Augmented reality (AR) eyeglasses have the potential to improve outcomes in some complex canine veterinary surgeries, according to a new article in the American Journal of Veterinary Research (AJVR).

This article was a proof of concept using a holographic image of a dog head that AR-guided visualization directly overlaid onto the surgical field may improve spatial accuracy during intricate procedures without compromising speed, according to the study published in AJVR, a publication of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

AR use is expanding rapidly in medical care for humans and this pilot study represents an important step toward integrating the technology into veterinary head and neck surgeries such as operating on tumors, the authors wrote, noting that in such procedures, accurately identifying and removing cancerous lesions while avoiding healthy tissue is critical to reducing patient morbidity.

"Augmented reality technology has the potential to enhance surgical precision by overlaying 3D diagnostic imaging and biologic information directly onto the animal patient," said lead author Dr. Stephanie Goldschmidt, associate professor of dentistry and oral surgery at the University of California, Davis.

The study involved 22 veterinarians from the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine. Future research by the team will focus on whether these findings can be translated to clinical settings.

Read full news release from AVMA

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Learn more about the use of augmented reality glasses from UC Davis Health