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Test Promises Early Detection of AMD Ophthalmology Management June 2003 Carl Zeiss Meditec will soon launch a novel new perimetry device for the early detection and management of AMD. The company says the device, developed by Notal Vision Ltd. of Tel Aviv, Israel, represents a major improvement in the early diagnosis of the disease. The current standards for detecting changes in the retina resulting from AMD are periodic examinations, self-monitoring using the Amsler grid, and reports of symptoms. In a recent demonstration, the device was called the Preferential Hyperacuity Perimeter (PHP), but it may be given a new name. The technology for the PHP is based on the hyperacuity phenomenon, which is essentially the ability of an individual to perceive minute differences in the relative location of two or more visual stimuli. This ability isn't affected by age. The interactive quantitative threshold visual field test, given by a technician, takes about 5 minutes for each eye. The patient and technician sit at an instrument that resembles a computer screen while the patient focuses on a white dot in the center of the screen. As the patient focuses on the dot, lines with wavy areas of different magnitudes flash briefly at different places on the screen to cover the entire macular visual field. When a line disappears, the patient uses a stylus to touch the spot on the screen where she thinks the wavy area was. The instrument then determines whether the responses are consistent with the progression of AMD. "The instrument has high sensitivity for detecting choroidal neovascularization while the patient's visual acuity is still preserved," says a Carl Zeiss Meditec spokesperson. "It's highly sensitive for detecting even the smallest lesions." Test results can either be stored in the instrument, printed on a color printer, or printed from the thermal printer that's part of the instrument. The screen displays a map of the macular visual field, which shows hyperacuity disturbance patterns. The instrument also provides a "results confidence" level, from low to high. In clinical tests, the PHP was significantly superior to the Amsler grid in differentiating intermediate dry AMD from wet AMD. The PHP is expected to be a useful tool for general ophthalmologists. |
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