Standing Out in the Crowd

How MacuLogix and the AdaptDx Are Unique in the World of Eye Care

By Armond Dantino

When you’ve been in the eye care industry as long as I have – (more years than I care to remember!) – you’re given the unique opportunity to witness the rapid advances in the business of eye care in a way that many others don’t get to observe. The world of eye care has made incredible leaps and bounds throughout its history with one particularly notable innovation being the Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer. This innovation was a breakthrough for eye care professionals when it came to the detection and monitoring of glaucoma because of its ability to measure visual function.

Slowly and then gradually, this device became the standard of care in practices and now is an invaluable component of every glaucoma examination.  In my opinion, there isn’t anything better on the market for functional changes of the optic nerve than the Visual Field Analyzer. The AdaptDx dark adaptometer is going to similarly change the game for diagnosing patients with AMD, the leading cause of adult blindness in the Western world – and the best part? It’s catching on even faster!             

The Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA™) Perimeter was introduced back in 1984  and helps eye care professionals detect dysfunction in central and peripheral vision, making it ideal for diagnosing and managing eye disease such as glaucoma. Prior to the HFA becoming the standard of care, many patients were simply going blind from this devastating disease because it wasn’t being caught and managed early enough. Much like AMD, glaucoma progression can be tamed and blindness avoided if it is recognized in its early stages. This is why many ophthalmologists and optometrists were so eager to take advantage of this advance in medical technology. However, despite this enthusiasm, the HFA took nearly 20 years to become standard of care for glaucoma in the eye care profession!

In contrast, the AdaptDx automated dark adaptometer is earning its place much more quickly in the industry both clinically and in the minds of people due to 3 major components:

1. Medical Sales Beating Out Optical Revenue
2. The Dawn of the Internet Age
3. Cutting-Edge Technology Being Highly Coveted

Medical Beats Out Optical Revenue

Like most professions, the eye care industry has seen the internet become an increasingly disruptive force. Nearly 20 years ago, eye care professionals were more focused on selling eyeglasses in their offices. Gradually, buying eyeglasses and contacts online became more appealing before becoming the established norm in the past decade.  Heck, now patients can even download an app to gain their refraction! (though no eye care professional would ever recommend that!) Eye care practices had to adjust quickly with the times and were left with a conundrum – how do we make primary revenue? The answer came with transitioning from optical revenue and putting greater focus on medical revenue. This meant eye care practices began focusing more on diagnostics, eye disease testing and the sale of preventative care supplements.

Additionally, the aging baby boomer generation will result in a higher demand for medical eye care services with the over 65 age group growing from 40.2 million in 2010 to 54.8 million in 2020. That’s a 36.2% increase! Medical eye care services already account for nearly 17% of optometrist services provided and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon.  This is exactly why a device like AdaptDx is so important for eye care practice moving forward into this changing landscape. And practices don’t have to worry about losing out on revenue by implementing this device. As the only dark adaptation test used quickly and effectively in a clinical setting, AdaptDx enhances your diagnostic ability and dramatically increases practice revenue. AdaptDx even has a $62.71 average national reimbursement, no limit to the number of test per year, multiple ICD-10 codes, and much more to ensure your business’ financial benefit from this incredible technology!  

Dawn of the Internet Age

The great World Wide Web. Whether you hate it or love it, we all must admit it has done wonders for the eye care profession. In fact, the main reason why many medical devices used to take a long time to catch on can be attributed to lack of word-of-mouth passing of information. But with online resources at our disposal, this becomes much easier. When the Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer came on the scene, the internet wasn’t even publicly available nor were all the wonderful networking platforms that come along with it like social media. This made it much more time-consuming and difficult to spread the word about this revolutionary device to those within the eye care industry, let alone patients. Now, to get the word out about a new technology, it is as easy as the quick click of a button and you can post about anything and everything under the sun. Hello LinkedIn! Facebook groups and other social platforms offer eye care professionals the opportunity to connect with each other on a national and even international level. Hello, ODs on Facebook and Corporate ODs! The internet has also made it easier for eye care professionals to conduct their own research and learn about new technologies through online industry media, video channels, webinars, whitepapers, and much more! Studies are now available at one’s fingertips, so it is much more convenient to find peer-to-peer reviews and recommendations about devices and services in the industry.

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But it isn’t all in the MDs’ and ODs’ hands anymore. Now current and potential patients have the ability to conduct personal research on a scale never seen before. Patients can research their options when it comes to eye disease detection and management. They can “shop around” online for eye care practices that offer the latest technology. They can read online reviews from other patients and post about their own experiences. This is why it has become so important for practices to be comfortable adopting new technologies in order to stand out from competitors and offer their patients the very best in eye care. With options such as this “Doctor Finder,” which allows patients to easily search for ophthalmologists and optometrists using AdaptDx technology in their area, patients can essentially compare and contrast eye care services much like one would do with any retail product.

Cutting-Edge Technology is King

Speaking of technology, it is important to note that pride in being an early adopter of the latest and greatest among eye care professionals has helped put AdaptDx on the map. Back when I first started out, I wasn’t seeing as much new technology adoption as I see today due to general attitudes against many devices, ranging from physical challenges to a lack of comfort and familiarity with technology.  Many ophthalmologists and optometrists were more comfortable doing things the “old-school” way and didn’t see a need for fancy technology cluttering up their offices. Now that equipment has evolved so rapidly and has been proven to be integral to the field, practices are much more likely nowadays to consider the benefits new technology could have for their patients and their business alike. Now that eye care professionals agree how the Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer and OCT are essential pieces of their glaucoma treatment, I firmly believe they will be saying the exact same thing about AdaptDx for their AMD patients – many are already saying that now! 

“I have made performing an AdaptDx test on all my patients that are over the age of 60 years old my standard of care. I have found that about 40% of the time people fail the rapid test, even when the macula looks perfect clinically. This has helped me to be able to begin proactive measures with patients that previously would have been overlooked until there was more advanced disease.” Dr. Jeffry Gerson is certain of the device’s important role to his overall practice that it has become an essential piece of equipment in his patient care. As we all know, technological advancement is inevitable and rather than fear disruptions and change, eye care professionals should instead fully embrace and integrate new technologies into their practices for the betterment of the profession and their valued patients.

Embracing Change

The only constant is change. Looking back, it is amazing how rapidly things have evolved throughout the years but the patients and their need for quality care certainly have not changed. Nor has the dedication and passion of the doctors and staff in this incredible, ever-advancing industry. I’ve always said, “if you’ve seen one practice, you have seen one practice.” Each business has its own uniqueness and individuality and the same can be said about MacuLogix. MacuLogix is a company unique in the industry with a technology – AdaptDx – that is certainly changing the game when it comes to the early detection and management of AMD. Our bold vision to eliminate blindness caused by this progressive eye disease and the value we bring to eye care professionals’ practices are what makes us truly stand out in the crowd.

Best wishes,

 Join the fight against AMD and inspire others in the eye care industry