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New diagnostic under development for AMD detection
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SAN DIEGO – AdaptDx, which is cleared for sale as a dark adaptometer by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is being developed as a new in-office diagnostic test for age-related macular degeneration, according to a company executive.
John Edwards, chief executive officer of MacuLogix, the maker of AdaptDx, told Primary Care Optometry News here at Optometry’s Meeting that the technology is pending FDA clearance as an early indicator of AMD.
According to company literature, AdaptDx provides an objective measure of dark adaptation speed.
The longer it takes a person to dark adapt, the stronger the indication of AMD, Edwards said.
Clinicians can identify patients who would be candidates for this test, such as those with a family history of AMD, those older than 50, smokers and those who have trouble seeing at night.
The patient is dilated and sits for a test that is similar to a visual field test, measuring function, Edwards said. The test lasts 3 to 4 minutes in normal patients, but if the test continues for 6.5 minutes or more, the patient should be rescheduled for further testing to determine the severity of the problem. The follow-up test could last as long as 20 minutes.
“OCT would not show anything at this point,” Edwards said. “It’s very early detection.”
The optometrist can plan a follow-up schedule, perhaps prescribe nutritional supplements and, depending on the severity, perform ocular coherence tomography.
A CPT code, 92284, already exists for “dark adaptation,” Edwards said.