PediaVision, with its automated vision screening device, has its sights set on broad distribution.

by Joey Rosenberg

There’s no denying that the need for early detection and treatment of vision problems in children is one of the most pressing issues facing the American health system today. If present during such a crucial stage of learning and development, common eye problems can be greatly detrimental to a child’s quality of life.

With one of every four children under age 11 suffering from some form of visual impairment in the United States, it’s obvious that addressing this situation is critically important to parents and pediatricians alike.

Nevertheless, the reality is that even though 95 percent of these problems can be corrected if treated early, the diagnosis of vision-related disorders is underserved in the market, especially for preverbal children. Pediatricians, schools and charities have typically never had access to a tool that allows for objective vision screens of uncooperative patients.

Until now.

Lake Mary–based PediaVision is the exclusive distributor of an innovative vision assessment tool, called the PediaVision Assessment Solution, or PAS. Capable of screening children of all ages, including those as young as six months, PAS is the first binocular automated vision screening device to provide comprehensive vision analysis with little or no cooperation from the patient.

The goal: make automated objective vision screening part of standard pediatric care.

“Parents look to their pediatrician for early health assessments and trust their physician to thoroughly evaluate and identify any problems from birth,” says David Melnik, president and CEO of PediaVision. “Pediatricians now have the tool they need for highly accurate, early vision assessment.”

Composed solely of a handheld screener, a laptop with preinstalled software and a printer, PAS exceeds the limitations that traditional methods of detection have for screening preverbal children, such as subjective visual analyses and eye charts that they are unable to read. By contrast, PAS diagnoses vision problems through a technique called video retinoscopy, which consists of using a camera to record light reflected from the patient’s retinas. PAS screens for several common eye conditions that often affect children, including myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism (blurred vision) and strabismus (the most common cause of lazy eye).

PAS detects these conditions quickly and accurately, and it does so through a process that is almost entirely automated and noninvasive.

First, the patient’s demographic data is entered into the system’s software. The technician then aims the handheld screener, which features a friendly illuminating face, in the direction of the patient from a distance of three feet. After the technician pulls the trigger, a series of alert-generating tones and flashing lights capture the subject’s attention. The camera then automatically locates the patient’s eyes and performs an analysis in two to five seconds. Finally, a vision screening certificate is printed, displaying the patient’s eye alignment, shape and refractive qualities, along with a recommendation about whether he or she should be referred to an optometrist or ophthalmologist.

The positive effects of this technology are already beginning to emerge throughout Central Florida and the nation. More than 100 systems are functioning in 16 states, and word is spreading about their successes, according to Melnik. “The PediaVision Assessment Solution is already having a dramatic impact, he comments. “There are an untold number of letters and reports of successful early diagnosis of vision problems.”

Some of those successes involve autism, says Dr. John Facciani, a pediatric ophthalmologist at Virginia’s Vistar Eye Center. “Before PediaVision, it was difficult at best to conduct an eye exam on some children with autism because of both [their] inability to communicate what they are able to see and an unwillingness to let the examiner close enough for a good exam,” he says. “Without any useful information to go by, an exam under general anesthesia would be required. Now that we have the PediaVision Assessment Solution, which enables us to conduct a vision screening within seconds from [a distance three feet] from the patient, we can better accommodate children with autism.”

According to Melnik, typically there is no problem persuading a pediatrician that this is “great medicine" and that the system can have a positive impact on patients. The challenge revolves around the upfront price to healthcare providers. If purchased, the equipment costs $10,500, while the average cost to patients for the procedure is between $18 and $20. That means roughly 525 patients must use the equipment for the provider to recoup the initial investment — not an easy task. To make the cost more manageable, pediatricians are offered a lease-to-own option.

Melnik contends that despite the price, the results should make the investment a no-brainer. “This technology is very affordable, and most parents would choose to use it based on the statistics surrounding the subject,” he adds.

In the future, PediaVision promises both new and better technology. Melnik points out that additional measuring technologies will be introduced, as well as broader screening services. “We want to provide a comprehensive ‘service-on-demand’ approach,” he says, noting that PediaVision has been working with public schools in Orange and Seminole counties to demonstrate its value.

Melnik, with high hopes, is confident that, as the saying goes, seeing is believing.