Study: Implandata’s Eyemate System Protects Glaucoma Patients–Even During Lockdown

Patients with glaucoma are at high risk of losing their eyesight if their disease progresses undetected and essential therapy adjustments are delayed. On the other hand, these typically elderly, vulnerable individuals are often hampered in seeing their doctor for office visits, particularly during a lockdown.

According to a study published in Ophthalmology Glaucoma, eye specialists remotely monitored the intraocular pressure of their patients during a lockdown period. Based on data generated by the Eyemate system, doctors changed the therapy of 29% of their patients without requiring an office visit – thus reducing the risk of vision loss and keeping them safe during the lockdown.

Continual, remote monitoring of glaucoma patients allows early therapy adjustment as needed, even when glaucoma patients are unable to visit their eye doctor. Thus, Eyemate enables patients and their eye doctors to be informed in real-time of disease progression, which means the therapy can be adjusted without delay–before eyesight is permanently lost, according to a company news release.

“Our study shows that unnecessary clinic visits can be avoided by remote glaucoma monitoring.  This is particularly important during the current pandemic for elderly patients who are at highest risk for COVID-19 complications,” Kaweh Mansouri, MD, lead investigator of the study, ophthalmologist at Clinique de Montchoisi Lausanne/Switzerland and Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology at University of Colorado, said in the news release.

Robert N. Weinreb, MD, Chair and Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology at University of California, San Diego, adds:  “The study findings help us envisage a future for tele-ophthalmology in glaucoma management far beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote patient monitoring and management significantly enhance existing glaucoma diagnostics, and allows a more rational application of existing and future vision-saving therapies.”