Part 1: Q&A with Cataract Surgeon Mark Pyfer

Video Transcript:

Look at the function of the retina, not just its structure

I think it’s important to be able to fully test and evaluate our patients for any type of ophthalmic condition, including early macular degeneration. For the first time we now have an option to measure function of the retina.

We have plenty of good ways to look at structure: not just our clinical exam, but OCT, with increasing resolution traditionally fluorescein angiography and now even OCT angiography. But nothing to really measure retinal function. The AdaptDx is revolutionary because now we can actually measure the function of the retina directly and counsel our patients appropriately.

Night Vision Impairment is a Sign of Subclinical AMD

Subclinical AMD is very common in our practice and I believe it’s common in the general population. These are patients who have early symptoms of night vision impairment or mild vision impairment. It’s not affecting their life at this point. The important population that we’re using the dark adaptation test for is to diagnose early disease when the structure is normal. And that’s a large percentage of patients with early AMD. The structure looks completely normal, clinical exam is normal, and the OCT is normal. So we are picking up patients in their early 50s even who have abnormal dark adaptation, at least for the age or what’s expected, and we can get them into treatment.

I think the AdaptDx is able to identify AMD several years before we see anything on the clinical exam.