Monday, January 18, 2021
People with glaucoma and eye doctors face a dilemma. On one hand, patients with glaucoma are at high risk of losing their eyesight if their disease progresses undetected and essential therapy adjustments are delayed. On the other hand, these typically elderly, vulnerable individuals are often hampered in seeing their doctor for office visits, particularly during a lockdown.
Clinical study: telehealth glaucoma care
Glaucoma specialists and patients welcome the results of the clinical study published in Ophthalmology Glaucoma (1) – they show how Implandata’s EYEMATE system is transforming glaucoma treatment. During a lockdown period, eye specialists remotely monitored the intraocular pressure of their patients. Based on data generated by the EYEMATE system, doctors changed the therapy of 29% of their patients without requiring an office visit – thus reducing the risk of vision loss and keeping them safe during the lockdown.
What this means for people with glaucoma
Undetected disease progression is a big risk. Glaucoma gradually robs people of their vision. Continual, remote monitoring of glaucoma patients allows early therapy adjustment as needed, even when glaucoma patients are unable to visit their eye doctor. Thus, EYEMATE enables patients and their eye doctors to be informed in real-time of disease progression, which means the therapy can be adjusted without delay – before eyesight is permanently lost.
What glaucoma experts say
Kaweh Mansouri, M.D., lead investigator of the study, ophthalmologist at Clinique de Montchoisi Lausanne/Switzerland and Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology at University of Colorado, explains: “Our study shows that unnecessary clinic visits can be avoided by remote glaucoma monitoring. This is particularly important during the current pandemic for elderly patients who are at highest risk for COVID-19 complications.”
Robert N. Weinreb, M.D., Chair and Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology at University of California, San Diego adds: “The study findings help us envisage a future for tele-ophthalmology in glaucoma management far beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote patient monitoring and management significantly enhance existing glaucoma diagnostics, and allows a more rational application of existing and future vision-saving therapies.”
About Glaucoma – the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide
80 million people with the chronic eye disease glaucoma suffer the risk of losing vision, eventually going blind. Current practice (typically 4 office visits/year) is insufficient to prevent vision loss for many patients. Glaucoma status between visits is unknown. Though doctors have a wealth of treatment options, delayed detection of disease progression delays therapy adjustment and results in further vision loss.
About the EYEMATE™ System
EYEMATE is the only CE-marked, clinically-validated system for continual, remote monitoring and management of glaucoma patient care. Implandata’s proprietary biosensors and cloud-based, AI-system alert patients and their eye doctor in real-time of uncontrolled glaucoma, enabling real-time therapy adjustment to prevent vision loss.
About Implandata Ophthalmic Products
Implandata, based in Germany/USA, is a digital health company dedicated to helping people with glaucoma to lead a full life – without going blind. Breakthroughs in biosensing, telemetry and data analytics led to the EYEMATE system. The CE-marked EYEMATE system is in use at leading eye centers in Europe. In the USA, Implandata has started the FDA regulatory process.
Contact
Implandata Ophthalmic Products
Max Ostermeier, CEO
mostermeier@implandata.com
www.implandata.com
