Advances in vision correction, AMD and glaucoma detection, practice management announced at Vision Expo West

LAS VEGAS – Here at Vision Expo West Sept. 15 to 17, Ophthonix, Heidelberg, Macuchek and Examine Your Practice touted developments to help the optometrist practice more effectively.

Ophthonix announced the success of its Southern California launch of iZon Wavefront-Guided Spectacle Lenses. The lenses are designed based on a wavefront prescription provided by the Z-View Aberrometer and Ophthonix’s iZonik lens material and manufacturing process. Ophthonix President and Chief Executive Officer Andreas Dreher, PhD, said at a press conference that after the Southern California launch, the company will expand into the rest of the United States. Nearly 1,000 patients are now wearing the single-vision lens, he said.

Dr. Dreher said that the Z-View Aberrometer can be leased for about $28,000. “If a doctor dispenses two pair per month, he or she will make money,” he said.

He added that once the system is installed, Ophthonix will help the practice market it. In late 2006 the company plans to introduce a bifocal progressive.

Heidelberg Engineering reported that the Confocal Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy Ancillary Study to the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study has shown that the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph can predict the development of glaucoma. In the study published in the September issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, Linda M. Zangwill, PhD, and colleagues reported, “classification as ‘outside normal limits’ by the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph classification and the Moorfields Regression Analysis classifications was significantly associated with the development of primary open-angle glaucoma.”

According to a Heidelberg press release, the study was conducted on patients with elevated intraocular pressure whose eyes otherwise appeared normal. A company spokesperson said the HRT II was used in the study. Heidelberg recently introduced the HRT3, which incorporated some new features.

Macuchek launched MacuScope for use in predicting the development of age-related macular degeneration. According to a company press release, MacuScope tracks pigment density changes in the macula, helping practitioners to place patients into either high-risk or low-risk categories. “Low levels of the macular pigment mean a higher risk for macular degeneration,” according to Macuchek.

The test takes less than 5 minutes, is noninvasive and painless. The company recommends all adults to be tested for the disease, especially those with a family history of macular degeneration.

Examine Your Practice introduced an innovative way for optometrists to evaluate how the office is attracting and retaining patients. The company dispatches trained people acting as patients to observe you and your staff as you conduct business. Examine Your Practice staff will evaluate your practice “from the first phone greeting to the last payment for services rendered,” according to company literature.

The company’s staff will first meet with the practitioner to identify areas of concern and review the methodology. President Jodi Manfredi told reporters that the exam can be customized to the practice’s needs, whether the doctor wants “patients” to shop for glasses or have a full exam. Ms. Manfredi stressed that Examine Your Practice will not provide practice management advice. “We are fact finders,” she said. “We can recommend people to service your practice, such as designers, sign makers, etc.”

According to Ms. Manfredi, the company incorporated in January. Its services cost under $3,000, she said.