Tag: opd

Automated Refractions Make Exams Faster And Easier – An Article From Women in Optometry

Original Article Published in Women in Optometry
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Automated system for refractions brings physical relief, too.

Since opening her own practice in 2003, Rachel Tellez, OD, has moved Vision Source Leon Springs in San Antonio, Texas, into a newer location just a few hundred feet away, seen patients grow and bring in children of their own and added an associate OD.

Something that has continually aided the practice’s growth, she says, has been the Marco technologies that bring efficiencies to the exam process. For the first almost 30 years of her career, Dr. Tellez utilized an old-fashioned, bulky phoropter that required her to spend much of her days with her arms outstretched, spinning dials.

Dr. Tellez—a regular at physical therapy with two bad shoulders—read a colleague’s account of using an automated refraction system. A visit to The Exchange®, the Vision Source annual meeting, in 2016, held in her hometown that year, solidified her decision to update her lanes with the Marco TRS-6100 Automated Refraction System with Infinity Remote Software.

“I only updated one lane and kept the old phoropter around in case we ever needed it,” Dr. Tellez says. “It didn’t take me long before I realized we needed the same equipment in our other two lanes. I was never going back.” Rather than relegating her other exam lanes to
second-tier status because she didn’t OD want to use them, she added the Marco equipment to both. The advantages were immediate.

THE WOW FACTOR

Patients who have been seeing Dr. Tellez for years are able to experience some of the high-tech instrumentation. Every patient sits at the Marco TRS, so they all appreciate the change from the stress of having to answer questions about clarity of numbers.

FASTER REFRACTIONS 

With the process of obtaining the refractive correction more quickly, Dr. Tellez and the patient have more time to talk about other ocular health issues, the need for backup eyewear, dry eye treatments or other concerns the patient may have. Or the patient is able to get into the optical area faster to pick out their new eyewear.

MORE DATA, MORE QUICKLY

With the OPD-Scan III Wavefront Aberrometer and the VisuALL virtual reality visual field perimeter, Dr. Tellez captures more information on each patient. The systems talk to each other, so staff members don’t have to load data manually. And Dr. Tellez has all the topography and perimetry data right on her screen.

Since the VisuALL system is portable and allows the user to perform several tests without having to move the patient from one machine to another, that system has also sped up the data-gathering process. “Within a minute or less, the refraction, keratometry and topography are all on one screen, showing both eyes, much faster than compared to performing these tests with three separate instruments,” Dr. Tellez says.

She easily can find results that are automatically saved onto a data card and then transferred into the TRS. “We don’t have to input the data manually, which increases accuracy and definitely saves time,” she says.

PATIENT CHOICE

It’s challenging for any doctor to determine whether a small refractive change means that the patient “needs” new eyeglasses. The OPD screen features side-by-side comparisons so
patients can compare their current prescription to the one she derived that day. This puts the decision on whether new eyewear is worth it in the patient’s hands. Even small
refractive changes can make a big difference to some patients, and if they decide that’s the case, they feel great about buying new eyewear.

SHORT LEARNING CURVE

Dr. Tellez says that technology mastery is not one of her strongest suits, but within 15 minutes of sitting down with her Marco representative, she felt confident with the technology and what it could do. Patients also appreciate how easy it is.

GOODBYE, SHOULDER PAIN

Dr. Tellez can operate the autorefraction system by tabletop console, so she can relax her body. The shoulder pain that bothered her has completely disappeared, she says.

Advanced technology not only makes patients more confident in the care they receive, Dr. Tellez says, but it also ensures she is giving her patients the most appropriate options. “These patients are getting a more in-depth exam, and it’s easier on me and my team,” Dr. Tellez says.

Hearing about the experiences that her colleagues have had with products and technologies gave Dr. Tellez the push she needed to learn more. She’s grateful she listened and cannot imagine still practicing the way she did just a few years ago.

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The Right Exam Lane Technology Can Make The Day Easier – And More Fun – An Article From Women in Optometry

Original Article Published in Women in Optometry
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Karen Wrigley, OD, with two practices, Wrigley Eye Associates and Visual Eyes, in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area, has always tried to keep her practices updated with the latest technology. Yet when she brought in new exam lane equipment from Marco recently, she was impressed by not only how it sped up the refraction and exam process but also by how much patients are enjoying the experience.

Dr. Wrigley originally added an OPD-Scan III, and a Marco TRS automated refraction system to one of her two exam lanes in each office. She added a second TRS and a new slit lamp with the ION camera in June of this year. In the pretest area, technicians can capture wavefront aberrometry, topography and keratometry, among other features, with the OPD-Scan III. This data provides the doctors with more information about the surface of the patient’s eye before they are even in the exam room, which is particularly helpful with specialty lens fittings. Now, those patients with complex fitting needs can receive even more customized contact lens prescription, helping them see and feel better. The updated slit lamp has also allowed for a more precise patient examination.

