Revolutionary Technology Identifies Young Patients with Vision Issues

LAKE MARY, Fla., May 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Doctor Victor Tamashiro, a long-time pediatrician in Mission Hills, California, is a big advocate of new technology to help his young patients. For years, he has stayed updated on the newest innovations in vision screening with the hope of finding the latest technology that will help accurately identify vision problems.

Dr. Tamashiro had been using the standard tool for screening his patients, the Snellen eye chart. However, when he found out about the revolutionary Spot vision screener, he quickly purchased one and incorporated it into his practice.

"Technology is definitely here to help the delivery of medicine and I am very happy that I found Spot to assist me in the medical area that has bothered me for some time," said Dr. Tamashiro, who has operated his pediatric practice for more than 22 years in Mission Hills.  "I was trying to find an accurate approach to identifying vision problems, which would help my patients."

Spot is a handheld, portable, wireless, WiFi enabled vision screener that looks like a camera and 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.

"I had a patient who had mild strabismus that had not been identified before," said Dr. Tamashiro, who performed his residency at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center followed by a year at Miami Children's Hospital.  "Spot picked up gaze disturbance and we referred him to an ophthalmologist for a more thorough examination. That's how they found the strabismus."

Summer is the time of year when Doctor Tamashiro will place a number of new patients into the screening process for the first time.

"Their parents bring them in for their annual physical as they prepare for school and now we are able to quickly run them through a vision screening with Spot," said Dr. Tamashiro, who has trained every member of his office staff, including the receptionist, to use the Spot vision screener. "When using the Snellen chart, we were unable to screen children who were four years of age or under.  Now with Spot, we can accurately identify vision issues as early as 6 months of age.  Spot definitely helps us provide a better service for the patients. And it speeds up the process as well."

The youngest patient tested was nine months old with the entire vision screening process performed in only a few minutes.

"So many parents have expressed their appreciation for this new vision testing," said Dr. Tamashiro. "I don't know if they understood or grasped the great value of this technology.  First time parents don't really understand how difficult it is to test with the Snellen chart. In the end, they are just grateful for the accurate screening and so am I."

About PediaVision

PediaVision, inventor of the 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