Has your child suffered from an eye problem lately? It can be #glaucoma !Many of the devices currently available for IOP measurement require cooperation from the subject so that accurate and repeatable reading can be obtained. Dr. Sirisha Senthil, MS, FRCS heading the VST Centre for Glaucoma care at LV Prasad Eye Institute mentioned that younger children who cannot cooperate for Goldmann applanation tonometer are tested with Icare tonometer in their Hospital.
#ophthalmology #digitalhealth #eyes #child #medical #medical #innovation #diagnostics #LVPEI
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/glaucoma-detection-paediatric-setting-dr-ruchi-dass/?published=t
For a vast majority of the population glaucoma in children is unheard of. It is a gradual process, and since there is almost no indication of loss of vision, many people do not realize they have it. Timely diagnosis of Glaucoma is hence, a challenge. When it comes to children, the challenge is even more significant. Children often cannot do a reliable visual field test. They are less cooperative and hence doctors, rely more heavily on pressure measurements in identifying and managing Glaucoma in children than in adults, which isn't very comfortable for children.
"The doctor was kind to us and wanted to measure the intraocular pressure, but the moment he tried to measure IOP with applanation tonometer, Vihaan started crying. It looks like the doctor was trying to touch his pupil and Vihaan got so scared that he almost ran away. It was a nightmare, and we had to reschedule the appointment that day,", added Rachna.
No alt text provided for this image
Many of the devices currently available for IOP measurement require cooperation from the subject so that accurate and repeatable reading can be obtained. Dr. Sirisha Senthil, MS, FRCS heading the VST Centre for Glaucoma care at LV Prasad Eye Institute mentioned that younger children who cannot cooperate for Goldmann applanation tonometer are tested with Icare tonometer in their Hospital. "We use this as a routine tonometer in pediatric clinics including pediatric glaucoma, cornea, retina and general pediatric clinics" added Dr. Senthil.
Glaucoma, says the WHO, is the second most common cause of blindness in the world, and the fourth most common in India — mainly because there's not enough awareness about the condition. Increased Intraocular pressure (IOP) can damage the optic nerve situated at the back of the eye. Initially, patients will suffer from defects in the field of vision and then progress to complete blindness.
An IOP measurement is an essential component in the assessment of a child suspected of having Glaucoma. Something as simple as automated visual field testing to measure peripheral vision isn't useful until a child reaches age 7 or 8. The decision to treat a child with drugs or proceed to surgery is dependent on whether the IOP is acceptable in a particular situation. Although examination under anesthesia enables a careful analysis of most clinical parameters, it is associated with potential adverse events from an allergy to death. There is also a significant financial implication involved in anesthetizing a child. The use of advanced Icare tonometers lowers the frequency of exams under general anesthesia. Anesthesia is costly, exposes the child to well-known risks and can sometimes falsely alter the awake pressure readings.
The standard Goldmann applanation tonometry is commonly used for measuring IOP among the adult population, but it has limitations. It is not portable, requires the patient to sit upright, and takes more time due to the anesthetic drops & Fluorescein. This means that it is often not the most practical choice for both pediatric and adult patients. Icare tonometer is easier and faster to use, especially for children making Icare the ideal tonometer for all IOP measuring applications.Figure 3: Dr. Sirisha Senthil, MS, FRCS Head VST Centre for Glaucoma care at LV Prasad Eye Institute
On asking why Icare tonometry is superior, Dr. Senthil mentioned, "In several cases like scarred corneas, IOP would have been recorded subjectively by finger tension rather than qualifying with Icare. Finger tension method is not very comfortable with children. Icare is a superior technology as it helps to check scarred corneas and other corneal pathologies, over the worn contact lens in eyes as well."
Icare has been working with leading eye hospitals in India and is present in more than 85 countries. At LV Prasad Eye Institute, we collected feedback on the use of Icare tonometer and its quality, efficiency, running costs, service support and they scored Icare tonometer "High" on quality, value for money and efficiency. Icare is recommended for excellent service support and low running costs, which is a common perception for the best quality product available in India.
Icare has been innovating its product line continually. The latest model is the ic200 tonometer which was introduced in the European and Indian markets in late 2018. Icare ic200 is fully portable, requires no anesthesia, and allows measuring the patient not only in sitting, standing, and lateral recumbent positions but also in half-sitting and supine positions. As young children can be less cooperative, unfinished readings are also helpful, and ic200 can save incomplete measurements and store IOP results with time and date. The readings can be transferred to the computer or printed using a wireless Bluetooth printer.
Icare is working with the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), India. LVPEI is an institution of repute for eye care and has become the first in the world to perform over 2,000 corneal transplants in a year. It performed 2,043 corneal transplants in 2016-17, setting the record for the highest ever corneal transplant surgeries in the world by a single center. LVPEI believes in its vision of providing equitable and efficient eye care to all sections of society.
For more information on the Icare tonometers please visit https://www.icaretonometer.com or contact info@icarefinland.com.