Revolutionary concussion test EyeGuide to roll out at Beenleigh Junior Rugby League Club
A southside junior rugby league club will be just the third in the world to roll out groundbreaking digital technology to track eye movements of players thought to have concussion.
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A southside junior rugby league club will be the third in the world to roll out groundbreaking digital technology which tracks eye movements of players thought to have concussion.
In just 10 seconds, EyeGuide will give an objective assessment of oculomotor function to determine whether a player is likely to have concussion.
The mobile technology can track a player’s recovery over a week for a safer return to play and parents can use it at home to keep track of their child’s condition.
Beenleigh Junior Rugby League will be the first junior club in Logan and the third in the world to roll out the technology, next week.
The technology was trialled at Aspley last year but will be used in the Queensland Women’s State of Origin game next Friday, June 25.
Rugby League Brisbane board director Michael Rose said the technology was a potential game changer for rugby league, if not all contact sports.
He said the data would be used to assess when an injured player could return to the game and would allow faster and safer sideline decisions.
Mr Rose said initial results correlated with assessments from GPs.
“It’s not dissimilar to back in the day when mum or dad or a trainer would hold up a finger in front of the player’s eye to gauge the reactions – this does it on a computer and collects the data,” Mr Rose said.
“It will run in conjunction with standard NRL and QRL protocols but is an additional tool and takes 10 seconds on the sideline.
“One of the great things about it, is it’s mobile and the process can be used by mums and dads or anyone who can operate a laptop.
“This helps the club volunteers. The data with results can be emailed to both the parents or doctor and hospital in the time it takes to send a normal email.
“It’s amazing to have Logan kids pioneering it,” he said
The chin of a player sits in a holster and the player watches a figure eight movement across an iPad.
Within 10 seconds the player gets a score and the data is assessed by those at the game with the data emailed to doctors or a hospital if necessary.
Beenleigh Junior Rugby League Club president Nick Barnes said the club was excited about the technology which would give both players and parents peace of mind during games.
“Being affiliated with the local Rugby League Brisbane A Grade Club the Beenleigh Pride, gives our players huge opportunities and this is a first-class example,” he said.
“It will allow players and their parents to have a real-time history of their mental health.
“It puts us at the forefront of player welfare, not only for Rugby League but all contact sports.”
The units average $10,000 but Rugby League Brisbane went halves in the first rollout of the A Grade clubs.
Junior clubs can buy a unit for an average of just $20 per player per year, giving the club access to the technology as many times as they need before they buy the unit outright.
Aspley Rugby league Club tested the technology last year
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