WOW THE PATIENTS

Dr. Wrigley’s office serves as an internship site, and she says that while the manual phoropter provided interns a good learning experience, it was outdated and more difficult. It’s ergonomically stressful for the user, and the process can be stressful for the patients.

“If we’re going to update our technology, let’s wow our patients,” Dr. Wrigley says. The new slit lamps have updated camera software so that Dr. Wrigley and her team can show patients their images right there in the exam room. Plus, the new TRS technology lets doctors use a tabletop console to sit a distance back from the patient, supporting social distancing, which puts both parties more at ease.

The TRS and OPD systems in her two offices have created more efficiency while allowing the doctors to provide even better care to their patients. Dr. Wrigley has been able to minimize downtime in exam lanes, thanks to the updated technology in her offices. She or her technicians can complete the refraction faster, and she gains the measurements she needs accurately.

Leveraging her Vision Source member benefits, Marco brings doctors the “best bang for their buck” on upfront costs, lease programs and technical support, she says. Marco’s support is stellar; technician assistants will fix equipment on-site or remotely, which has also helped save the practice time and avoid downtime as, in many cases, they no longer have to ship equipment out for repairs or updates. She also appreciates that her representative is just a phone call away for pricing, advice, support and tech questions.

Dr. Wrigley has seen a positive return on investment and the intangible benefit of happier customers with the Marco systems. “Our vision statement at the practice is helping patients see well and look great. The new technology has helped us achieve this,” Dr. Wrigley says. “My goal is to always keep up and push forward.” She says her patients have even noticed the office updates. Those who have jumped to another practice for their eye care often come back to her because “they know we keep up with the latest and greatest in the industry,” she says. “It is so nice that they see what I’m trying to provide for them.”

Dr. Wrigley has been able to prioritize the best care for her patients without it burdening her team or herself; in fact, it actually makes her days easier.

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Post-Pandemic Safety Concerns Prompted Purchases That Have Yielded Far More Benefits – An Article From Women in Optometry

Original Article Published in Women in Optometry
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Like every doctor who purchased a practice in mid-2019, Nyssa d’Hedouville, OD, could not have anticipated that just seven months in the future, the COVID-19 pandemic would force her to close Mashpee Vision Care, the Mashpee, Massachusetts practice she acquired, for two-and-a-half months. But she sees some positive developments that came out of that time. “I updated every area of the practice while we were closed to routine patient care,” she says.

While the practice did have a visual field analyzer and older optical coherence tomography equipment, she wanted a higher-tech experience for her patients.

She added Marco diagnostic and lane equipment, include the TRS 6100 automated refraction system, the OPD-Scan III and iON imaging system. The advanced technology has been a benefit in a number of ways.

First, it has sped up the time it takes to get an accurate refraction. “The technician measures the patient’s current eyewear in the lensmeter and performs an OPD scan. That is all uploaded into the TRS when I come into the exam room,” she says. Patients love not being asked the old “1 or 2” question, and she sees an immense benefit to being able to toggle back and forth between their previous prescription and the new one. “Patients are much more likely to purchase new eyeglasses if they understand what the difference in their vision is going to be. It’s much faster than dialing the prescriptions in and going back and forth,” she says.

The simulator that generates a depiction of the patient’s visual acuity is great for patients – and parents of young patients. “I had a young man who came in with his father. The patient had been diagnosed with keratoconus and could not achieve clear vision with eyewear. I was able to use the simulator to show his father how higher order aberrations made his son’s vision so poor. Suddenly, the father understood why getting the son fit with specialty contact lenses became imperative. Because I had those measurements ahead of time, I could save time, instead of repeating what had happened so often before when doctors were unable to get him seeing clearly with eyeglasses.” Similarly, that strategy works well for parents of young children, too.

Best of all, she can conduct her exam with just as much personal attention – but at a great distance with the TRS and iON. “I’m able to sit further away than I could during earlier slit lamp examinations. Plus, it’s great for patient education,” she says. She can share the images with the patient and explain what she’s looking at, whether that’s blepharitis, dry eye, nevi or lid lesions. “It’s so much easier for the patient to understand what we can see when they look at the image. It helps show the value of what we do, especially when we can use the first day’s measures as a baseline and then show them the effectiveness of the treatment.”

Just as important as the physical distance – the feature that most attracted her when she was able to start welcoming patients back into the office – is the patient education aspect. The result is increased face time, where she’s talking directly to the patient about a refractive or ocular health issue.

The diagnostic instruments also provide her with a better idea of what she’s facing. For example, the patient may have said nothing about dry eye symptoms, but the OPD-Scan III data indicates that the patient might have dry eye. “So often, when I tease out whether the patients have symptoms, they tell me that they do, but they did not think it was significant or that I could do anything about it.”

Finally, the data from the TRS is uploaded directly into her electronic medical record, which means she doesn’t have to worry about transposition errors.

As these benefits revealed themselves, they reinforced the value of bringing this equipment it. “As business owners, we’re always worried about our return on investments. But rather than ask whether it’s something you can afford, take a look at how it can affect your practice. For me, this technology has halved the amount of time I need to do a refractive exam. My technician has already gathered good data, and I can finish that portion of the exam more quickly. The patient can see whether the new eyewear would help, so it has resulted in more sales and a higher capture rate,” she says.

