This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Adjustable telescope provides wide field, flexibility for low vision patients
The telescope can be flipped up and out of the way when not in use.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The SightScope Flip by Ocutech allows a wide field of view, line-of-sight adjustment and the option of flipping it up and above the spectacles on which it is mounted when magnification is not needed.
“The very wide field of view is an important need of bioptic telescope users,” Henry A. Greene, OD, FAAO, said in an interview with Primary Care Optometry News.
The field of view of the SightScope Flip is “almost 50% wider than other currently available designs,” he said.
The binocular Galilean telescope system magnifies the viewer’s image to see better at distance and near ranges.
The SightScope Flip can be flipped up out of the way when magnification is not needed.
Images: Ocutech
The 1.7 X power is recommended for patients with best corrected spectacle acuity of 20/50 or better for viewing distances beyond 5 feet. It has a binocular field of view at 32.5 degrees with a 26-degree monocular view.
The 2.2 X is for patients with best corrected spectacle acuity of 20/80 or better for distances beyond 6 feet. It has a 22.5-degree binocular field of view and an 18-degree monocular view.
“We have had many successful users at 20/100,” Greene added.
The system can be used on individuals with disorders such as age-related macular degeneration, Stargardt’s disease, albinism, nystagmus, macular holes and a range of congenital, developmental and acquired central vision loss disorders, Greene said.
The device is designed for distance vision, but can be adapted for reading, computer usage and board and card games.
“The patient’s correction can be placed in the frame so we can maximize the benefit of the device,” private practitioner Lynne Noon, OD, FAAO, told PCON. “The telescope is mounted to the frame, and the telescope’s PD is adjusted to the patient’s by moving it right or left on its bracket. It is very easy to fit because the telescope flips down over the patient’s prescription in the carrier lens; eyepiece correction is not needed.”
The telescope comes as a standard design to help control costs.
“Making custom designs for each individual drives costs up very high, and our goal was to design a device that’s very easy to fit, high quality and lower cost,” Greene said.
The device can be attached to a range of Ocutech frames, which are available in different sizes, colors and styles, and is also customizable to other frames.
“My patients love this telescope; it is very easy to use,” Noon said. “The cost is less than most spectacle-mounted telescopes.”
The system comes with the binocular telescope system, Ocutech frame, patient case, head strap, cleaning cloth and adjustment tool. Prescribers can order a demonstrator kit with the 1.7 X and 2.2 X power clip-ons, 2.2 X demonstrator frame and fitting tool. – Cheryl DiPietro
For more information:
Disclosures: Greene is the co-founder and president of Ocutech. Noon has no relevant financial interests.