Pediatrician Finds New Vision Screening Technology Helps A Larger Group Of His Patients

LAKE MARY, Fla., July 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- When Doctor Mark Simonian attended a medical conference last winter and witnessed an amazing demonstration of a new vision screening device called Spot, he knew immediately that he would incorporate this new technology into his practice.  It was obvious to him that this new technology would help a much larger group of his patients find out about their vision health.

At that time, the screening tool that Dr. Simonian was using required more time, effort and didn't provide the comprehensive results he wanted.

"I wasn't comfortable with the process or confident about information I was getting," said Dr. Simonian, a solo practitioner who is very interested in utilizing new medical technology to make his pediatric practice more efficient with vision screenings. "I really wanted to screen the full spectrum of children from preschoolers all the way through high school students."

Spot is a handheld, portable, wireless, WiFi enabled vision screener that has an incredibly quick capture time of one second or less, which makes screening efficient in a physician's office, especially with pre-verbal and young children.  Spot can screen children as early as 6 months of age through adulthood.  After seeing Spot at an AAP conference, Dr. Simonian purchased one for his practice and that has made a tremendous difference for him.

"It's been an amazing improvement at our practice," said Dr. Simonian.  "I can see more patients covering a wider range of ages. It's more affordable and works better than the older vision screening technology.

"Spot is very easy to use and my support staff can do the vision screenings quickly and easily.  We have a small office, but because it is portable, we can take Spot from room to room and conduct the screenings. That is very helpful to our practice workflow. I get dependable results and a lot more information. I am now able to print out a very nice report and hand it to the parents of my patients."

Dr. Simonian is Board certified in Pediatrics, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and very active in injury prevention and health information technology. In 1980, he started his pediatrics practice in Clovis, a suburb of Fresno, California, about two hours south of San Francisco. His patients are primarily average, middle-class families from the surrounding agricultural community, which produces the bulk of the fruits and vegetables in the United States.

The reaction Dr. Simonian has received about Spot has been very positive.

"Parents of my young patients are really excited about having access to the information," said Dr. Simonian. "This is something I wasn't able to provide before. With the older screening tools, I wasn't able to screen such a wide age range of patients.  Using Spot, I am able to generate more income which is always helpful."

For more information about Dr. Mark Simonian, go to www.marksimonianmd.com

About PediaVision 
PediaVision, inventor of the award-winning Spot vision screener, is dedicated to solving the critical health issue of undiagnosed vision problems and transforming the lives of thousands of children each day.  A child with an undetected or untreated vision problem is more likely to develop social or emotional problems. Thus, a child's vision problems can affect not only their own learning, but that of their peers.¹ Automated and objective vision screening empowers organizations in public health and private medicine to ensure children have the opportunity to reach their full potential.  

Supported by ophthalmologists, optometrists, scientists and leading technology innovators, the Spot vision screener is breakthrough technology and represents what vision screening should be.  For more information, including how to order Spot, please visit www.pediavision.com. 

¹ 2010 Charles E. Basch, Teachers College, Columbia University. A Research Initiative of the Campaign for Educational Equity Teachers College, Columbia University.

SOURCE PediaVision