“I got it because I was worried that I wasn’t going to be able to open without having this technology. But now I enjoy it for all the other benefits it brings.”

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Refraction System Provides Efficiency, Accuracy And A Little Distance – An Article From Women in Optometry

Original Article Published in Women in Optometry
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When Monica Brown, OD, purchased Baymeadows Vision Center in Jacksonville, Florida, one of the two exam rooms had a TRS refraction system from Marco, while the second had a manual phoropter. “I kept the manual for a while because I do a lot of orthoptics, and I was comfortable with the process. I didn’t know if the TRS would do it as well.” Dr. Brown earned a master’s degree in orthoptics before attending optometry school.

However, the more she worked with the TRS system, the more she learned that she could use it for prism and binocular testing, as well as, if not better than, the manual system. Nearly three years after she bought the practice, she converted her second lane to include a TRS system, too.

She has found that adding the second automated refraction system helped her improve her efficiency, in large part because it allows her to look over other pretesting data and enter information into the chart from the patient’s history. “Patients have the wow factor while they’re going through this very easy refraction, and I am minutes ahead in my data collection and entry,” she says.

During her practice remodel in October, she also added the TruVue viewing system. “It’s a digital screen, and the clarity is unbelievable.”

For the past year, the added efficiency and speed, as well as the increased sales that result from using this system, “have been a godsend. Patients love seeing how clearly they would see with new eyeglasses. Even if it’s just an axis change, many patients can see the difference. And when I show them, saying, ‘Here’s how you could see with today’s new prescription,’ the majority say, ‘I want that.’”

PHYSICAL DISTANCE

Even as restrictions on physical distancing are lifted in some settings, providers and patients still expect and want some physical distance in a medical setting. “With the TRS, I’m not right there in the patient’s face for the whole exam. I’m at my desk; they’re in the chair. I barely have to get behind the slit lamp with the data I’m able to obtain now.”

OPD INSIGHTS

Adding the OPD-Scan III into the workup room routine has saved her even more time. The technicians run the process, and with the push of a button, that information is transferred to the exam lane. “I can show patients an unusual topography or tear film deficiency. It provides us with a quick and understandable explanation for why we might not get the vision to 20/20,” she says. Regularly, it saves her time because the OPD-Scan shows her a higher order aberration or other data point that will impact the final prescription. “I can explain to patients why, no matter how much we tweak the prescription, we are not going to be able to achieve 20/20,” she says.

For patients with tear film deficiency, however, she can also help them understand why compliance with a dry eye regimen she provides can help address their comfort and vision. Plus, on subsequent visits, she can compare the results from the most recent OPD-Scan.

Having the data on hand can help her describe her patient’s visual symptoms sometimes even before they do. “I might say, ‘Is this what you see at night?’ They are surprised and often tell me that I’m describing their exact experience,” another “wow” experience for those patients.

By staying current with technology, she meets the goals of her mission statement: to provide each and every patient a lifetime of healthy vision through superior comprehensive eye care thereby enhancing their quality of life.

ERGONOMIC BENEFITS

Dr. Monica Brown wants to avoid the physical pains that some ODs experience, so she has incorporated ergonomic features like a stand-up desk when she remodeled the practice. Her Marco TRS refraction system has also been helpful. “I can operate the console, and I don’t have to reach my arms up. I try to keep my elbows at my side as much as possible,” she says.

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Spend Money To Make Money – An Article From Women in Optometry

Original Article Published in Women in Optometry
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Shonda Achord, OD, of Achord Eye Clinic in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hasn’t looked back since switching to the Marco Diagnostic Solutions TRS Refraction System. While she had already outgrown paper charts, she still found the switch expedited the whole process. “I can’t imagine the practice without it,” she says. The five-lane practice has a TRS in two lanes where Dr. Achord works, and her associates use the other lanes but can rotate through these two in her absence.

When she first brought in the TRS Refraction System, she found the refraction process to be so much faster that she felt her whole day could be restructured. “I felt like I could do four to five more exams per day—even before I added the OPD-Scan III wavefront aberrometer,” she says. “It’s just that efficient.” She has also found that with great technology comes a great reputation. “Patients were really impressed with it… so all that plays into the practice’s reputation. The wow factor is present, too. Patients always comment on it.”

GROWING, GROWING, GROWN
Part of Dr. Achord’s growth is attributed to an expansion she undertook. “I went from 1,600 square feet to 3,750 square feet, and I already wish I had more space,” she says. The practice has three doctors—Dr. Achord and two associates. While there are only two of them at a time there daily, the five exam lanes plus workup room/exam lane are always in use. She has seen a major change in patient flow already, with 30 percent of her patients currently being new to the practice. “I couldn’t do that before because we didn’t have the space or capacity for more patients,” she says. Despite her initial reluctance to move to a larger space, the lesson is the same one she passes on to doctors about equipment and technology: “If you don’t spend money, you won’t make more.”

