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 eyecare 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 each image more than 80% or 200˚ of the retina in a single capture.
It’s one of those devices that is worth trying to find a way to afford because it’s so valuable to your clinical assessments, for patient education, and for providing the best assessment of eye health
With optomap auto-montage, up to 97% or 220⁰ of the retina can be imaged with multi-capture montaging functionality, enabling eye care professionals to discover, diagnose, document, and treat ocular pathology that may otherwise go undetected because it first presents in the periphery.
Optomap is integrated into the Daytona, Monaco, California rg, California fa and California icg devices, as well as the Silverstone which recently became available in Australia.
Three years ago, Peter Weston, practice owner of Eyewear on Pako in Geelong West, Victoria, invested in the Daytona and says it is “the easiest thing in the world to use”. Mr Weston said he was looking for an ultrawide-field imaging device to enhance his clinical practice, provide a tool for patient education and for documentation. He chose to go with Optos because of its credible reputation and longevity in the market.
“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.
With a small floor space, he was surprised to see how easily the Daytona fitted into his practice. “My impression with earlier models was that they were largish and cumbersome. We are quite stuck for space where we are, but it hasn’t taken up an exorbitant amount of room.”
Third generation 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 a premium service and we charge for topography, optical coherence tomography etc – 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.
“They are always amazed to look at their own eye in an optomap image! We only wish we’d got an optomap sooner,” 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 kids, then takes images as required after that.
“On a busy day, we can take up to 30 images a day – 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.
“It’s one of those devices that is worth trying to find a way to afford because it’s so valuable to your clinical assessments, for patient education, and for providing the best assessment of eye health,” Mr Vecchio concluded.
Overcoming Barriers
Optos has launched a campaign that aims to overcome perceived barriers associated with investing in an optomap device.
“Our prospective customers are continually telling us that they wish they could have an Optos device, but often citing that they couldn’t afford one, or that they didn’t have room in their practice for one,” said Jason Martone, Managing Director at Optos Australia.
“Our campaign highlights optomap’s affordability, its small footprint, and the benefits it brings to a practice.”
