Clarity: Eye on Russia
The Russian Federation has purchased 42 RetCam Systems for provinces across their country. Former President Dmitry Medvedev approved the purchase, and the systems have been deployed to provincial Care Centers where they will be used to capture digital images of prematurely-born infants at risk for eye diseases such as retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), the leading cause of blindness in newborns.
Early diagnosis of ROP is a key factor in preventing childhood blindness and early intervention is highly successful in preserving vision in premature infants whose ROP poses a high risk of retinal damage. This is why it is exciting to know that physicians across Russia will now be able to capture digital images of premature infant eyes, evaluate the images and provide appropriate treatment. RetCam creates clear and precise images that physicians use to review patient progress and follow up with needed care. They can use the images to help educate mothers and fathers about their baby's condition, and the potential treatments their infant may require.
Systems deployed to provincial Care Centers to be used to capture digital images of prematurely-born infants
In addition to ROP, clinicians use the RetCam System to create digital images to enhance their ability to evaluate other pediatric ocular diseases associated with premature birth. Some diseases require physicians to monitor and care for patients for weeks or even years. When a child requires a prolonged stay in the Care Center, or monitoring over a long period, RetCam imaging can be repeated at selected intervals. This allows physicians to compare images to determine the progression or regression of the patient's ophthalmic disease.
Every child, no matter where they are born, is precious. Right now, this is particularly and poignantly true in Russia, where the birth rate is lower than in much of the rest of the world. While all of our senses are precious, sight is perhaps most precious of all. Why? Because vision accounts for 83% of our sensory input for learning and experiencing the world around us. The 42 RetCam Systems are going to make a significant impact on the lives of Russian families and the physicians who care for them. Clarity Medical Systems, Inc. is pleased to bring this unique technology to the citizens of Russia.
China Evaluates Universal Newborn Eye Exams
A pilot program at Maternal and Children's Hospital in Kunming, China, took a new approach to imaging newborns for ophthalmic pathology. Traditionally, physicians perform eye exams only when an infant is born prematurely. For this pilot program, healthy, full-term newborn infants were examined. This program is called Universal Newborn Eye Exam Digital (UNEED) with the RetCam System being used to create the digital images used for these examinations.
The early results in Kunming1 clearly indicate the value of universal newborn imaging: nearly 24% of the babies examined (848 out of a population of 3,573 healthy newborns) were found to have ophthalmic abnormalities. Physicians found 769 cases of retinal hemorrhage, including 215 cases of third degree hemorrhage. The clinical study revealed 67 cases of macula hemorrhage, as well as a number of other ocular pathologies. Where appropriate, the infants received timely treatment and careful follow-up observation. RetCam imaging may have played a significant role in helping physicians identify and treat vision-threatening diseases.
The study concluded that analyzing healthy, full-term newborns eyes using photodocumentation created by the RetCam System can result in the detection of significant numbers of ocular pathologies.
Clarity Medical Systems is proud that our convenient and easy to use imaging devices produce clear, objective digital images that are evaluated by physicians for eye disorders. Contact us to see how the RetCam System provides the advantages of early imaging for all your newborn patients.
1 Analysis of Universal Eye Screening in 3,573 Healthy Full-term Neonates, Li Li-Hong, Zhao Jun-Yang, Li Na, Clinical Abstract presented at 2011 EPOS - European Paediatric Ophthalmological Society, October, 2011.
Protecting Your Investment
Your RetCam System is a valuable imaging tool that helps you provide the best possible care for your youngest patients. Clarity provides you with the opportunity to protect your RetCam System with an extended warranty that assures you of timely software updates and technical support, as well as any necessary service for your hardware and lenses.
You work hard to provide the peace of mind your patients and families enjoy from excellent medical care. Our extended warranty provides you well-deserved peace of mind about your RetCam System that you depend on. Contact your Clarity Area Director or send an email to Ray Hunt, Clarity Marketing Director, for more information.
