Ultra-widefield retinal imaging has come a long way in recent years, overcoming issues such as the requirement for dilation, and the time required to acquire multiple images free of artefacts.
It’s understandable then that devices like iCare’s Eidon ultra-widefield are becoming increasingly popular. With rapid documentation of more of the retina, specialists are now better equipped to detect, diagnose and begin monitoring a multitude of retinal pathologies early, in particular diabetic retinopathy and retinal holes and tears.
Dr Jacob Cheng from the Eagle Eye Centre in Singapore decided to purchase iCare’s Eidon Ultra-Widefield with TrueColour, Confocal Technology in 2021 and two years on says it continues to “tick all the boxes” on the checklist he drew up when setting out to compare the options.
A Demanding Checklist
Dr Cheng’s checklist included:
– Good true colours, close to clinical examination,
– A wide field of view “would be a bonus”,
– Attractive pricing “would be an advantage”, and
– Feedback from a technician on ease of use, patient comfort and fast acquisition speed. “This was a strong consideration”, he told mivision.
When making his final decision to invest in the iCare Eidon, Dr Cheng said the technician assured him that the learning curve would not be steep. And it would appear that he and his clinical staff have found this to be the case.
“My clinical staff use it for routine fundal photos as well as for screening cases. I find it aids the clinician in making a more accurate diagnosis based on the true colours, which translates to better overall patient management,” Dr Cheng told mivision.
“The wide field helps to pick up peripheral pathology which may be missed. The documentation of the periphery demonstrating presence / absence of pathology also helps in documentation for medical–legal purposes.”
Additionally, he told mivision, “the ease and speed of acquisition also help in patient compliance”.
However, Dr Cheng did note two challenges. “Imaging technologies have limitations. Sometimes the colours and peripheral photos vary, depending on pupil size and the amount of media opacities. With the iCare Eidon, this can be overcome by the technician manually stitching the images together.”
A Plus for Patient Education
When it comes to discussing ocular disease diagnosis and management plans with patients, Dr Cheng said the images presented by the iCare Eidon are helpful.
“Showing sequential, well captured photos can be instructive to the patients – they help them to visualise their pathology better and have an improved understanding of their disease,” he said.
Time to Push the Envelope
Asked whether there are further improvements that he’d like to see from this technology, Dr Cheng said, “I would like iCare Eidon to push the envelope further to capture a wider area of periphery retina”.
And when asked whether he would purchase an iCare Eidon again, he had no hesitation.
“Yes.”