“When I first added Marco technology, growth was the point,” she says. “Being able to fit in more patients and do it well was what I wanted. Now my goal is efficiency. I’m not trying to see a huge number of patients per day, but it frees up time that I can use in conversation and communication.”

Patients prefer it, too. “Refractions make people nervous,” says Dr. Achord. “When I have to dial it into a manual phoropter, it’s not as impressive as showing them their earlier prescription and the new one with the push of a button.” She has found that patients being able to see the differences for themselves has translated into the sale of more eyewear. “I didn’t like being the one to say, ‘Well, it changed this much so you should get new eyeglasses.’ If the Rx change didn’t make enough of a difference to them but I had told them they should buy new eyewear, then they may not trust me as much.” With the new system, Dr. Achord and her associates are able to let the patient decide for themselves with all the information in hand. Dr. Achord also has found few to no transcription errors, which has led to fewer remakes of eyeglasses.

The new system has proven to be useful in making up for closings and reduced volume during the pandemic. “We want to get patients in and out as fast as we can,” she says. At the same time, “We have to see people and catch up for the time we were closed, so we have to be efficient.” When it comes to the OPD, Dr. Achord praises its efficiency in helping her assess the issue. “It gives us topography, so right away I can see if there’s a reason that the patient might not achieve 20/20,” she says. “It’s an amazing instrument, and it saves me and the patient time and frustration.” She finds that the more information she has, the better she can advise the patient moving forward. “I can explain that the topography shows what issues we can’t overcome easily and what the options and/or compromises might be.”

She’s happy to share with her colleagues inside and outside of the Vision Source network how much more efficient the Marco technology has made her practice, and she emphasizes how even small time-savings with each patient add up. “I feel like if you don’t invest back in the practice, it’s not going to be successful.”

Ergonomic Benefits
For herself and her future well-being, Dr. Shonda Achord is also thankful she added the TRS Refraction System. “I’m only 5’3”, and I would rest my wrists and hands on the top of the manual phoropter because my arms got so tired,” she says. “I developed pleurisy, and it would hurt to breathe. My doctor asked if I did exercises that kept my arms and shoulders up—but it was my work.” She also notes that the new autorefraction system allows her to sit more throughout the day rather than standing all day like she was before. Another perk? “In the days of pandemic and flu, I’m five to six feet away from people,” using the tabletop controller.

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Replicate A Model That Works – An Article From Women in Optometry

Original Article Published in Women in Optometry
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Dora Sudarsky, OD, had been considering the right time to equip a second exam room at her practice, Chroma Optics, in Burlington, Vermont. Her son will be graduating from optometry school in May 2021 and will join her in the office, so she knew the change was on the horizon. “I knew I needed to add another lane, and with COVID, I decided now was the time to do it,” Dr. Sudarsky says. She added a second TRS system from Marco as well as the ION slit lamp earlier this year, and working between two systems is allowing her to be more efficient seeing patients. She can alternate from room to room, which leaves more time for cleaning between each visitor. “It’s been awesome.”

TECHNOLOGY IS A TOP PRIORITY

Dr. Sudarsky opened the practice in 2015, renovating and redesigning the space that was a former video store. She did most of the interior design and decorating herself to allot more of her funds to her instrumentation. Marco was on her wishlist from the start, and she opened her doors with one TRS system and the OPD III in her pretesting area. “The OPD III was above and beyond what anybody else had, and that was a big appeal,” she recalls.

Many patients followed Dr. Sudarsky from the optical where she had previously offered her optometry services, and in that space, she did not have any advanced technology. So the impression on patients has been huge and continues to be when new patients come to her office. “They tell me they’ve never seen so much technology, and while it may not all be brand-new, not every eye care practitioners embraces it the way that I have.” She recalls as she was preparing to open the practice that a colleague told her to wait and add automated refraction technology in five years. “I wanted to have it now so patients would tell their friends; that word of mouth makes a huge difference,” she says. “Some people say that they can’t afford to do it, but I say you can’t afford not to.”

BENEFITS FOR PATIENTS AND PRACTICE

Dr. Sudarsky says the staff adapted well to learning how to use the technology from Marco, and the data transfers automatically to her exam rooms so she can discuss the results with patients. “One of the things I love about the TRS system is that it’s a lot easier on my body—doctors don’t always think about that,” she says of the repetitive movement of traditional refracting. After experience her new, upgraded TRS in the second exam lane, Dr. Sudarsky is a fan of the improvements Marco has made, such as a bigger touch screen and even more intuitive software. It’s easier for her, but the experience is also simplified for patients. “Being able to press a button and show their old prescription vs. new prescription has a big impact, and I do think it has helped with upgrading and updating eyeglasses,” she adds.

The new ION Slit lamp in her exam room has become a great patient education tool in just a few months. “I can take pictures, put them on my computer screen and share with the patients.” Dr. Sudarsky was recently recommending a switch to wear daily disposable contact lenses to a patient. “I was trying to convince her, and with the picture, I could show her that her current contact lenses were dirty, even when she said they were clean. A picture is worth a thousand words.”

