Want to improve efficiency and workflow while providing more accurate and repeatable IOP measurements at your optician shop or clinic? According to a recent Nova Scotia Health Eye Care Centre study, the iCare ST500 is your solution.
Measuring IOP in clinical settings where topical anesthesia or technologically adept staff are unavailable can often be demanding and time-consuming due to complex devices and procedures. Thus, professionals have long been eager to determine which measurement technology best suits their needs.
The recently published study, conducted as a five-month clinical investigation, compared the iCare slit lamp-mounted ST500 rebound and handheld IC200 tonometers with Goldmann Applanation Tonometry. Intraocular pressure was measured twice with each device. Bland-Altman analysis was used to compare each pair of tonometers and whether the difference between tonometers depended on mean IOP. Intraclass correlation coefficients were also computed. The repeatability of the measurements with each tonometer was assessed by calculating the mean and variance of the difference between the first and second measurements. The relationship between IOP and central corneal thickness was also evaluated.
A total of 157 participants, 64 men and 93 women, were included in the study, with a median age of 62 years and a central corneal thickness of 553 μm. The study was approved by the Nova Scotia Health Research Ethics Board and Health Canada and performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
The iCare ST500 slip lamp tonometer makes a difference
The difference variance between the first and second measurements of the iCare ST500 was notably lower than that of GAT. It showed good agreement with GAT over an extensive range of IOP and significantly higher repeatability than the other devices.
Since iCare ST500 measurements are highly repeatable, clinicians can trust the readings without needing multiple attempts or calibration . Unlike devices requiring trained personnel for proper alignment and application, the iCare ST500 can be used reliably by general healthcare workers, opticians, or nurses with minimal training. This expands the accessibility of IOP measurement beyond specialized eye clinics, allowing for broader screening in general practices, pharmacies, and mobile healthcare units. Concurrently eliminating the need for topical anesthesia, the iCare ST500 makes IOP measurements faster and more patient-friendly.
Practical examples of more productive optician shops and clinics
The higher repeatability of the iCare ST500 means fewer retests, reducing patient wait times and increasing the number of assessments per day. For example, if a clinic sees 20 patients per day and saves just 2 minutes per patient by avoiding retests, this can result in 40 minutes saved daily, potentially allowing for 4-5 extra patient evaluations per day. If each consultation is valued at €100, this would mean approximately 400–500 euros of added income per day and 112,000 € per year, assuming 250 working days.
Furthermore, by eliminating unnecessary retests and streamlining the IOP measurement process, the iCare ST500 enhances patient experience and clinic profitability. If the clinic spends 80 minutes daily on IOP measurements (20 patients × 2 measurements × 2 minutes), the iCare ST500 can potentially reduce this to 20 minutes, as 90% of patients need just one measurement. This would result in net time savings of 60 minutes per day. Over a year, it adds up to 15,000 minutes saved—equivalent to 250 hours of freed-up clinical time. If each consultation is valued at €100, the increased efficiency could allow for 250 additional consultations annually, generating an extra €24 000 in revenue while reducing patient backlog and improving workflow.
Most importantly, well-served customers will return to and recommend your shop or clinic. It’s your turn to enter a new era in slit lamp tonometry.
