Expanding patient access to specialized care.

ZEISS VISUHEALTH

VISUHEALTH from ZEISS

Improve Reach. Detect Early. Prevent Blindness.

ZEISS VISUHEALTH offers support of early detection of treatable eye diseases such as Diabetic Retinopathy by connecting primary care providers to eye care specialists.

ZEISS VISUHEALTH is a cloud-based solution that enables health systems to offer patients with a remote assessment of the retina:

It allows for an improved patient access to specialized care and supports clinicians in detecting treatable eye diseases such as Diabetic Retinopathy early.

Diabetic Retinopathy is a common microvascular complication of diabetes and is the leading cause of blindness in American adults. Early detection and timely treatment can reduce the risk of blindness by 95%.¹

Digital solutions like ZEISS VISUHEALTH help clinicians in their daily contribution to prevent blindness.

Benefits of early screening

Improved access to care:
Diabetics are offered a retinal check up while they see their Primary Care Provider without additional costs.
Positive patient impact and clinical results:
20% of all diabetics have been diagnosed with Diabetic Retinopathy, 5% needed referral.¹
Financial impact and better reputation:
Direct financial gains through increasing HEDIS scores as well as better star ratings.¹

We saw a patient with a pretty moderate case of diabetic retinopathy. She knew she had diabetes, but she really didn't know anything else.
Katherine Makedonsky, OD, ZEISS

Together let’s expand patient access to care

ZEISS volunteers help raise DR awareness at free screening event

In California, three million people are without medical insurance.² Even more that that lack dental or vision insurance. Many of those affected are among the homeless population, but several others work and live below the poverty level. For them, the cost of preventative care just isn’t in the budget. Progressive diseases, like Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), are left unchecked – not only because of the financial burden of doctor visits – but because those affected never knew they even had the root cause of DR, uncontrolled diabetes.

With an urgent need to provide for the nearly 1 in 10 Americans who still lack insurance coverage even after the passing of the Affordable Care Act³, organizations like the California CareForce are creating free pop-up medical clinics to bring screening services and patient education to an underserved population.

Katherine Makedonsky, OD, ZEISS Clinical Research Scientist, and Meike Mack, ZEISS Product Manager, recently volunteered at a vision screening event in the state capital of Sacramento. Using the ZEISS VISUSCOUT hand-held retinal camera and other diagnostic devices, Makedonsky and Mack screened 89 patients of ages ranging from approximately 6-years-old to 90. Among those, 10 referable cases of DR were identified.

Awareness not just about diabetes but about co-existing conditions, like DR, is often lacking among the same low-income and minority populations that are at the greatest risk for developing it. Patient education is a vital part of empowering patients to take charge of their own health.

Makedonsky recounted her experience screening one patient who was aware of her diabetes, but lacked a vital understanding of its progressive effect on her vision.

“We saw a patient with a pretty moderate case of diabetic retinopathy. She knew she had diabetes, but she really didn’t know anything else,” Makedonsky explained. “There were blood spots everywhere in the back of her eye, and we actually ended up taking images on all gazes. We emphasized the importance of sharing those images with a primary care physician and showing that her diabetes was out of control.”

Those patients with positive DR cases and without insurance were referred to low-cost community health clinics and provided information about organizations sponsoring vouchers and financial assistance for more extensive procedures at the end of their screening.

With Diabetic Retinopathy being the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults⁴, the need for vision screening and patient education about diabetes and DR is greater than ever. Thanks to caring medical professionals and concerned citizens like Makendonsky and Mack, information and intervention are being made available to those who might otherwise go unserved.

In 2018, CA CareForce provided $1.5 million dollars-worth of free services to over 3,000 Californians. For more information about past and upcoming screening events or to volunteer your time, visit: http://www.californiacareforce.org.

To learn more about the ZEISS VISUSCOUT and its application for remote screening, visit: http://www.zeiss.com/visuscout.

Enabling sight around the globe

Aloka Vision Programme by ZEISS

Over 2 billion people have no access to basic eye care. With the "Aloka Vision Programme", ZEISS supports up to 8,000 free eye exams per month, in remote regions of the world.

ZEISS has been chosen to pilot a new social business approach in rural India to find sustainable answers to the vision challenge. About 300 million people in India who need visual correction have no access to any vision or eye care. And because the root cause for uncorrected visual impairment is the lack of eye care professionals and infrastructure for vision tests and eye exams, the "Aloka Vision Programme" is about establishing basic infrastructure and thus reaching people in unserved, rural areas.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What kind of camera can be used for VISUHEALTH?

ZEISS cameras like VISUSCOUT^® 100 mobile camera, VISCUCAM^® 524 traditional fundus camera and CLARUS^® 500 ultra-widefield camera are compatible as well as certain 3^rd party cameras.

What is included in the VISUHEALTH solution package?

The VISUHEALTH package includes one ZEISS fundus camera, one software license to access the uploader and reading application, training and phone support. Additionally, ZEISS connects you with certified Eye Care Professionals for remote review services.

For pricing please ask your local sales representative.

How does VISUHEALTH integrate into my EMR?

Step 1: Diabetic patients are identified by the PCP, orders are created and a patient worklist is securely sent between the EMR and the ZEISS VISUSCOUT 100 handheld fundus camera via the EMR connect plugin using a USB protocol.

Step 2: During the patient exam, a fundus image is taken by a trained health care professional.

Step 3: Together with the patient ID, the images are then uploaded to the ZEISS VISUHEALTH cloud application and routed to a remote eye care specialist for grading.

Step 4: The remote physician reviews the images, documents clinical findings, and shares a report with the primary care doctor as well the patient. The report can be exported to the EMR.

What are the main features of VISUHEALTH?

VISUHEALTH can be set up in many different scenarios. It can be used in optometrist, hospital, single practice or many other settings. Depending on setting, different product features can be enabled.

Here is an overview of the main product features:

Purely cloud-based solution that can be accessed via a browser and does not require a local installation (in case of EMR integration a local plug-in is required)
Easy-to-use uploader application to capture relevant patient information and upload up to eight fundus images per case and provides access to case history and all diagnosis reports
Event module that allows for pre-registration to handle large number of participants
Supports upload of all ZEISS fundus cameras (VISUSCOUT 100, VISUCAM 524, CLARUS 500) as well as many third-party devices
Sophisticated grader application for the MD or OD which allows image viewing and capturing of findings for multiple diseases next to offering referral and messaging functionality
Reporting functionality to create a comprehensive diagnosis report automatically based on selected findings – fully customizable by the grader
Administrator application for the customer to monitor screenings across all sites
Seamless EPIC EMR integration for transferring patient details from the EMR to the VISUSCOUT and back (Windows plug-in required)
Support of ZEISS ID – one customer login for all ZEISS applications
Access to ZEISS global support

What are the security measures behind VISUHEALTH?

VISUHEALTH incorporates state of the art security measures to protect all data being processed during the service. This includes encryption for data in transit and at rest that is in accord with leading practices (e.g. use of TLS 1.1. and 1.2.). ZEISS has worked closely with internal and external consultancies to maximize data protection on all levels of VISUHEALTH – in line with our exceptional ZEISS corporate quality standards.

Please contact our team if you would like to have further information on technical measures being implemented.

Related products

ZEISS VISUSCOUT 100

ZEISS CLARUS 500

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