The OPD III has been a great asset for fitting contact lenses, and in particular, multifocal contact lenses. “It has a lot of great tools,” Dr. Sudarsky says. “I can tell if the patient’s visual axis is not the same as the center of the pupil, and I will know if multifocal contact lenses will work for them or not.” That can save her and the patient some frustration, especially compared to a system where she may have tried multiple lenses before reaching this conclusion.

Dr. Sudarsky says her efficiency has improved working with this technology, and she’s able to spend more time with each patient. “I have fewer remakes and better refractions,” she says. “I wonder how I practiced before it.”

Dr. Sudarsky didn’t know any colleagues who had technology from Marco when she took the leap, so she’s relied on the support of its team who have helped her with any question or issue that arises. She’s particularly thankful to her Marco support representative, who is a master at the OPD III and who helped Dr. Sudarsky understand how to utilize the many features and functions that the instrumentation has to offer. “They are just a text away and always willing to help,” she says.

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The Power of “Wow”

Our practice, Virginia Eye Consultants, is a tertiary care referral practice specializing in cornea, refractive, uveitis, retina, glaucoma, and oculoplastics. We firmly believe in collaborative care, and we work closely with the optometric community. Recently, our practice celebrated our 50th anniversary providing world-classspecialty eye care to our Hampton Roads community.

We house 17 providers, including 13 ophthalmologists, 4 optometrists, and 225 support team members, and we perform in excess of 5,000 surgical procedures annually, with the majority being cataract surgical procedures. We have four locations throughout the Hampton Roads area, with our main office located in Norfolk, VA, and three satellite offices located within 30 minutes of each other.

Several years ago, we made one of our best strategic and business decisions when we acquired Marco’s EPIC-5100 for our main office. This is where the majority of our providers are based and most of our cataract and refractive evaluations are performed.

The EPIC-5100 combines two of Marco’s most advanced visual pathway assessment technologies: the OPD-Scan III wavefront aberrometer and corneal analyzer and the TRS-5100 digital refractor. The two technologies can be used together to evaluate the entire visual system in a fraction of the time it takes traditional manual systems.

Indeed, we chose the EPIC-5100 system specifically to address and improve our patient throughput and efficiency, and we couldn’t be more pleased. To say the EPIC-5100 has improved our performance in this area would be an understatement. The majority of our patients are referred to us for cataract and refractive surgery from our optometric referral network. Utilizing this technology has improved our efficiency through the technician workup alone.

Prior to implementing the EPIC-5100, our technicians took nearly 40 minutes to perform a patient workup, gathering data from visual acuities to topography to refractions. In the time since we’ve acquired the EPIC-5100, we have been able to get the same amount of data in just 15 minutes, allowing us to improve both efficiency and overall time for cataract/refractive evaluations.

The user-friendly platform enables technicians to quickly gather the critical data that are used to determine each patient’s optimal treatment, whether that is for cataract or refractive surgery. A wealth of information critical to each patient’s visual system from the refraction — wavefront measurements, pupil size, angle kappa, and corneal topography — is gathered swiftly and efficiently using the EPIC-5100. The EPIC-5100, combined with the OPD-Scan III, can give us more than 20 measurements to utilize in our decision making. Even better, all of the data can be captured in about 10 seconds.

Additionally, we have an OPD-Scan III at each satellite location, which allows us to gather the clinical information necessary to make our recommendations.

Patients and Practitioners Both Benefit
The decision of whether or not to adopt new technologies can be challenging. However, when it comes to innovative technology such as the EPIC-5100, the decision was easy for us. From the “wow” factor to patient education to informed clinical decision making, patients and practitioners both benefit from the EPIC-5100 and the OPD-Scan III.

Our biggest challenge prior to adopting the EPIC-5100 was patient wait times due to bottlenecks resulting from lengthy patient workups. As in any practice, patient wait times play a significant role in the patient experience, and it is important to continuously evaluate our practice processes and procedures to optimize care. With the Marco products, we are able to utilize the technology to improve throughput as well as the staff and patient experience.

The EPIC-5100 and OPD-Scan III technology differentiate our practice and provide information we can share with our patients. It gives them the confidence that they’re in the presence of state-of-the-art technology that will be used to determine which procedures and surgeries are best for them. We measure patient satisfaction with surveys after each visit and gauge the patient experience by using the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems survey; they show definitively that patients believe they’re receiving the care they need and deserve. Each survey provides different information about the experience they had and the level of satisfaction with their care.

Enhancing Patient Education and Experience
Regardless of the condition for which a patient presents, patient education is key to successful outcomes. With the OPD-Scan III, we have the ability to educate patients about the impact on the ocular surface using the placido rings from dry eye to pterygium to other corneal surface irregularities. We can use the topography maps to discuss either the normal or abnormal corneal curvature, which shows why patients may have compromised vision and what we can do to address the condition.

