Moorfields Eye Hospital patients test vision at home using app

Moorfields Eye Hospital has reported positive results from a trial of technology that enables patients to monitor their vision at home.

A survey of 350 patients using the Home Vision Monitor app found that 70% of the pilot group felt reassured knowing their vision was being monitored during a pandemic.

The technology is designed specifically for patients with disease that affects the macula, including neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetes.

The survey found that 93% of participants thought the app was easy to use, while 85% used it at least one or two times a week.

The app uses a shape discrimination test where users are presented with multiple shapes and asked which one appears different.

Results are sent directly from the app to the patient’s clinician at Moorfields Eye Hospital. If two tests in a week show a discrepancy or deterioration in vision, a clinician alert is automatically triggered.

Consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital, Konstantinos Balaskas, highlighted that tools such as the Home Vision Monitor enable patients to actively contribute to the management of their condition.

“Placing such tools in the hands of patients will both improve health outcomes for patients and reduce the capacity pressures of hospital-based eye departments,” he said.

The Home Vision Monitor technology was developed by Roche. Global head of personalised care for ophthalmology at Roche, Jill Hopkins, highlighted that supporting high-risk groups is “essential.”

“By testing patients' vision more frequently and at home, the app may eliminate unnecessary hospital visits and escalate urgent cases where needed. We believe that solutions such as these can continue to support patients and healthcare professionals beyond COVID-19 and contribute to the generation of real-world evidence to identify progression trends in AMD,” she emphasised.