[헬스케어칼럼] Health Zoom In -Digital Therapeutics?

헬스케어 이슈를 글로벌 시각으로 바라보는 'Health Zoom In(헬스줌인)'

'헬스줌인'에서는 원어민 의사(M.D.) 찰리 비튜라웡(Charles Viturawong) 매니저가 국내외 헬스케어 산업과 관련된 트렌드와 인사이트를 소개합니다. 찰리 비튜라웡 매니저는 현재 엔자임헬스에서 의학 프레젠데이션 및 의학 논문 코칭 서비스 '닥터잉글리시(Dr.English)'를 담당하고 있으며, 헬스케어 의학 자문과 글로벌 헬스케어 리서치를 활발하게 진행중입니다.

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Digital Therapeutics

Last month, the FDA approved a VR-based therapy for children with a visual disorder called amblyopia, otherwise known as lazy eye. Amblyopia develops when something disrupts the vision in one of a child’s eyes. Over time, the brain starts to rely on the other eye, ignoring the weaker eye, and its vision becomes worse and worse. One treatment approach is to force the brain to use the weaker eye, for example by putting an eye patch over the stronger eye or using eye drops to blur its vision.  The newly approved VR system simulates this. The therapy involves watching TV shows or movies on a VR headset. VR headsets produce separate images for each eye, so the system displays a lower contrast image to the stronger eye, forcing the brain to use the weaker eye. It has been found that 62% of children who watched shows for 1 hour per day, 6 days a week for 12 weeks and wore glasses showed a strong improvement in vision. This is a pretty amazing application of VR, if you ask me.

This system is one of a growing number of digital therapeutics that involve AR, VR, gaming devices, mobile devices, etc. approved by the FDA. Another example is a video game approved by the FDA last year to treat ADHD.  The game involves dodging obstacles and collecting items, and playing the game for 25 minutes a day, four days a week for 5 weeks improved ADHD in 1/3 of children. I wouldn’t say that these therapies are revolutionary yet, and at the moment, they probably aren’t going to replace standard therapies, but can be used as additional therapies to improve outcomes.

And they aren’t just for children. Digital therapies have also been approved for use for the management of chronic back pain and to treat substance abuse. One of the strengths of VR is that it can produce realistic-feeling environments under very controlled conditions. Researchers are taking advantage of this to produce VR systems that, for example, provide exposure therapy to help patients overcome phobias or create environments for stroke patients to regain strength, balance, and coordination in safe conditions.

Imagine being a kid with lazy eye or ADHD and being told you “have to” watch TV shows and movies or play video games as part of your treatment. I certainly wouldn’t be complaining!

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Editor

Charles Viturawong/manager

Medical Education and International Communication Team