Another feature of the OPD-Scan III that we take advantage of to educate our patients is simulating their vision before or after correction. In a practice like ours, this is turning out to be a vital tool in helping patients recognize the benefits of a new refraction, contact lens prescription, or surgical procedure.

As an optometric referral center, our practice’s success and growth is focused on patient experience and outcomes. The “wow” factor experienced by the patient while going through testing as well as our ability to minimize wait times and the amount of time patients are seen for their cataract/refractive evaluation determines our success. The information the technology provides give us the ability to make a solid recommendation for treatment.

Marco has been a great partner with our practice in providing the support and resources we need to successfully implement and utilize their technology. From the initial training for the staff to the support for providers on how to understand and utilize the technology, Marco has truly helped us to maximize the technology in daily practice.

Innovative Technology Is Key to Success
It’s also worth noting that implementing innovative technology is a key way to help differentiate your practice, prepare it for the future, and, perhaps most importantly, protect it against competition of all kinds. Online refractions, for example, provide limited data with questionable reliability. Technologies, such as the EPIC-5100 and OPD-Scan III, however, provide an unmatched experience and information that patients simply can’t get online.

With changes in optometry due to supply and demand in eyecare providers, optometrists will be called upon to provide more medical eye care for our patients and communities. The EPIC-5100 and the OPD-Scan III can aid providers in gathering reliable data in an efficient manner while allowing us to concentrate on our patients’ medical needs, such as diabetes, glaucoma, and cataracts, something the online competition cannot do.

Optometrists would do well to recognize these benefits and respond accordingly.

– Walter Whitley, OD, MBA, FAAO, is the director of optometric services at Virginia Eye Consultants, which serves the Hampton Roads region of Virginia.

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Achieve Results and Manage Expectations

It is my belief that an excellent postoperative patient result begins with detailed attention to preoperative testing. With its diverse pre- and postoperative evaluation capabilities, the OPD-Scan III has improved my surgical outcomes and has increased overall patient satisfaction. Furthermore, I use the images on the OPD to discuss diagnoses and treatment plans with patients.

Pre-op Screening for Optimal Post-op Results
To achieve the best postoperative results, we must screen patients preoperatively to identify certain corneal disorders that may affect outcomes. The OPD-Scan III measures a large amount of data, all of which are helpful in determining the best treatment options for patients. We are constantly finding new ways to maximize its advantages. The OPD has led to reduced postoperative issues and complaints by helping me to properly select those patients who would be good candidates for premium IOLs.

For example, the OPD identifies corneal diseases — such as irregular astigmatism, higher-order aberrations (corneal coma or corneal trefoil), high or low spherical aberration, and visually significant pterygiums with irregular astigmatism extending into the central pupillary zone. In each of these situations, the patient would be considered a poor candidate for a multifocal IOL.

I also evaluate the placido rings to look for irregularities. Irregular placido rings can be caused by a wide variety of corneal diseases, including dry eye disease, pterygiums, keratoconus, Salzmann’s nodules, corneal scarring, and epithelial basement membrane disease. If I decide to treat the corneal disease prior to cataract surgery, I obtain a repeat scan after surgery to show patients the subsequent improvement in the placido rings. This helps demonstrate the benefits of having an additional surgery prior to cataract surgery.

The OPD is especially helpful for identifying subtleties of dry eye preoperatively that I may not have otherwise noticed. It is easily seen as irregular placido rings, which can be shown to patients for educational purposes. From there, we begin a more thorough dry eye evaluation. After treating the dry eye disease, I repeat the preoperative testing and IOL calculations. Always address dry eye disease before surgery.

In addition, I evaluate all patients who have had previous LASIK, PRK, or RK. I am looking for irregular astigmatism, high spherical aberration, or a decentered ablation. I discuss these findings with patients preoperatively, explaining that prior refractive surgery may affect their final postoperative result, and because of this, it is possible that not all glare or decreased contrast sensitivity problems will be resolved.

The OPD also measures corneal spherical aberration, which allows me to customize my choice of IOL to best correct it. This helps to optimize each patient’s postoperative visual outcome.

Pre-op Screening of Premium IOL Patients
The OPD is especially valuable when evaluating patients who are interested in a toric IOL. The axial map is useful in confirming the planned axis for the orientation of the toric IOL, which should be very similar to the axis obtained via optical biometry. If the axis from the axial map and optical biometry are not similar, I repeat testing and look for the previously mentioned corneal disorders.

The OPD-Scan III also assists me in the multifocal IOL decision-making process. When evaluating multifocal patients preoperatively, I look for corneal disease. In general, the more irregular the cornea, the less likely I would be to use a premium IOL. For example, if a patient has significant higher-order aberrations, I would not use a multifocal IOL. In addition, I evaluate the mesopic and photopic pupil size. If the mesopic pupil size is greater than 6 mm, I have a discussion with the patient about an increased risk for halos and glare postoperatively. However, if the patient has a small photopic pupil less than 3 mm, I generally use a multifocal IOL in which the near vision isn’t dependent on pupil size. I also use the OPD to evaluate angle kappa. If angle kappa is greater than .43 mm, I use a multifocal IOL with a larger central zone.

