The ForeseeHome AMD Monitoring Program provides a tool and service your doctor can use to help detect the conversion to the wet form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), should it occur, before you lose vision. ForeseeHome has been proven to do just that—help detect wet AMD while the visual acuity is still good, which allows for prompt treatment and preservation of vision. The FDA cleared ForeseeHome monitoring device, which is added to your doctor’s AMD standard of care, works by monitoring visual distortion (medically known as metamorphopsia) in AMD.
Some patients will be aware of visual distortion in dry AMD, but many are not. ForeseeHome is so sophisticated that it can detect visual distortion even when you are not aware of it. Your visual distortion at the start of testing is mapped out by the home-based device. All participants in the ForeseeHome monitoring program must first have this starting point, or baseline, before monitoring can begin.
Obtaining a baseline in the monitoring program requires that your vision is good enough to see the lines presented in the device viewer. In some cases, there may be so much distortion in your central vision, even if you are not aware of it, that ForeseeHome cannot obtain this starting point to be able to detect if your visual distortion is getting worse. In other cases, a baseline cannot be obtained because of blind spots or visual dimness in the central areas of one’s visual field not allowing them to see the presented lines well. Lastly, there are a few cases in which we are not completely sure why an eye cannot establish a baseline but suspect it may have to do with other non-related eye conditions or matters of visual attention. Unfortunately, ForeseeHome will not be able to monitor for visual distortion without a place to start, that is, without your baseline.
There are potentially two times that you might have to establish a baseline. The first time is the initial baseline before you start monitoring with ForeseeHome. The second time is after you have had an alert that is not due to a conversion to wet AMD. In this case, there is increased distortion and the computer suspects that the eye might have converted to wet AMD. ForeseeHome then issues an alert that provides your eye care provider an opportunity to evaluate your eye(s). If you have such an alert, and fortunately have not converted to wet AMD, you will need to establish a new baseline to continue testing. The computer needs to know what your distortion is when you restart testing. This process of obtaining a new baseline is no different from when you started testing on ForeseeHome the first time. After such an alert, you will need to establish a new baseline and start testing again.
Although there are a few patients who may not be able to establish a baseline with the ForeseeHome device, most patients will be able to and can be successfully monitored between office visits. Our Notal Vision Monitoring Center professionals are ready and willing to assist you in any way they can to help you begin and continue monitoring, and to assist you and your doctor in your AMD journey.
