i-Optics
Ultraprecise Color LED Topography to replace Placido ring topographers
i-Optics, the specialist eye diagnostics company that is pioneering highly innovative retina and cornea imaging systems, is to show its Color LED Topography solution, the Cassini, at the ESCRS, DOG, AAOPT and AAO industry shows this fall. The first show is the ESCRS in Vienna, starting this Saterday.
Color LED Topography (CLT) as a technology was developed in close cooperation with the VU University Medical Center. Cassini is the topographer that is based on CLT. Altogether it is good news for patients with eyesight problems. Cassini can diagnose deviations and irregularities in the shape of the cornea far more precisely[1] than the current ring topographers. This will provide better support for the latest vision improvement techniques and equally benefit patients suffering from dry eyes or irregular corneas resulting from corneal surgery. Cassini will also benefit premium lens fitting, early detection of keratoconus and enhanced precision for refractive and cateract surgery.
Although a growing group of patients requires premium contact lenses – multifocal, toric, aspheric, and ortho-k – more often than not they end up with a standard set. In most cases, this is because fitting premium lenses tends to be a lengthy, sometimes tedious trial and error process. The CLT technology used in the Cassini overcomes this by contributing to a better and faster match between cornea and lens, so ensuring patients get the contact lenses they really need.
People suffering from keratoconus will also benefit from the Cassini’s CLT technology. Keratoconus is one of the most common corneal diseases affecting young people and sufferers cannot wear lenses or undergo LASIK eye-correction surgery. Detecting keratoconus early and easily is crucial to both providing the correct medication or treatment and preventing the potentially harmful effects of inappropriate vision enhancement techniques. The VU University Medical Center started a clinical trial with Cassini. The main objective is to validate the accuracy and precision of the Cassini in measuring keratoconus and post-keratoplasty eyes as well as normal corneas. The VU also aims to investigate the potential of Cassini for the early detection and progression of keratoconus. The outcome appears to be promising: “The Cassini provides a better understanding of the refractive properties of corneas, particularly irregular ones," says Dr. Michel Zaal, principal investigator at the VU.
A third group of patients, such as LASIK or even intraocular surgery candidates, could also benefit in the future from the precision of Cassini.
Finally, the CLT technology used in the Cassini will also benefit patients who suffer from dry eyes and those with irregular corneas resulting from corneal surgery. The traditional problem with dry eyes and ring topographers is that dry eyes blur the pattern on the topographer. This makes it impossible to process the ring reflections and measure the shape of the cornea properly. CLT, however, can still detect the location of the spots, which enables accurate corneal surface reconstruction. This is currently under investigation.
CLT versus ring topography
The secret behind the Cassini is the use of 672 color-coded LEDs set in a unique pattern[2]. This number has been chosen because it fulfills the accuracy requirements for fitting premium contact lenses. Likewise, the use of colored LEDs instead of just white offers additional advantages. Thanks to its smarter measurement system, Cassini CLT achieves submicron accuracy[3] and unprecedented precision of corneal height and can measure the periphery of the cornea better than a placido topographer can.
In fact, CLT technology offers so many possibilities for clinical enhancement that i-Optics is inviting medical professionals around the world to say what they would like to see in an advanced topographer. This crowdsourcing call is another milestone in what. from the outset, has been an ambitious collaborative R&D program between the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam and i-Optics. i-Optics will introduce the Cassini in early 2012.
About i-Optics
i-Optics pioneers smart and superior eye diagnosis solutions that are affordable, fast and easy to use by care providers worldwide to serve their patients best. Our innovations include EasyScan, Cassini and EyePrevent. EasyScan is a breakthrough zero-dilation retinal imaging system that uses Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope technology to diagnose diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Cassini is a first-of-its-kind corneal topographer based on Color LED Topography. It supports superior contact lens fitting, earlier detection of Keratoconus, and could help improve the outcomes of corneal transplants and refractive surgery. EyePrevent is a retinal-disease screening service for diabetic and other patients.
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For more information please contact Roxane Van ’t Hooft
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[1] Forward ray tracing for image projection prediction and surface reconstruction in the evaluation of corneal topography systems.Opt Express. 2010 Aug 30;18(18):19324-38. doi: 10.1364/OE.18.019324. Snellenburg JJ, Braaf B, Hermans EA, van der Heijde RG, Sicam VA.
[2] Stimulator Pattern Density and Precision in Next Generation Corneal Topography Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2009;50: E-Abstract 5081 © 2009 ARVO, V. D. Sicam, K. A. Vermeer, J. J. Snellenburg and M. Mensink
[3] Forward ray tracing for image projection prediction and surface reconstruction in the evaluation of corneal topography systems.Opt Express. 2010 Aug 30;18(18):19324-38. doi: 10.1364/OE.18.019324. Snellenburg JJ, Braaf B, Hermans EA, van der Heijde RG, Sicam VA. i-Optics