Ivan Cammack is an optometrist and business owner, with three independent private practices in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. With experienced professional staff and superior clinical equipment, Ivan Cammack’s practices aim to provide the best possible services to a discerning and high-spending local client base.
Here, Ivan tells The New Optometrist how iCare EIDON Family devices serve to maintain his practices’ high standards while making life easier for patients and staff.
How many EIDON Family devices do you have and how often do you use them?
I bought my first EIDON in 2016. I now have six EIDON AF cameras, one in each of my consulting rooms. We use them every day, with patient of different ages. The images captured provide our primary record of central retinal health.
What is your overall assessment of the iCare EIDON UWF Module? Has the expanded field of view met your expectations?
I have really loved using the EIDON UWF Module (1). It has two significant benefits over the standard EIDON – which was already better than any other fundus camera I have used. First, Ultra-Widefield gives me a larger field of view than before. With a single-shot image capture of 120 ̊ (and up to 200 ̊ using the mosaic feature), I can see all that I need to in one take for the vast majority of my patients. Second, the incredibly precise focusing technology in the EIDON UWF Module means that I can achieve high-definition image capture through pupils as small as 2.5 mm, which means I need to dilate far fewer pupils – and that is a bonus for me and for my patients.
What is your opinion of the image quality of EIDON – what benefits does this feature bring?
Ever since my first experience with iCare EIDON cameras over six years ago, I have been impressed by the quality of images captured. I am still impressed every day by the detail I can see when examining the retinal vascular architecture, when looking for the smallest signs of nerve fiber layer pathology, and when assessing optic nerve health.
The image quality of EIDON is exceptional, not only giving me the means to diagnose and make confident referrals to ophthalmology when indicated, but also creating a little bit of “theater” when I show and talk to my patients about their eye health.
Can you talk about the color of images with EIDON and how it helps with the detection of pathologies?
I’ve been an optometrist since 1986 – I didn’t have any cameras at that stage, so when they were introduced I found the first generation of cameras quite amazing. But what we have today is a world of difference. Conventional fundus cameras, in my experience, create untrue images, which lack the levels of contrast needed for accurate and early diagnosis of some retinal pathologies. But EIDON True Colour imaging is a revelation! I can see so much more detail than I could before using EIDON.
The micro-vascular changes in diabetic retinopathy are much more easily seen, assessment of the neuro-retinal rim of the optic disc is more certain, and the visualization of epiretinal membrane is now a breeze.
What do you think of the speed and user friendliness of the device? Was it easy to learn how to use it?
The Ultra-Widefield version is just as user-friendly as using the EIDON devices alone. EIDON image capture is simple, intuitive, and quick. Although my EIDON cameras are only used by optometrists, I know that the device would sit well in a pre-screening environment, where non-trained staff might be asked to use it. It’s not quite child’s play, but it’s certainly quick to learn how to use them.
Has EIDON improved patient flow and diagnosis in your practice?
I have always been impressed by the EIDON cameras, the image clarity achieved, and the improved diagnostic certainty that ensues. But the introduction of EIDON UWF Module is a game changer for me. I very rarely need to consider the use of mydriatic drops to make pupils large now that I am using the EIDON UWF Module. This saves me time, improves patient flow though my practice, and it removes the discomfort and inconvenience that pupil dilating drops might cause to my patients.
What would you say to recommend EIDON to other colleagues?
To my colleagues I would say, take a close look at iCare EIDON Family with “Ultra-Widefield” module before you buy anything else! Aside from the incredible image quality created by confocal true color technology, it offers the fantastic image field size of up to 200 ̊, and the ability to achieve all of this through a small pupil, even when looking through moderate lens opacity.
You should also know that this is a table-top device and is available at great value for money.
Note
- Medical device accessory compatible with all EIDON family devices that allow the capture of ultra-widefield images.
CENTERVUE S.p.A. is the legal manufacturer of EIDON, EIDON AF, EIDON FA, EIDON UWF Module. iCare is a registered trademark of ICARE FINLAND OY. CENTERVUE S.p.A., ICARE FINLAND OY and ICARE USA INC. are parts of REVENIO GROUP and represent the brand iCare.
