Goodlite’s Karickhoff macular acuity test tool

Newly added to Goodlite’s range at Medix 21 is the Karickhoff macular acuity test (K-MAT), a quick and easy test for patients whose cataracts, corneal scars or vitreous haze prevent eyecare professionals (ECPs) from seeing their maculas at the slit lamp.

“It’s a really cool little gadget, because it’s so quick. It’s an amazing diagnostic tool,” said Medix 21’s Camille Furnandiz. “Basically, it’s a 10-second test to measure the visual acuity (VA) of the macula without having to do an OCT scan.”

Medix 21’s Camille Furnandiz and Maile Tarsau

Developed by US paediatric and strabismus ophthalmologist Dr John Karickhoff, who is best known for his work developing and refining a laser treatment for eye floaters, K-MAT converts a slit lamp’s white light beam to very pure blue light so ECPs can see the patient’s white blood cells in the macula. If they can be seen, this means the patient has VA of 6/12 or better, said Furnandiz; if they can’t be seen, their VA is worse than that. “That’s a big warning sign that something’s going on at the back of the eye and they need to be referred for an OCT.

“So instead of doing an expensive OCT scan on every patient who has some sort of cloudiness in their eye, the K-MAT allows optometrists and ophthalmologists to eliminate the patients who don’t actually need an OCT scan.”

According to Goodlite, the K-MAT’s 94% accuracy makes it the world’s most accurate macular test. “Demonstration to the patient is dramatic. Patients see inside their own eyes and see their white blood cells ‘jump’ as their heart beats,” said the company.