Surgeons at the Radboud university teaching hospital in Nijmegen have carried out a jaw operation while wearing the Google Glass computerised eyewear which allowed students to follow the proceedings from the doctors’ perspective.

The aim of the experiment was to decide if the use of the eyewear has added value for students compared with traditional ‘over-the-shoulder’ camera observation.

While pleased with the experiment and quality, the images were often quite jumpy as surgeons moved around, the hospital said in a statement. The strong lights in the operating theatre also impact on the images.

Radboud is the first hospital in Europe to test Google Glass in the health service, the statement said.

The hospital now plans to carry out more research into potential applications for healthcare. For example, the system could also be used by home nursing staff so that doctors can assess patients at a distance.