Geelong AFL star Joel Selwood launches Eyeguide’s baseline your brain program

Over 30,000 junior and senior Australian rules football players in Victoria will have access to a simple, 10 second eye test at the start of this year’s season to baseline their brain health following the successful trial of the technology in 2021.

Baseline Your Brain - an initiative between EyeGuide Technologies, Global Wellness Tracking and launch partners Mornington Peninsula Junior Football League and Essendon District Football League - uses a simple non-intrusive, 10 second eye test that monitors brain health, aiming to ensure players as young as 10 years of age have access to the latest technology to manage their brain health and promote their wellbeing.

EyeGuide’s technology analyses, ranks, and scores brain health when a player follows a moving object on an iPad.

EyeGuide’s technology is currently used in 10 countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, South Africa and Japan across all football codes and combat sports.

The Baseline Your Brain program follows the successful trial of the EyeGuide technology in 2021 by the Yarra Junior Football League.

EyeGuide Chief Executive, Shane Keating explained “the EyeGuide system was independently validated during the 2021 season and the result was that EyeGuide’s 10 second test successfully detected concussions 85% of the time, which was a fantastic outcome.”

Backing the initiative, Geelong Cats star, Joel Selwood commented “we need to be smarter about how we manage concussions, particularly at community football level. Concussions shouldn’t be scary, we just need to manage it better, just like we do with all other injuries, to increase the level of care.

“This technology is available now but wasn’t around when I started playing. It provides players and parents with clear data as well as peace of mind and I believe all sports should embrace it. I have my EyeGuide baseline reading for this season, and I encourage all senior and junior players to get their baseline done as well.

“Baseline Your Brain is about educating players and parents about concussions to raise the level of care at a young age. When these kids grow into being professional AFL players hopefully this level of care will be the norm.”

Andrew Souter, Mornington Peninsula Junior Football League Chief Executive, added “we invested in the EyeGuide technology last season as we wanted to advance the wellbeing of our players. The technology has put more of a focus on how concussions are managed in general and, as a result, I believe the MPJFL offers a higher level of care to our players.

“Parents are very appreciative the MPJFL is always finding better ways to look after their kids while they play footy.”

The Baseline Your Brain program is open to all and works by players or parents booking into an online testing session. In addition, leagues, schools, and community groups can also arrange their own testing sessions.

Global Wellness Tracking, a specialist provider of sports testing services, conducts the baseline test in the community with an EyeGuide unit. The results are securely stored online and if players have any concerns about their brain health during the season, they can then arrange for follow up testing via their association, club, or the Allied Health Care Network.

Keating went on to explain that EyeGuide is used in accordance with the AFL’s Guidelines for Concussion Management in Community Football, concluding “these guidelines detail how eye tracking can be used as a tool to gather additional data. In conjunction with the SCAT process, all diagnostic and return to play decisions are made by a medical professional.”

Further information and bookings to Baseline Your Brain can be made at www.baselineyourbrain.com