May 27, 2008

Marion Eye Centers is excited to have acquired the Foresee PHP. This device is used for improved detection and early diagnosis of the most aggressive and sight threatening form or age-related macular degeneration.

To understand the significance of this early detection device, it is important to understand how AMD progresses. There are two stages of AMD known as dry and wet. These stages represent the progression of the disease. The real change occurs when the patient with intermediate dry AMD converts to wet AMD. At this point, sight becomes threatened and can deteriorate quickly. With new advances in drug therapies showing great promise in halting the progression of AMD, it has become imperative to detect this conversion from dry to wet earlier.

"Using traditional diagnostic techniques, a large percentage of AMD patients have already suffered vision loss at the time of diagnosis," said Dr. Ahmad founder of the Marion Eye Centers. "This new device symbolizes hope to the roughly eight million Americans that already have dry AMD and are at risk of developing wet AMD."

Eye care professionals have struggled to effectively diagnose is the conversion from the dry to the wet stage. The standard practice of patient self-monitoring uses a sheet of paper with a series of grid lines on it called the Amsler Grid. Patients are supposed to look at this paper each day. When the lines of the grid appear curved the patient has experienced the conversion, however because our brains often compensate, patients fail to notice this blind spot in a timely manner.

"This new test will ultimately change the way this disease is monitored," said Dr. Ahmad. It has been clinically proven to detect conversion to wet AMD early and with accuracy.

Dr. Ahmad recommends at-risk patients with dry AMD have this diagnostic test performed four times a year.