March 14, 2024
Shamir Optical Industry Ltd. has launched the Spark 4W, an advanced digital electro-optic measurement system that operates on Wi-Fi and can be located anywhere in your office. The wireless system is based on sophisticated 3D stereo vision technology and artificial intelligence (AI) technology.1
Every eye care professional has experienced lab remakes due to inaccurate measurements. This device all but eliminates these types of costly mistakes. The wireless integrated CPU allows you to place the instrument in any convenient location throughout the clinic or dispensary. For current owners of the original Spark system, the upgrade involves installing a new CPU board.
I particularly like the articulated arm which makes it easy for both short and tall patients to use the system, regardless of standing or sitting positions. In addition, the Shamir Spark Remote is a handy app that allows the practice to capture the patient’s pupillary distance (PD) using any mobile device, such as an iPhone or iPad. Additional parameters can be filled in after the patient leaves the office, allowing for more flexibility when several patients are waiting.
Precise and Fast Camera System
The sophisticated camera system features six high-resolution, 24-megapixel camera sensors, and records 192 facial landmarks. Additional sensors include two active near-infrared cameras that allow an unobstructed view of the patient’s pupils and four additional color cameras that take a crisp image of any eyewear, including sunglasses. The captured information can be transmitted directly to your independent lab for use with any brand of lens.
Once the photo has been successfully taken, the patient’s far PD automatically shows up on the bottom of the screen. These infrared images show that the pupils have been correctly marked. An easy manual override feature allows the user to remark the pupil crosses if they are incorrectly marked. It is easy to verify on the photo that the crosses are in the pupil centers. The patient’s far and near PD, mono PD, as well as A, B, and ED measurements are all recorded. The fitting height from frames as well as fitting height from box also appear. The DBL and pantoscopic tilt as well as the back vertex distance (BVD) are also shown. For prescriptions greater than plus or minus four diopters, this BVD measurement prevents costly prescription remakes needed for as little as 0.25D. As the different measurements are taken the results are displayed on the screen. Measurements can be archived for future use and comparison.
I like the fact that no gadgets, clips, or rulers are required, which otherwise could lead to clumsy handling for my technicians to get an accurate measurement. Either clear or tinted lenses can be utilized for the measurement, so fitting sunglasses is easy to do. It is important to make sure that your device’s Bluetooth and locations services features are turned on, and you’ll need your practice’s password to complete the setup.
This is a web-based app and therefore does not need to be downloaded to your computer’s memory. All information is stored in the cloud and easily recovered. Measurements typically take about 90 seconds as opposed to five or six minutes, which cuts down on waiting times for busy offices. One of the complaints I often hear from busy practitioners is that “optical measuring systems” slow down the optical dispensary because we only have one device and there are often two or three patients waiting to be served. This device all but eliminates that complaint.
ECPs simply place their patients in front of the system and click the screen to start, and the touch-free technology takes care of capturing images on its own. The photos are extremely precise thanks to Shamir’s As-worn POV technology — a technology designed to compensate for a patient’s prescription in front of the pupil to match their personal point of view in order to deliver sharp vision at all distances.2. This system offers a quicker and more precise streamlined measuring and ordering process and reduces the chance of potential risks and ordering delays. The number of non-adapts are greatly reduced.
This device has won the Eyevote Reader’s Choice 2022 Category 3 award.
References
1 Shamir media release dated Feb. 6, 2024.
2 Shamir launches advanced digital electro-optic measurement system. Glance Eyes on Eyecare, Feb. 6, 2024. Alex Delaney-Gesing
3 Telephone interview with Phil Pasit, Vice President of Marketing, Shamir Lens, March 11, 2024
