Optometrists who have invested in Optos’ optomap devices say they have been pleasantly surprised by its ease of use, realistic financing options, and manageable footprint.
Optos introduced ultra-widefield (UWF) retinal imaging to enable eye care professionals to discover, diagnose, document and treat ocular pathology that may first present in the periphery – pathology which may go undetected using traditional examination techniques and equipment. The UWF, high-resolution retinal imaging devices achieve more than 80% or 200⁰ of the retina in a single capture.
On a busy day, we can take up to 30 images – it’s a really valuable tool
With optomap auto-montage, up to 97% or 220⁰ of the retina can be imaged with multi-capture montaging functionality.
Three years ago, Peter Weston, practice owner of Eyewear on Pako in Geelong West, Victoria, invested in the Daytona, with integrated optomap, and says it is “the easiest thing in the world to use”. Mr Weston said he was looking for an UWF imaging device to enhance his clinical practice, provide a tool for patient education and for documentation.
“We squeeze it in as part of our routine test, and we show every patient their images. If there is something to see, we point it out and explain what it means to them. It’s been nice to have that documentation, whether its normal or abnormal. It should become a standard of care in a practice,” Mr Weston said.
He was also highly impressed with how easily the Daytona fitted into his practice, saying, “We are quite stuck for space where we are, but it hasn’t taken up an exorbitant amount of room.”
Optometrist Damon Ezekiel also has a Daytona, which he describes as a great practice builder that has provided a return on investment.
“We took out a leasing option on our optomap and it has easily paid for itself. It’s brought in new patients and has been a great practice builder.
“As an independent optometrist, we offer premium services which we charge for – we only bulk bill patients who are pensioners, veterans etc.
“When patients see the images and have them explained, they understand why they are spending the money and feel comfortable with the advice we give them,” Mr Ezekiel said.
The Eye Collective by Russo Optometry in Dandenong, Victoria, has recently upgraded to their third Daytona device. They image all new patients, including children, then takes images as required.
“On a busy day, we can take up to 30 images – it’s a really valuable tool,” said practice owner Adrian Vecchio. “By improving our processes, we were able to train our staff to take the images. This has allowed us to image almost all our patients, which in turn has allowed us to pay the device off and provide better care,” he added.
