Manassas, VA, Nov. 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Notal Vision Monitoring Center celebrates the artificial intelligence (AI) based analysis of the ten millionth test performed by over 20,000 patients with the FDA-cleared ForeseeHome device. The device is part of a comprehensive remote monitoring service for intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients at risk of developing the sight threatening wet form of the disease. The service monitors patients between office eye exams, when it’s difficult to manage the acute onset of wet disease that requires timely treatment.
A recent large scale data analysis showed that the use of ForeseeHome provided a significant benefit to patients by helping to detect their wet AMD earlier with better visual acuity,1 a factor previously shown to improve long-term visual outcomes of treatment.2 “The real-word data published earlier this year shows that the performance of the ForeseeHome program resembles the findings from the randomized controlled AREDS2-HOME study,3 which ultimately led to Medicare coverage of the monitoring service we provide,” said Kester Nahen, PhD, CEO of Notal Vision.
Patients are referred to the Notal Vision Monitoring Center for the ForeseeHome program by their ophthalmic physician. Once a referral is received, the Monitoring Center manages everything from benefit verification, patient engagement, device provisioning and training to compliance monitoring and alert notification. Patients perform a short, daily test on an easy-to-use device and their results are automatically transmitted to the Monitoring Center. A statistically significant change in testing generates an alert, which is reviewed by in-house ophthalmologists and sent to the referring physician’s office so they can determine the best course of action for their patient. Patient testing data is also available to referring physicians via an online portal, which provides clinically actionable insights that can help inform patient care.
“Patients require ongoing assistance and a positive and empowering experience to be successful across years of home diagnostic testing. Their home monitoring experience reflects positively on physicians and their practice in addition to the medical benefit”, said Barbara Benedict, Vice President of Notal Vision Monitoring Center Strategy and Operations. “Directed by practicing ophthalmologists and supported by a team of certified ophthalmic professionals, the Monitoring Center is a Medicare accredited and HIPAA compliant digital healthcare provider and the epicenter of patient and physician engagement that provides a safety net against vision loss between eye exams.”
References
- Ho AC, Heier JS, Holekamp N et al. Real-World Performance of a Self-Operated Home Monitoring System for Early Detection of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration, J. Clin. Med. 2021, 10,1355.
- Ho AC, Kleinman DM, Lum FC, et al. Baseline Visual Acuity at Wet AMD Diagnosis Predicts Long-Term Vision Outcomes: An Analysis of the IRIS Registry, Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2020;51:633-639.
- Chew EY, Clemons TE, Bressler SB, et al; AREDS2-HOME Study Research Group. Randomized trial of a home monitoring system for early detection of choroidal neovascularization home monitoring of the Eye (HOME) study. Ophthalmology. 2014;121(2):535-544.
About Notal Vision
Notal Vision is a remote monitoring services company that operates the Notal Vision Monitoring Center, a healthcare provider with a proven platform for engaging patients and AI-enabled analyses of high-volume personalized health data that extends disease management from the clinic to the home to improve vision outcomes, reduce treatment burden, and improve health economics. www.notalvision.com
The ForeseeHome® AMD Monitoring Program is a comprehensive platform, which includes an FDA-cleared device that monitors visual changes in intermediate dry AMD patients at risk of vision loss from undiagnosed wet AMD. The clinical utility for ForeseeHome was established in the Home Monitoring of The Eye (HOME) study, part of the National Eye Institute-sponsored AREDS2 study, in which 94% of patients using ForeseeHome twice weekly who progressed to wet AMD, maintained 20/40 or better vision compared to only 62% of patients whose diagnosis was at a routine eye exam, or a visit triggered by symptoms. Based upon the robust level-1 evidence and compelling clinical outcomes demonstrating the ability to detect choroidal neovascularization (CNV) earlier, the ForeseeHome AMD Monitoring Program gained Medicare coverage in 2016. To learn more, visit www.foreseehome.com.
Notal Vision’s Home OCT system will enable wet AMD patients to perform technician-free OCT testing at home with rapid and self-guided fixation – critical components, especially for elderly patients frequently with pre-existing vision loss. The Notal OCT Analyzer (NOATM), a proprietary deep learning algorithm, developed in-house, performs automated analysis of the Home OCT scans and generates a report to the physician when a physician specified change in disease activity is detected.
The Notal Vision Monitoring Center provides referring physicians patient data via an online portal. In addition, physicians will be provided 24/7 access to all of their patients' B-scan images from each Home OCT test with the location of the fluid annotated on each B-scan. Following physician receipt of an alert report, patients may be brought to the office for evaluation and treatment at the doctor’s discretion. NOA can also analyze the output of other commercial OCT devices, and published study data indicate that the performance of NOA in detecting disease activity was similar to that of retina physicians when each was compared to a panel of experts. Notal Vision’s Home OCT has the potential to support current and future advances in retinal disease management.
Attachment
