About

About VisionRx

VisionRx is a vision test software company dedicated to improving sight and preventing vision loss and blindness through the early detection of eye disease. The company provides online, professional-grade tests for glaucoma and other serious eye disorders. Through the Internet they are available to everyone.

Many eye disorders, including glaucoma, are known as “silent diseases” because they occur without easily observed symptoms such as pain occurring prior to loss of vision. A number of eye diseases, such as glaucoma, can lead to irreversible blindness. It is therefore important to detect the diseases early to prevent vision loss. Because there are no easily observable symptoms and people often do not go to an eye doctor regularly, many people suffer severe vision loss before they realize that they have a disease. VisionRx’s technology has been developed to help solve this serious problem.

About Glaucoma

Glaucoma is one of the two leading causes of preventable blindness in the US and other developed countries. There are over three million people in the US and over 75 million people worldwide who have this blinding disease, and more than half of them do not know that they have it. It gradually destroys the retina, the part of the eye which detects light and converts the light into signals which are then sent to the brain. Generally people do not even realize that their sight is being diminished until 40 to 50% of their retina is permanently destroyed.

Unfortunately the disease is irreversible. Once destroyed, the cells of the retina cannot be regenerated. However, if detected early, glaucoma can be halted by the use of drugs and/or surgery. It is therefore vital that the disease be detected as early as possible to minimize retinal damage and vision loss. The single most important factor increasing the chance of developing glaucoma is age. The older people get, the more likely it is that they will develop glaucoma. It is recommended that anyone 50 years or older have a glaucoma test every year or two. However, it should be stated that even though it is less frequent, young adults and children can also develop this disease.

In addition to age, certain factors increase the likelihood of developing the disease. These other risk factors include a family history of glaucoma, high blood pressure, prior eye injury, severe near sightedness and diabetes. People over 50 who have additional risk factors should have a visual field test and a complete eye exam more frequently.

For more extensive information about glaucoma and its treatment go to the VisionRx Eyecare Library by clicking on the button on the left side of the page.

About GlaucomaCheck™

In 1999 VisionRx was the first company to make available on the Internet professional-grade eye tests designed for doctors. Utilizing the most advanced bioengineering and Internet methodologies, GlaucomaCheck™ is a patented technology also originally designed for doctors. It is the culmination of many years of research and development by leading doctors and engineers. It is now available for anyone to use on the Internet. Now you can use this advanced technology in the comfort of your own home to test for glaucoma. It can even detect other neurological disorders such as stroke and optic neuropathies.

GlaucomaCheck™ is the type of test known by doctors as a visual field analyzer (or perimeter), which tests the functioning of the retina. It performs the test by displaying unique patterns of light (stimuli) on the computer monitor and allowing the person taking the test to respond if they see them. These patented stimuli generate what is termed the frequency doubling response. This physiologic reaction is caused by specific nerve cells in the retina which are relatively small in number and dispersed throughout the retina. The cells that are responsible for the frequency doubling response are among those that die off earliest in glaucoma. Therefore, the ability to test for this response provides a unique early indicator of the presence of glaucoma.

GlaucomaCheck™ has been clinically validated by a number of independent clinical trials conducted by doctors and a leading university eye center. These researchers were invited by several eyecare organizations to make presentations at their annual meetings. One paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Glaucoma Society, the leading glaucoma research organization. The results that they reported were that a point-by-point comparison of the GlaucomaCheck™ with the instrument considered by eye doctors to be the current “standard of care” for glaucoma detection, “showed high degrees of correlation.” The paper concluded that GlaucomaCheck™ is “an Internet-ready perimeter for in-home and clinical use."

The most recent clinical study found that GlaucomaCheck™ has a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of over 98%. A sensitivity of 94% means that it detected 94% of all glaucoma and glaucoma suspects as compared with those found by an eye MD using multiple, state-of-the-art methods. A specificity of over 98% means that in normal patients tested, GlaucomaCheck™ found over 98% to be normal. These are outstanding results.

Note: It is important to realize that no instrument, even those used by eye doctors, is ever 100% accurate or is ever able to detect 100% of abnormal cases. In fact, most of them do not even come close to 100%. It is for this reason that doctors utilize more than one method to verify the presence or absence of glaucoma and other diseases.

GlaucomaCheck™ offers a number of important benefits. It facilitates the early detection of glaucoma and other “silent” eye diseases. It provides the convenience of testing in your own home. It is extremely simple and easy to use. It has a very short test time and because of unique AutoAnalysis™ technology it provides immediate test results. The inherent sensitivity of the test facilitates early detection of disease. Because it is inexpensive it means that you can use it often without having to spend a lot. Its home availability and economical price even allows monitoring the effect of medications with frequent testing.

GlaucomaCheck™ changes the paradigm of early glaucoma detection. It allows you to find indications of disease and get to an eye doctor sooner for diagnosis and treatment. This will save sight.