Topcon Healthcare Solutions, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Topcon America Corporation (“Topcon”) based in Oakland, NJ, has announced that eye health provider Specsavers had recently completed equipping its stores with Topcon's Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) instruments. On September 21, 2018, Specsavers had reported that Specsavers Blacktown (NSW) had become the 200th store in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) to have OCT technology.

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An OCT is often used for the early detection of sight-threatening diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Topcon’s OCT technology is now a part of every eye exam. With this consistent and efficient addition to the standard eye exam, together with Specsavers, Topcon is helping thousands of patients detect and hopefully avoid irreversible vision damage or complete vision loss.

Topcon is an ophthalmic device manufacturer that offers its products worldwide. It is responsible for producing commercial back-of-the-eye spectral domain (SD) and swept source (SS) OCT systems, which have contributed to giant leaps in eye care technology. More recently, it has launched a software-focused division under the entity Topcon Healthcare Solutions. This new group develops software that allows clinicians to have access to patient exam data from Fundus cameras, Visual Fields, OCTs and other Topcon and third-party devices.

Specsavers has reported that the OCT enhances clinical decision making with results that show rates of avoidable blindness, specifically glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic eye disease, have decreased. Specsavers also reports that more than 250,000 OCT scans have already been conducted in their ANZ stores (1).

Specsavers has also pointed out that the addition of OCT technology has allowed them to make incredible achievements in their mission to transform eye health in ANZ, by redefining the standard eye examination in Specsavers stores. They added that the Specsavers OCT instruments, when combined with functional visual field testing on the indication, collaboration with medicine, and benchmarking of referrals, has made a significant impact on eye health outcomes at levels they have never before seen elsewhere. (1)

Specsavers has also noted that in Australia, the detection rate of glaucoma has doubled with the result that as of this year, the number of patients that have been referred for glaucoma had increased by 10,300 when compared to 2017 referrals. This was achieved with the help of major cross-functional input and collaboration from all departments within the support office.

More information about Specsavers' investment in advanced eye screening technology like Topcon's OCT can be gleaned from this article.

The use of hospital-grade technology, such as the one offered by the OCT, has been noted with satisfaction by Glaucoma New Zealand because of its ability to detect early indications of the disease. This is considered to be a positive development because glaucoma is the top cause of preventable blindness in NZ. It has been estimated that around 115,000 New Zealanders have glaucoma, but half of them are not even aware of it (2).

Meanwhile, Topcon Healthcare Solutions has also started to enhance its software solutions in addition to its hardware technology like the OCT. Topcon software enables the collection and visualization of a broad range of imaging and clinical data while allowing for quantitative and clinical analysis. Only recently, they have introduced the Topcon Cloud, a software that is used for the backup and archiving of patient exam data in the cloud.

The Topcon Cloud software provides a less expensive alternative to practices expanding their local data storage capacity when the maximum size of their current hard drive is about to be reached. Old and rarely used patient exam data can be archived in the cloud with the use of Topcon CLOUD, resulting in more space in the local data storage. Meanwhile, all of the data can be backed up by using Topcon CLOUD, which guarantees peace of mind for the healthcare practice.

Topcon Harmony ties it all together by providing practitioners with the ability to connect devices from Topcon and the other eye-care device providers to a centralized database for viewing through a web browser on any compatible PC or tablet with a network connection.

About Topcon

Based in Oakland, NJ, Topcon is a comprehensive ophthalmic device manufacturer within the worldwide ophthalmic community. It introduced the world’s first commercial back-of-the-eye Spectral Domain (SD) and Swept Source (SS) optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems, which have driven innovation in eye care.

More recently, Topcon started to enhance not only its hardware but also its software solutions. To become the leader in diagnostic software, Topcon has developed a new strategic division, Topcon Healthcare Solutions, whose primary objective is to create world-class software solutions for the eye care industry and beyond. The company's products enable the collection and visualization of a wide range of imaging and clinical data while providing quantitative and clinical analysis capabilities.

Topcon’s software gives clinicians access to patient exam data captured from OCTs, Visual Fields, Fundus Cameras, and other Topcon and third-party devices. Topcon leverages its new data management system called Harmony, where practitioners gain access to DICOM and non-DICOM information stored in a central, cloud-based environment. Additionally, Topcon now provides an integrated service that connects practitioners to an extensive network of reading services to assist in the management of sight- threatening eye diseases.

Those who need more information about the hardware and software solutions provided by Topcon Healthcare Solutions can visit their website (https://www.topconhealth.com) or contact them via telephone at (201)599-5100.

(1)https://www.spectrum-anz.com/specsavers-completes-new-zealand-oct-rollout/

(2) https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/107334179/optometrist-investment-in-cuttingedge-technology-to-detect-glaucoma-welcomed