Centervue’s Eidon FA expands upon the Eidon’s imaging capabilities by offering ultra-high-resolution color images and fundus fluorescein angiography (FA) with video to study the retina vasculature.

“After seeing one photo taken with the Eidon FA, I knew we needed it in our practice,” says Atul Jain, MD, retina specialist, Retina Consultants San Diego in California. “You can take true high-quality and reproducible color fundus images with the same ease and learning curve of an iPhone. The Eidon FA is so intuitive and simple that I have trained everyone in my office to take images.” In fact, after a single-day trial, two of Dr. Jain’s colleagues agreed to purchase several systems for their practice.

Dave MacLellan, director of Eastern sales and marketing for Centervue, says, “We had been successful with the Eidon platform in both the optometry and ophthalmology segments, but needed FA capabilities to replace existing mydriatic imaging systems in the ophthalmology market. We applied the same automation that’s available in color imaging to FA.”

WHAT IT DOES

Thanks to its unique slit confocal technology, the Eidon FA provides a clear and detailed dynamic view of blood circulation in the eye when recording. “Having this perspective is helpful to obtaining a realistic representation of retinal vasculature and related circulation mechanisms,” MacLellan says.

Traditionally, mydriatic fundus cameras are used to acquire FA images. But the Eidon FA is not a traditional fundus camera; it is a confocal scanner with a full-color sensor. It allows users to capture video at the early phase of a fluorescein injection, allowing physicians to see live blood flow in the first 35 seconds. Furthermore, any video image can be converted into a single high-quality still image.

This capability isn’t available with fundus imaging, which takes only discrete images every few seconds. With the Eidon FA, physicians press a record button and can watch a live video of fluorescein entering the blood vessels. Video is optional; instead, infrared can be used to maintain a crisp focus and the bright blue light required for FA capture can be used only when needed. This is an advantage for patient comfort.

“Video allows physicians to see flow very quickly as opposed to missing it with static photos with a fundus camera,” MacLellan says. “Physicians can see more details of flow early on, which makes it easier to identify a leak or blockage.”

CLINICAL APPLICATIONS

The Eidon, Eidon AF, and now Eidon FA are used to monitor many conditions that affect the retina. In his retina-only practice, Dr. Jain sees many patients with diabetic retinopathy, various surgical needs, and a myriad of macular pathologies. He uses the Eidon FA’s color photo feature to image all of these patients as well as for patients with healthy eyes because the images are of such phenomenal quality and reproducibility they function as a baseline. “It’s good to have a documented and reliable reference point if anything changes in the future,” he says.

Furthermore, confocality provides improved image quality of the retina in cases involving cataract and other media opacities, says MacLellan. Widefield imaging is possible in all modalities, providing a larger area of view, including the peripheral retina.

EASE OF USE

Any technician or staff member can be trained to take photos with the Eidon FA; no prior experience is required, Dr. Jain explains. “High-quality and reproducible images are easy and quick to capture with the press of a single button.”

The Eidon FA’s advanced tools enable doctors to compare images over several visits with an overlay feature. “Physicians can view changes that they wouldn’t be able to see if images were just sitting side by side,” MacLellan says. “By flickering them, physicians can see more details than if looking at static images.”

The system also includes review tools that make it easy for clinicians to analyze results. Physicians can access these tools on any personal computer on the same network as the Eidon FA. These tools include registered “flickering,” stereo imaging of both the optic nerve and macula, video playback of the FA, as well as side-by-side and overlay comparisons over time. Many companies often charge software licensing fees associated with imaging. Centervue has no such fees; users can connect and view results on as many viewing stations as needed, and even at home via a secure virtual private network.

Because of its user-friendly features, a practice’s efficiency is improved. “Physicians can view images as they acquire them; they don’t have to export images to another system,” MacLellan says.

PATIENT COMFORT

Fluorescein emits a fairly intense flash when taking an image. The Eidon FA was designed to increase patient comfort during exams by using infrared light when focusing, which isn’t nearly as bright as lights used in other fundus imaging systems. “You can take an FA image with a minimal amount of blue light, which is more tolerable for patients,” Dr. Jain says.

Another major advantage of the Eidon FA is that you don’t need to dilate patients in order to obtain great images. “As long as a pupil is 1.9 mm or greater, you can take a great 60-degree photo without any artifact,” Dr. Jain says. “This improves patient satisfaction by the amount of time it saves.”

Patient comfort was also top of mind when designing the system. Patients rest their chin in a cup and their head against a bar, and the process is fully automated. Users can electronically adjust chin and table height. “It is the easiest system I have used for patient placement and position for any type of imaging,” Dr. Jain says.

Ultimately, Dr. Jain says that patient visits are shorter when using the Eidon FA, and the time saved allows him to have more face time with patients. The system’s images also provide a great teaching tool for patients. All of this increases patient satisfaction and the quality of care delivered. RP

Editor’s note: This article is part of a special edition of Retinal Physician that was supported by REGENXBIO.