Spotlight ON TECHNOLOGY & TECHNIQUE
Diopsys NOVA-PERG Brings Big Hospital Technology to Small Private Practice
A new diagnostic tool may help ophthalmologists expand their roles.
By Bill Kekevian, Associate Editor
The team at Diopsys Inc. are looking to change how pattern electroretinograms (PERG) are used. In preparing to release its NOVA-PERG vision test, slated for late this year, the company wants to take the technology out of hospitals and into private eyecare practices. The focus is not only to improve diagnostic capabilities, but also to improve patient experience.
“These are sciences that have been around for a while, but the products were never designed to be used in a clinician's office,” explains Diopsys President Joe Fontanetta. “These devices were expensive and complicated. We've taken these really traditional sciences and redesigned them using computer technologies.”
An Ounce of Prevention
The way Mr. Fontanetta and NOVA-PERG Research Director Alberto Gonzalez, MD, see it, medical care in general is in the midst of a swing toward preventative care. The working theory is that any preventative care involves using the best diagnostic tools available.
Although PERG has been around for decades, they were usually reserved for research institutions and large hospitals — places people typically go for treatment of known diagnoses, Mr. Fontanetta says. The devices were expensive and, for patients, uncomfortable. Old PERG tests involved connecting electrodes directly to the cornea for up to 20 minutes. The Diopsys device is non-invasive and connects electrodes to the lower eyelid and two other spots on the head.
The company also says the Diopsys NOVA-PERG test will be priced significantly lower than traditional PERG systems. Depending on the reading, which is displayed on a computer screen, any ophthalmologist should be able to see early signs of glaucoma, macular degeneration, a host of retinal disorders or even multiple sclerosis.
Dr. Gonzalez says the test helps doctors distinguish between retinal and cortical pathway issues. “The earlier you catch [these conditions] the better,” says Mr. Fontanetta. “It's an important tool.”
The NOVA-PERG system from Diopsys is designed to bring big hospital technologies in to small private practices.
An Objective View
A benefit of the PERG is that it objectively measures the electrophysiological activity of the retinal cells. In other words, it's not a test dependent on a patient's report to the doctor about their experience, like many eye exams. The PERG test uses a strobe light to elicit a retinal response. The PERG test reads the pattern on the retinal ganglion cells. “Pattern ERG tests the functionality of the eye and of the ganglion cells in particular,”
Dr. Gonzalez says.
NOVA-PERG uses a database of normal retinal ganglion cell functions for comparison and analysis. But, more than that, it includes software with the ability to measure changes over time. In other words, the machine can be used to show patients any improvements or degradation after starting treatment.
Keeping up With Drs. Joneses
While healthcare continues to evolve, roles are changing. Succeeding in a private practice in a climate of hospital consolidation may mean taking on some new roles. Tools like the NOVA-PERG may give ophthalmologists diagnostic opportunities previously unexplored.
“Right now we believe the product can be utilized by any doctor who treats AMD, glaucoma or retina disease,” Mr. Fontanetta says. OM