Consistent Results with Post-op Screening
I obtain postoperative OPD-Scan III studies on all of my multifocal patients. Approximately 1 week after surgery, I obtain a dilated reading. This allows me to see if the central zone of the IOL is centered within the visual axis of the patient. If not, I know the IOL has shifted postoperatively, which frequently results in patient complaints of decreased vision and glare. Complaints usually can be resolved by surgically repositioning the multifocal IOL onto the visual axis.

I will also perform an OPD scan 1 week post-op on patients who received a toric IOL. Again, the scan is obtained with a dilated pupil. In this way, I can measure the axis orientation of the toric IOL to ensure that the toric IOL didn’t rotate away from the intended axis of surgical orientation. Correct toric alignment is critical because the power of the astigmatic correction is reduced 10% for every 3 degrees away from the intended axis of orientation. If there is significant rotation of the toric IOL, I will take the patient back to the OR to realign the toric IOL to the proper orientation.

More Information = Happier Patients
The OPD-Scan III has significantly reduced the number of post-op complaints from patients. With more information to guide me through the entire process, I’ve been able to largely avoid unhappy multifocal IOL patients by identifying the best candidates up front. Before we acquired the OPD, we were inconsistent when making these pre-op decisions.

Making the right decision as a surgeon is only one component of meeting or exceeding patient expectations. It’s also important that I educate patients at each step along the way. Pre-op tests help me manage expectations by educating patients with the aid of easy-to-understand test results. Visual aids help explain variables to improve patient understanding. For example, using OPD results, I can show a patient that his lens is well centered and his toric IOL is well positioned. Patients can see irregular placido rings consistent with dry eye syndrome, which reinforces the need to treat their dry eye prior to surgery.

Imaging can also show patients why irregular astigmatism may prevent them from being premium IOL candidates. With this information and education, patients better understand why you’re making certain decisions, they recognize that you’re trying to make the best decision for them — and they appreciate that.

Customization = Efficiency
The varied capabilities of the OPD allow us to create a specific map for pre- and post-op testing to meet the needs of each patient. We created a customized map to include all the important information we need to preoperatively evaluate the patient. By consolidating all the important measurements on one map, pre-op patient evaluations are much more efficient and allow us to create a personalized treatment plan for each patient. It’s amazing how many options there are with this instrument. We have customized it for our needs, and certainly other offices can adjust their maps to accommodate their needs as well.

We have also developed a comparison map to evaluate pre- and post-op LRI data to evaluate femtosecond laser LRI treatments. The outcome analysis can be used to adjust your LRI nomogram for any under-correction or over-correction of astigmatism. You may also use the comparison map to look for any increase or decrease in higher-order astigmatism, which may occur after an LRI.

Improve Satisfaction and Results
We acquired the OPD-Scan III about 5 years ago in an effort to improve our outcomes and patient satisfaction. It has delivered by helping us to preoperatively detect corneal issues that may affect outcomes, identify the best candidates for premium IOL surgery, improve surgical outcomes, and increase patient satisfaction.

– Dr. Ludwick specializes in cataract surgery and is the Medical Director at Ludwick Eye Center, with locations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. He is also an assistant clinical professor at Penn State Hershey Medical Center

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Better Information, Better Outcomes

I purchased the original OPD-Scan 8 or 9 years ago, and upgraded to the OPD-Scan III in December 2014. The original OPD-Scan was an absolutely spectacular piece of equipment, and the OPD-Scan III was enough of an improvement that I thought it was worth my while to make the investment. After more than a year, I am confident that I was right.

Better Delivery of Information
The OPD-Scan III is clearly an improvement on what was already great technology. It provides much of the same useful information but in an improved format, and in an easier, more efficient manner. The OPD-Scan III has better resolution and interface, and provides useful, integrated summaries that weren’t readily available in the original model. For example, now my techs can easily obtain a cataract, cornea, diagnostic, or toric summary for me to review and make assessments.

Corneal Wavefront Integration
The ability of the OPD-Scan III to examine the corneal wavefront is a huge improvement, because it helps me to determine the best course of treatment, be it LASIK or cataract. It also helps provide an overview of the patient’s visual status and problems. Every LASIK or cataract evaluation patient has those scans done prior to me even walking into the room, so I have a vast amount of relevant information right in front of me. With better information, I am able to achieve better outcomes for both refractive and cataract patients.

