Traditionally, ophthalmologists use a slit lamp to measure whether a person’s eye has a shallow anterior chamber, one of the key indicators of this form of the disease. However, the ‘EZ Ratio’ method pioneered by Associate Professor Ehud Zamir requires only a smartphone and some basic charts.{{quote-A:R-W:450-I:2-Q:It’s more than just a rough tool, it’s actually a quantitative method of measuring the anterior chamber of the eye-WHO:Ehud Zamir, associate profressor}}The process involves taking a picture of the side of the eye, perpendicular to the direction of the gaze, before comparing it with a chart that donstrates the various depths of anterior chambers. Measuring pixels to determine the distance between the pupil and the cornea can also be done to provide a more accurate measurent.Zamir said the new method was ideal for quick diagnoses, and also for practitioners who were worried about inadvertently inducing angle closure glaucoma medically, either by dilating pupils, or prescribing certain types of medication such as antihistamines.“Patients who are prone to those risks have shallow chambers. GPs and people who prescribe those medications don’t look at that, because they don’t know how to and they don’t have a method as part of their physical examination skills,” Zamir explained.“There have been some methods available such as using a flash light and looking at a shadow on the iris, but nothing as quantitative, easy or accurate as this.”The method took approximately one year to develop and was inspired by work Zamir was doing to develop an online tool for help with diagnosing acute red eye. Part of that project involved donstrating the indicators of glaucoma without the use of specialist medical equipment, which eventually led to the new novel approach.“We usually use a slit lamp for diagnosing glaucoma, but if you look at the eye from the side you get an idea from that too, which for some reason we never do. We’re used to examining people looking face-to-face, we don’t often examine the profile view of the eye, but it does give you some information,” Zamir said.“It’s more than just a rough tool, it’s actually a quantitative method of measuring the anterior chamber of the eye.”WATCH VIDEO
More information:– EZ Ratio manual.
