From Concept to Clinic: How Dr. Clare Kennedy integrated the innovative Eyeonic system into her practice.
Dr. Clare Kennedy has been an ophthalmologist for the past decade in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2023, she successfully opened her own private practice, Gardens Eye Centre, which is located in Cape Town Mediclinic Hospital. Dr Kennedy is the sole clinician in her practice and continues to gain a reputation for excellence and dedication to the field of ophthalmology.
Located within the vicinity of an ENT Surgeon, Neurosurgeon, and an emergency centre, Dr. Kennedy sees mainly outpatients in her clinic (where she does visual field testing), and can admit patients needing hospital care. A referral from another specialist, GP or optometrist is not required to book an appointment.
“(I) started completely from scratch, and of course, Ophthalmology is a very equipment-heavy discipline – very expensive equipment.” Dr. Kennedy recalls, “So when I heard Prof. Skalicky talk at the South Africa Glaucoma Society (SAGS) conference last year, I thought it was so inspiring. And it was also amazing timing for me, because to buy a Visual Field Machine would have been very expensive. And I also don’t have a lot of space in my consulting rooms… So to avoid this big bulky machine and just be able to do the Visual Field Testing on my computer has been such a blessing and I’ve been so happy with it.”
A/Prof. Simon Skalicky is the Founder and CEO of Eyeonic, an Australian-based company that offers Online Visual Field Testing that can be completed on any computer or tablet. Through digital integration, it revolutionises the testing, enabling it to be independent from bulky, expensive machines.
Dr Kennedy has utilised the Eyeonic test for almost a year, not only for her own patients, but also patients from another local Ophthalmology clinic, which does not have visual field testing. “The Ophthalmologist is a Glaucoma Specialist, and she is very particular (with the test results). So the fact that she has been happy with the results is a very good indication of how good the system is.” Smiles Dr. Kennedy, “For me, it integrated seamlessly. I did it myself on a computer and realised how easy it is to work. I haven’t had any problem with it yet.”
“The biggest benefit is just how convenient it is. It’s very user friendly, the patients find it very comfortable. You are not sitting in some big, clunky machine… and I’m getting such reliable results.” – Dr. Clare Kennedy
“The patients find it easy to use and quite enjoy the experience. I’ve had very accurate results.” Dr. Kennedy further elaborates on her experience with the Eyeonic platform. “I’ve done many tests and it’s very easy to use. The results come out very nicely and in a good format. And all my record keeping is electronic. I just save it as a PDF and add it to the patient’s electronic file and it’s easy to find. And using the Eyeonic platform is very easy to find the patients’ details as well. I really like the fact that you can do the 10-2, you can do the 24-2 or the 30-2, and it also gives you the binocular testing for driving.. It also has progression analysis. So it’s pretty much everything you need for a visual field It’s a great system… I also told many of my colleagues about it because it really is a game changer when you are starting your own practice.”
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When asked about the outlook of the Eyeonic Online Visual Field tests, Dr. Kennedy thinks that because of its cost effectiveness, reliability, and user-friendliness, it could make a significant difference in the public sector, where resources are low and limited, and the patient load is huge.
?“I think it (Eyeonic Online Visual Field) could make a huge difference at the public sector where resources are low and limited, and the patient load is huge. And Glaucoma is obviously a devastating disease.”
“We have a large population of glaucoma patients, and it is preventable blindness.” Dr. Kennedy explains, “I hope that would be my contribution to South Africa – to increase screening.” With the vision that screening programs are the way to make the most impact to the most amount of people with limited resources, she is currently liaising with various colleagues from different organisations, brainstorming about how to make the Visual Field Test more accessible.
Dr. Clare Kennedy and her practice Gardens Eye Centre stand as a testament to the power of determination, hard work, and innovation in healthcare. Her dedication to improving eye care accessibility serves as an inspiration to us all. At Eyeonic, we stand behind all clinicians like herself to pioneer innovative solutions and expand accessibility and usability to comprehensive eye care worldwide.
Address: Suite A114, Cape Town Mediclinic, 21 Hof Street, Oranjezicht
Phone: 0214645782
Email: [email protected]
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