Product: Diopsys NOVA-ERG Vision Testing System
Top Line: The Diopsys NOVA-ERG Vision Testing System is an office-based pattern electroretinography (PERG) module that is part of the Diopsys NOVA suite of tests.
Close Up: The PERG is an evoked potential test that measures the function of the retina. Patients view a screen with alternating checkerboard patterns to elicit a PERG response. Pattern electroretinography helps doctors gain objective information about the performance of the inner retinal cells of the eye, especially in an area of the retina called the macula. This information can help optometrists and ophthalmologists diagnose and monitor vision disorders like glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic maculopathies.
“The Diopsys NOVA-ERG is an important addition to the Diopsys NOVA suite of tests. In one sitting, an eyecare specialist can objectively measure the function of the patient’s retina while also measuring the function of the entire vision system, from the eye to the visual cortex,” said Alberto González, MD, Diopsys research director, “This will help doctors objectively distinguish between retinal and cortical pathway issues.”
The Diopsys NOVA-ERG allows the clinician to choose either advanced, automated testing protocols (PERG-Auto) or develop customized testing procedures (PERG-Mnl). Each option is designed to give the clinician easy to interpret results.
The PERG-Auto Concentric Visual Fields test utilizes two different degrees of stimulus presented as concentric circles with contrast reversing patterns. The objective information from this test is useful in studying disease progression like rapidly progressing maculopathies.
Vital Stats: The PERG-Auto Contrast Sensitivity test utilizes a full screen stimulus with two different contrast levels to give an objective, functional response of the vision system at the retina. It can be useful in tracking progression of diseases, like glaucoma.
www.diopsys.com; (973) 244-0622

Product: ODLean Seminars, E-Learning Modules and iPad Application
Top Line: The Vision Care Institute announced that its ODLean Consulting Program is expanding its program offerings to better help eyecare practitioners manage patient flow, increase productivity, improve patient experience, and boost profits.
Close Up: Available to doctors and their staff, Operating a Lean Practice is a one-day seminar covering three areas: patient scheduling, clinical balance, and effective communication. Led by ODLean experts, attendees will learn how to create a customized patient schedule taking under consideration different patient types and shared office resources. They also will be taught how to structure their clinical workload to ensure doctors and technicians are in-sync, and communications techniques that allow for effective patient hand-off from technician to doctor and from doctor to optician. The seminar will be conducted in multiple locations across the country at a fee of $350 per attendee.

ODLean Consulting is also launching a series of e-learning modules that are based on learnings from more than 300 ODLean consulting engagements and observations across the United States and Canada. The modules will be available through www.ODLean.com starting in mid to late 2013. The first module is titled “What is ‘Lean’?” and addresses the “Lean” business philosophy of making multistep improvements to drive meaningful change across every aspect of your business. Future module topics include scheduling, clinical balance, communications, change management, and slit lamping, among others. The modules range in duration from five to 20 minutes, and are intended to be “bite-sized” for quick learning and implementation. Each module will follow a Learn, See, and Do approach in which ODLean will discuss the topic, demonstrate what it looks like in practice, and then provide several action items the viewer can immediately implement.

The new ODLean iPad application, called ODLean Patient Experience, is a diagnostic tool that allows eyecare practices to track patient flow, see in real-time where there are bottlenecks, and immediately make changes that will improve flow and efficiency. The application will send data to a web portal on www.ODLean.com where subscribers can access their metrics. This web portal will also be available mid to late 2013.
Vital Stats: ODLean Patient Experience can be found in the iTunes Store (for best results, search for the application by its complete title).
www.ODLean.com

Product: CooperVision Allergy Survival Guide
Top Line: CooperVision has produced an allergy survival guide for patients on its Facebook page.
Close Up: It consists of fact sheets and videos about allergies, tips on how to look your best this allergy season, and even a live feed to the Allergy Index from The Weather Channel so that patients can know when pollen counts are high.
Vital Stats: The Allergy Survival Guide also includes helpful information about eye allergies and contact lenses; especially the benefit of daily disposable contact lenses:
www.facebook.com/CooperVision

Product: Liberty Scholar 2
Top Line: Eschenbach’s Liberty Scholar 2 now features a new camera and camera mounting system.
Close Up: The Liberty Scholar 2 is a portable video magnifier that can be used for both near and distance applications enabling users to read, write and view distance objects. It includes both a monitor and camera and weighs only 6.6 pounds. When folded down flat, it measures only 9.9 inches x 11.8 inches x 2.4 inches and it fits into a small, custom-made backpack. The Liberty Scholar 2 offers magnification from 1.5x to 50x and the 3 buttons on the monitor allow users to access an overview mode, freeze images, select from a range viewing modes, activate the line marker and change the brightness. The monitor features a TFT LCD display and the new camera provides 10x optical zoom and easier-to-use controls. The Liberty Scholar 2 is designed for near tasks like reading books or magazines, writing notes or checks, or putting on make-up (in mirror mode) and distance tasks such as looking at a white board at school or the office or viewing faces from across the room.
Vital Stats: The internal Li-ion battery lasts about 5.5 hours and is rechargeable.
www.eschenbach.com; (800) 487-5389