Measuring Visual Acuity
Like a Pro?
Only on the 'Net: Dr. Maino's Web
Update
Dominick M. Maino, O.D., M.Ed.
There are now a couple computer-based visual acuity assessment tools
you can use in your practice. Last year I reviewed the strengths of a system
called AcuityMax (www.science2020.com)
(issue/ro09tech.htm">Technology Review,
September 1999). This month I’ll look at a visual acuity measurement
system called AcuityPro (www.acuitypro.com).
Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
AcuityPro ($650 plus shipping and handling) comes in a box, with a 28-page
instruction booklet and five 3.5-inch floppy disks. To install this program,
you need MS Windows 95 or higher, an 800 x 600 dpi monitor resolution (set
at high-color 16-bit), a 15-inch monitor (17-inch or flat-panel display
recommended) and extension cords for your keyboard or monitor. Once it’s
installed, you calibrate the program for your working distance (the distance
between the monitor and the patient).
Running the program for the first time “brands” your disk with the name
you wish to place on the now-registered version of the program. The instructions
warn you that, “Once branded, it will be that way forever!” I’m not kidding.
So don’t misspell the name because you won’t be able to correct it. You
cannot copy the program disks for redistribution, and they are copyrighted,
but you may install it on up to 10 different computers. Additional hardware
copy protection mechanisms are required during the installation process.
Once the program is up and running you can choose one of several optotypes:
Snellen letters, Tumbling E, Landolt C and Allen pictures. You can display
a single letter, line or several lines. By pressing the “R” key, all the
letters on the line will randomize so your patient cannot memorize the
acuity chart. As you would expect, there’s an astigmatic chart, red-green
overlay display and fixation dot. You can easily access the program’s functions
using hot keys. For example, if you hit the “E” key, the Tumbling E chart
shows up; the “S” key will show Snellen letters.
AcuityPro is the brainchild of optometrists Daniel Bintz of Elk City,
Okla., and Jerry Carter, of Bartlesville, Okla. They don’t plan any immediate
upgrades, but will make changes users suggest. Since the release of AcuityPro
v3.0, they’ve been concentrating on getting their web page up and running.
Drs. Bintz and Carter will have an upload/download page for photos that
users can share.
What do AcuityPro users say about the program? Billy Cook, O.D., (drcook@visionhealth.com)
of Midland, Texas, has used both the AcuityMax and AcuityPro programs.
“The AcuityMax worked, but the copy-protection program was not practical
since we were in the process of building a new office,” he says. Dr. Cook
needed the visual acuity program for up to 14 examination rooms.
“I love the Acuity Pro and so do the patients,” says Marcia Dettloff,
O.D., of Cary, N.C. “No more dust on the slides, shadows on the chart or
bulbs blowing at the most inopportune times.”
Max vs. Pro
So, how do AcuityMax and AcuityPro compare? AcuityMax has more “bells and
whistles” such as the HOTV chart and kid-friendly shapes (clover, square,
circle, cross) instead of the antiquated Allen pictures available in AcuityPro
(most children don’t recognize a dial telephone these days).
AcuityMax also has a mode for hearing-impaired patients and can present
a vertical line of letters for heterophoria testing. It has other features
not found in AcuityPro (such as Worth 4 Dot, Numbers chart). For its part,
AcuityPro has a digital slide show with pictures of common eye disease.
You can add your own pictures. Drs. Bintz and Carter plan to make user
photos available from their web site as well.
AcuityPro, at $650, is less expensive than AcuityMax ($1,650) in more
ways then one. You can only use AcuityMax on one machine at a time because
of its hardware copy-protection mechanism. AcuityPro lets you install the
program on up to 10 computers. This means you get more use out of the program
for less money. And, you don’t have to bother with a hardware key.
Which program would I recommend? That depends on your needs. If you
want all the bells and whistles, buy AcuityMax. If you want to use a program
on multiple machines at a reduced cost (but lacking some of the extras),
then AcuityPro is the program for you. You can reach the makers of AcuityPro
at: VisionScience Software, P.O. Box 9, Elk City, OK 73648, 1-800-256-1145,
info@acuitypro.com.
Dr. Maino is a professor in the Pediatric/Binocular Vision Service of the
Illinois College of Optometry, and is in private practice in Harwood Heights,
Ill. Dr. Maino has no financial interest in any of the products or services
he describes in this column. You can contact him at dmaino@eyecare.ico.edu.
You can visit his web sites at www.nw.optometry.net
and www.kids.optometry.net.
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Only on the 'Net: Dr. Maino's
Web Update
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Websites for a Small Business
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