Improved Decision Making
The OPD-Scan III makes my job much easier, and it helps me achieve the best possible outcomes. Let’s say, for example, a patient is in for cataract surgery. I can easily explain to the patient which lens I want to place based on the information that the OPD-Scan III provides. In addition, if I’m considering a multifocal IOL, I can evaluate the corneal wavefront aberrations and quickly make an educated decision as to whether or not the patient is a good candidate for a multifocal IOL, based upon the corneal aberrations that I’m seeing. Or, the information might help me realize the patient is a better candidate for a different lens. I can look at the topography and the regularity of the astigmatism in the corneal surface. The OPD-Scan III is also very good at helping to assess corneal astigmatism. I’m also able to help patients with less-than-perfect vision after cataract or LASIK procedures, whether performed by me or another physician, because data from the OPD-Scan III can help me figure out what is going on with the patient’s vision. It also allows me to see what astigmatism might be coming from inside the eye — either inside the lens and/or the posterior cornea. I have many referrals, complicated patients, or patients who are not seeing well after cataract or refractive surgery, and the ability to take all of these measurements and look at all of the various pieces of information often helps me identify the patient’s problem. This, in turn, helps me make a determination as to what is the right solution for the patient.

Technicians’ Seal of Approval
Because my technicians perform the tests with the OPD-Scan III, it is critical that my staff is proficient in using this technology. It is equally important to me that they like the equipment — and they do. My techs appreciate that the information from the OPD-Scan III is more detailed and the equipment is more user-friendly than the previous model; they have fully embraced its capabilities. And because the OPD-Scan III harvests more than 23 diagnostic metrics in 10 seconds per eye and provides so much integrated information, my technicians often will make a decision for a given patient as to what summary I might need, which is extremely helpful. Sometimes, I have to go back and ask for a different summary or scroll through different images, but that’s simply because there is so much information available at my fingertips if I need it.

An Office Favorite
If you’re looking to provide improved care for your cataract and LASIK patients, there is no question that the OPD-Scan III is worth the investment. The equipment is fantastic, and the customer service that Marco provides is remarkable. The support team comes in to help customize and set up the summaries that will best suit each office’s needs. They are always accessible and helpful. There are many pieces of equipment that I have and love, and I could probably get away with just using them. But I wouldn’t be seeing the whole picture concerning each patients’ optical path. With the OPD-Scan III, I can obtain the basic information — and so much more. There are so many things that this piece of equipment can illuminate for me, that I’m sure I haven’t even scratched the surface yet. It’s my favorite piece of equipment and I can’t imagine practicing without it.

– Dr. Horn specializes in cataract and laser eye surgery at Vision for Life in Nashville, Tenn.

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With Marco, You’re Guaranteed to Succeed

Our 67-year-old Tennessee practice, Vision Source of Newport, recently opened a 9,500-square-foot facility, operating with three physicians and 18 staff members. We see roughly 350 patients each week, and we’re well on our way toward reaching our goal of becoming a $2 million practice. For the past 5 years, we’ve been using an OPD-Scan III integrated aberrometer and three TRS-5100 digital refractors in our office. Both have greatly contributed to our success.

Easier on Patients and Optometrists
As an optometrist, what’s good for my patients is also good for me. I can hit two buttons on the TRS-5100 and seamlessly compare their current refraction to their previous prescription. It makes it much easier to show the patient the difference, which increases Rx satisfaction and eyewear sales. In particular, the “night vision” refraction feature is helpful; I always perform this test on patients who complain that they just can’t see well at night. With only one machine, the OPD-Scan III, we can measure higher-order aberrations, detect corneal dystrophies and degenerations, show patients their cataracts, use images to explain why they’re having trouble seeing at night — and even find a floater. Also, the ability to measure phorias and tropias (both horizontal and vertical) in 0.1 steps using the TRS-5100 system helps uncover problems that manual refraction cannot catch. It is amazing how a vertical heterophoria even as low as 0.5 diopters can cause severe issues, especially in children and others still in school. I prescribe eyeglasses for these patients and refer them to our vision therapy specialist. This technology truly sets us apart from other offices.

Increased Efficiency
As someone who travels and lectures throughout the United States, being efficient in the office means a great deal to me. Between working with the OPD-Scan III
and the TRS-5100, I simply don’t have the words to describe how much efficiency has improved since we implemented these two technologies. Instead, I’ll let the numbers do the talking: Before I began using the Marco technologies, I was averaging collections of $3,400 per day. Now, with the OPD-Scan III and TRS-5100, I
average $4,500 per day (>32% increase). Utilizing scribes and the Marco technology has resulted in $200,000 more in revenue per year than we were achieving with manual equipment and without a scribe. This does not take into account additional savings from avoiding lens remakes, or the value of patient retention.

Training and Customer Service
One significant perk of purchasing Marco’s technology is that the company can train several members of your team at their Technology Vision Institute, in Jacksonville, FL., by teaching staff how to use the products and about the refraction process, various optometric terms, visual issues, and eyeglass prescription terms (phorias, vergences, binocular testing, etc). Marco also makes online courses available 24/7 to you and your staff.

Guaranteed to Succeed
In summary, Marco’s OPD-Scan III and integrated TRS-5100 provide an amazing array of diagnostic testing that a regular autorefractor does not. They make the patient’s experience easy and enjoyable. The improved efficiency has led to greater profitability, all while delivering educational and emotional “wow” factor for patients. With all this, your practice is guaranteed to succeed.

– Kurt Steele, OD is an optometrist with Vision Source of Newport in Newport, TN.

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