Melbourne footy club pilots new technology aimed at assessing brain damage from concussion

A Melbourne suburban footy club is trialling a revolutionary way to assess brain damage caused by concussion — and it’s knocked out by the results so far.

A suburban footy club has become the first in Australia to turn to cutting edge technology in a bid to tackle concussion.

Boronia Hawks Football Netball Club has started using a specialist tracking device to scan the eyes of players after they receive a head knock to search for neurological damage.

Using an iPad and technology flown in from the US last week, the club will chart the eyes of all footballers from under 12s to senior men’s and women’s teams to store on file.

If they receive a head knock, players will be retested with the EyeGuide device which delivers a reading on potential damage within 10 seconds and instructions for how to care for the victim.

AFL, NRL and rugby union teams have already voiced interest in the technology, developed at Texas Tech University in response to high concussion rates among US gridiron players.

Boronia president Greg Hannon said the club was investing in the technology to protect players, especially as it tried to attract more female footballers.

“The game is faster so there are more head injuries than ever,’’ he said.

“We’ve got a duty of care in many ways to make sure the players are safe when they’re out there.’’

Ye Jefries (senior women’s team) and Luke Hannon (senior men’s team) from the Boronia Hawks try Australia-first technology to combat concussion, using an iPad app which scans the eyes and detects brain damage from concussion. Picture: Tony Gough

Mr Hannon was “blown away’’ by how quick and effective the technology which measures whether brain activity is healthy or impaired following a had knock worked.

“You’ve got to see it to believe it,’’ he said.

EyeGuide Australian director Matt O’Hare said it served as a “digital thermometer’’ for concussion.

“When they have a head knock in a match or at training they can do a test in 10 seconds … it’s extremely reliable, it’s fast and it’s objective,’’ he said.

“It’s no silver bullet, It doesn’t prevent concussion, but it’s another tool in the toolbox to monitor it.’’

The technology — which comes after the Herald Sun last week revealed new research showing a threefold increase in concussion among junior footballers — takes 1200 pictures of the eye in 10 seconds.

It effectively tells whether a player should return to the field after a head knock or should be sidelined and seek medical aid.

Mr O’Hare said it could be of particular use in country and suburban leagues where there were limited medical staff on the sidelines.

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“We can’t stop the big hits in footy and we don’t want to but this can chart a safe way to respond to them,’’ he said.

“It could change the way we look at sport.’’

He said the technology had proved accurate in 95 per cent of cases, after more than 10,000 US tests.

A 2018 study of children aged five to 18 with prolonged cases of concussion found 88 per cent experienced vision problems.

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Originally published as Melbourne footy club pilots new technology aimed at assessing brain damage from concussion