Zurich is home to ebovis, the world's first ophthalmology practice to offer a standardized, complete, apparative eye examination. The neos™ examination device developed by machineMD, the world's first neurophthalmoscope, plays an important role in this. For the first time, it enables a comprehensive, automated neuro-ophthalmological examination.
The people behind ebovis are neuro-ophthalmologist Dr. Mathias Abegg, ophthalmologist Dr. Sven Hirsch-Hoffmann and general practitioner Dr. Markus Abegg. With ebovis, they show that a efficient, high-quality, examination of eye structure and function can be performed by a medical assistant or optician alone.
"On one hand, this is interesting because it means that ophthalmologists have to perform fewer routine examinations and therefore have more time for patients who really need them. On the other hand, there are many regions of the world where there are too few specialists - and I'm thinking particularly of neuro-ophthalmologists", explains Dr. Mathias Abegg. Waiting times for appointments with these specialists are long, although early diagnosis is particularly important for neuro-ophthalmological problems.
Ruling out neurological causes with neos™
Dr. Markus Abegg comments: "For ebovis, neos™ was the missing piece of the puzzle that enabled a comprehensive, fully automated examination, because the neuro-ophthalmological examination is very important to us". In his experience, patients often complain of non-specific symptoms such as headaches or visual disturbances. It is important to rule out that the problem is within the brain.
"With neos, we bring the expertise of a neuro-ophthalmic examination to where it is most needed, directly to the patient in primary care," Dr. Mathias Abegg explains. "A large part of the brain is involved in the visual system - including eye and pupil movements. If a patient has a visual problem, the cause may lie somewhere in the brain. We have to find out." Today, these examinations are usually performed manually by highly trained specialists. This is where neos™ comes in. Based on an industry-leading VR headset, the device performs an automated examination of eye movements and pupil function, including visual field screening.
The examination can be performed by anyone after a brief introduction. The results are summarized in a report. Dr. Sven Hirsch-Hoffmann comments: "I get a report with quantitative, objective, reliable numbers. As an ophthalmologist, this allows me to rule out neurological causes. This is very important.”
“neos™ is a first step in machineMD's mission to radically improve the measurement of brain function, with the vision of a world in which people receive accurate, fast and early diagnosis of brain disorders”, states Dr. Mathias Abegg.
Efficient investigation without redundancies
The whole process is simple and optimised for patients, who can book an appointment online. The examination is performed by an optician, the data is uploaded to a secure data cloud and evaluated remotely by the two ophthalmologists, Dr. Mathias Abegg and Dr. Sven Hirsch-Hoffmann. A few days later, the patient receives a written report that contains a diagnosis along with an explanation of what it means and a proposal for the further management. Of course, a consultation with one of the specialists can be arranged if needed. But turned out to be rarely necessary.
The data in the cloud is also available to specialists who may be called in later. For the patient, this means a minimum of examinations, because the first examination with ebovis already provides comprehensive and objectiveresults that each specialist can work with.
This automated examination is well received by the patients, as they feel that they receive a thorough examination with ebovis. They also benefit from the combined expertise of the two ophthalmologists.
The ebovis concept is also suitable for regions where specialists are in short supply. Dr. Sven Hirsch-Hoffmann explains: "Our goal at ebovis is to bring eye care to areas where it is urgently needed, which may not be Zurich. The examinations can be performed anywhere in the world. We can analyze the data and make diagnoses and treatment plans here in Switzerland. This allows us to provide state-of-the-art, high-quality eye care worldwide.”