SYSTEMS / EQUIPMENT
Santinelli Debuts 5-Axis ‘Milling’ Industrial Edging Platform
Product: XTrimer SE-1
Top Line: Santinelli International is releasing its all-new Xtrimer SE-1 industrial edger featuring dry cut lens edging technology. The Xtrimer SE-1 provides advanced processing with its proprietary “V” tool design which introduces a new and more efficient method of dry-cutting and milling, addressing the growing complexities of today’s frame shapes and lens materials, according to Santinelli International. The 5-axis engineering design, combined with specialized high-speed motors, maximizes throughput efficiency. True “3-D Fit” technology is complemented by a new interlocking mechanical cutting method which vastly increases the first-time-fit ratio, the company said.
Close Up: Incorporating five individual processing tools, the Xtrimer SE-1 expedites the roughing process on all organic lens materials, including Trivex and polycarbonate. The unit completes the 3D cutting cycle and is capable of making “tiltable bevel profiles” (inclined bevels) and drilling a multitude of difficult shapes while providing an uncompromised finished lens.
Job data and grinding condition settings are displayed in high-resolution graphics on the large, color LCD touch screen for easy job verification. Processing-command data can be easily entered using the iRx Editor, an intuitive tablet application. This application allows for real-time, interactive, remote support and combines useful functions such as sending/receiving of log files, software upgrades and more, for uninterrupted operation. Retouching after processing can be done automatically by simply entering the retouch information via the tablet.
Vital Stats: With its robust construction yet compact size, the Xtrimer SE-1 is available as a stand-alone edger and is also engineered to operate in a small, medium or large volume capacity in conjunction with the company’s AES robotic units.
www.santinelli.com; (800) 644-3343
EXAMS / DISPENSING
Topcon Releases Connectivity Solution for DICOM and PACS Environments
Product: EZ Lite 2
Top Line: EZ Lite 2 is a DICOM compliant computerized digital system to capture, view, archive and transmit images of the human eye obtained from a number of different optical devices. EZ Lite 2 can easily integrate into any DICOM server or PACS as well as act as a stand-alone image management system.
Close Up: EZ Lite 2 can be used with most current Topcon capture devices and to send images to Synergy and third-party image management systems such as Forum, Merge Eye Care PACS, etc.
Vital Stats: EZ Lite 2 allows for acquisition, review and image manipulation. A simple three-screen graphic interface streamlines acquisition, viewing and transmitting. It can export to EMR’s as well as DICOM and other formats.
www.topconmedical.com; (800) 223-1130
CheckedUp to Launch M-Health Platform for Ophthalmologists and Ophthalmic Patients
Top Line: CheckedUp, a New York City-based healthtech startup, will be launching its first mobile health platform for ophthalmologists and ophthalmic patients in the first half of 2014. The CheckedUp platform was designed to enhance the quality and efficiency of doctor-patient communication.
“The demands on consultation and caregiving are rapidly increasing due to recent legislation, the growing tide of baby-boomers, and improved surgical options for patients,” said Richard Awdeh, M.D., CEO and founder of CheckedUp.
“Our goal is to make the care process as transparent as possible. Mobile technology has revolutionized the way that we communicate within our communities, yet communication so crucial to modern healthcare continues to lag.”
Close Up: CheckedUp supplements the patient’s office visit by providing ongoing education and communication customized by a patient’s doctor, at every step in the care process, from the initial consultation to postoperative follow-ups. The product’s platform includes a proprietary suite including: Digital Healthcoach, Medical Alert, Patient Play, and Rx-Ready, in which patients can customize how they want to navigate their care and digital relationship with their healthcare provider. The software automatically alerts the patient’s doctor about their preferences, so that in-person consultations can be more personal and productive.
Vital Stats: In order to determine the adoption rates and effectiveness of mHealth platforms, for both doctors and baby boomers, CheckedUp is conducting a multi-site, IRB-approved clinical study of its platform in high volume ophthalmic clinics. Currently both quantitative and qualitative data have been collected from over 300 patients and physicians in order to demonstrate the value of mHealth technologies in the clinical setting.
The preliminary results indicate that not only are mHealth adoption rates higher than expected, but that the CheckedUp platform is strengthening the communication channel between physicians and their patients.
TOOLS / SUPPLIES
Gulden Intros Bishop Dual Prism System for Large Angle Strabismus Alignment
Product: Bishop Dual Prism Alignment System
Top Line: Gulden Ophthalmics is introducing the Bishop Dual Prism Alignment System, a new tool developed to provide advantages in measuring large angle strabismus prior to correction.
Close Up: Accurately measuring the degree of strabismus using prisms is critically important when preparing for strabismus correction. Less than ideal results in strabismus surgery may be due in part to errors in the measurement of strabismic deviations. In addition, research has shown that the amount of deviation neutralized by an ophthalmic prism can vary depending on how the prism is held. Since plastic prisms are available with a maximum of 50 prism diopters (PD), deviations larger than this, as in large angle strabismus, require the simultaneous use of two prisms. However, stacking two prisms in the same direction in front of the same eye often leads to measurement errors. Large deviations are best measured by dividing the prism power between the two eyes, holding each of the two prisms in the frontal (coronal) plane. But holding two prisms in front of the eyes requires two hands or considerable dexterity – and still errors can result.
With the Bishop tool, two base-in or base-out prisms are held in place using magnetic fixation to a metal plate with a ferrous surface. The tool with the two prisms can be positioned using one hand, freeing the other hand for note taking and/or cross eye cover testing. The prisms can be placed base in, base out, spaced for the patient’s PD, and are held correctly in the horizontal and frontal planes by magnetic fixation to the plate.
The Bishop tool, developed by John E. Bishop, MD, of Texas, fixes the prisms in place, helping to eliminate measurement errors. The Bishop tool allows simultaneous placement of prisms in front of each eye with proper positioning. The system is designed to also work well on patients wearing trial frames.
Vital Stats: A portion of each sale of the Bishop tool is donated to the Children’s Eye Foundation.
www.guldenophthalmics.com; (800) 659-2250