CHEO Clinical Engineering brings out to the boogie in Ophthalmology

Did you know the Village People perform their 1978 disco hit Y.M.C.A every day at CHEO?

Young man, there’s no need to feel down…
I said young man, pick yourself off the ground…

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

Thanks to the creative work of Darryl Cameron and Marc Bergeron in Clinical Engineering, you can hear the Village People, the Jackons, Kool and the Gang, Fats Domino, Captain and Tenille and more in the Ophthalmology Clinic (C-8).

To complete a proper eye exam, an ophthalmologist requires the subject’s eyes to remain stationary, at least for a moment. With adults, this is simple. The doctor simply asks, “Please stare at the red circle on the far wall.” But, try getting a four-year-old to do that, even for a moment.

A fixation device is something used in opthamology to briefly attract and hold a child’s attention on something in the distance, allowing a physician to make a thorough eye exam. To hold a child’s attention it needs to be fun, interesting and unexpected, so they will be compelled to look at it.

How about Elmo busting a move, complete with disco music and lights?

“The fixation devices we were using were based on garage door opener technology,” says Daryl. “Stepping on the floor button turned it on — there was a pause and then music played for ten seconds and a teddy bear rocked back and forth in a box near the ceiling at the far end of the room. That was it.”

“These fixation devices were 20 years old. They were starting to break and we thought… instead of repairing these, why don’t we build our own, from scratch,” says Marc. “We knew we could build something way better to fulfill CHEO’s customized needs.”

The first step was to consult the ophthalmologists to learn what features would make CHEO’s fixation devices as effective as possible?

Marc and Darryl learned that they need to turn on and off without delay — step on the pedal and Elmo instantly dances, lift your foot off and Elmo stops. They needed to be very visually stimulating to attract and hold a child’s attention. And they needed to be adaptable.

Every examining room in the Ophthalmology Clinic is now equipped with two fixation devices. These are compartments near the ceiling, facing the child, each containing something interesting like Elmo, a Furby, a cow, or another stuffy.

The foot controls have been rebuilt with new up-to-date wireless controls and 3D printing so that all of the room controls — fixation devices, room lights, exam chair height, and more — are included in the same console, minimizing cords all over the floor and improving safety.

And now, when an ophthalmologist steps on the pedal…

Don’t blame it on sunshine…
Don’t blame it on moonlight…

These new CHEO-built fixation devices are completely customizable. Are the disco lights blinking too fast? Slow them down. Is it the holiday season? Switch Elmo for Santa and the Village People for Bing Crosby.

The best life for every child includes making their CHEO experience as fun as possible.

“This has been such a great project,” says Mark Asbil, Manager, Clinical Engineering. “Darryl and Marc have done extraordinary work. They even brought their personal 3D printers in from home so this could happen. And, the doctors and the kids love the new devices.”

Don’t blame it on good times…
Blame it on the boogie.