to the 14° International Congress of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.), Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (innovation etc) with the title “Virtual Visual rehabilitation” and was presented by the staff of low vision centre of P.A.T( Limoli, D'Amato, Giulotto, Mantovani, Franzetti, Gilardi).
In 1993, it was presented in Netherlands(Vision 93) as “Virtual Visual Rehabilitation. An integrated computer model of visual system for analysis and rehabilitation of low vision patient”; then in 1995 in Milan, to the X Congress of European Ophtalmologic Society as “Virtual Visual Rehabilitation. Reliable for assessing the visual system in low vision patients?”
In 1996 the Macintosh software for virtual visual rehabilitation HyperIPO© was patented.
And in 2001 the Windows version of the software with the name of Virtual IPO© was patented.
In 2003, on prof. Gandolfo’s invitation, at the 83° National Congress of S.O.I. “virtual visual rehabilitation” was published as a chapter of the book “Ipovisione: nuove frontiere dell’oftalmologia”
In 2004 The American Association of Research on Vision and Ophthalmology (A.R.V.O.) accepts the publication of the work: “Virtual Low Vision Patient: Correlation between virtual and real data”.
In the meantime in virtual visual rehabilitation we could use more precise images and more powerful operating systems in order to obtain better results in rehabilitation.
In 2009 everyday the A.R.V.O. accepts the publication of the work: “ReSTOR, Virtual Rehabilitation And Maculopathy. Can We Talk About A Surgical Way For Visual Rehabilitation? Case Report And Considerations.”
In 2009 the Italian Ophthalmological Society (S.O.I.) is intersting about virtual methods and publish si interessa alle metodologie virtuali pubblicando “Instrumental investigations and practical ophthalmology” with the chapter “Diagnostic and virtual rehabilitation of low vision patient”.
Everyday in 2009 the European Society of Simulation in Ophthalmology (E.S.S.I.O.) published the book “The simulation in Ophthalmology”, edited from S.O.I. where is treated the argument in the chapter called: “The simulation in the diagnostic and rehabilitative practice of the low vision patient: virtual methods”.
In 2010 the software used for low vision classification about virtual location of PRL and PRF. The work is published from A:R.V.O. and titled: “Comparison between virtual PRL and PRF (Preferential Reading Field). Rehabilitative Prognosis”.
In 2012 begins a new phase of computer research, conducted between DGK and Dr. Limoli, to automate the Visual map compiling from a Virtual Visual Field by a Octopus or Humprey visual field or a microperimetry.
