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Speaker: Genetic test for AMD risk available to optometrists
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SALT LAKE CITY — A new in-office test can predict the risk of patients with dry age-related macular degeneration progressing on to vision loss, according to a speaker here at Optometry’s Meeting.
Mark T. Dunbar, OD, FAAO, told attendees at an Optometric Retina Society-sponsored symposium during Specialty Day that the Macula Risk test, manufactured by Arctic Dx and distributed by Eye Solutions, uses results of a cheek swab to place patients in one of five categories that correlate to their risk of developing AMD that will progress to vision loss.
“It’s very simple,” he said. “You don’t have to draw blood; no refrigeration is required. You take a swab, put it in an envelope and send it to the company. They tell you what the genetic risk is.”
Dr. Dunbar said the company provides a 10-page report that categorizes patients into a 1 to 5 risk category.
“The good news is that it’s reimbursable, covered by most insurance companies provided you have the right codes,” he said. “For a patient sitting in your chair with retinal pigment epithelium changes, it will be reimbursable.”
Dr. Dunbar recommends screening patients older than 65 with drusen.
“If you identify someone with genetic risk, instead of following them on an annual basis, see that patient more often,” he said. “If they’re level 5, see them four times a year.”