Bruder Healthcare, a Hilco Vision Company, has entered into an eye care industry distribution agreement with AllerFocus for its Percutaneous Allergy Test.
Give me some background on AllerFocus.
Based in Tallahassee, Florida, the company is a medical equipment supplier that provides practitioners with the ability to skin-test patients for allergies as well as provides options for patients to be desensitized to symptom-causing allergens within 3 to 4 years.
Now talk about this allergy test.
The Percutaneous Allergy Test is a needle-free allergy screening that tests for 78 of the most common airborne and environmental allergens
And its ocular connection?
Included in these allergen kits are those for suspected ocular allergy patients who exhibit symptoms such as watery eyes, itchiness, sensitivity to light, redness, and grittiness— which tend to mimic dry eye (and may be present concurrently) depending on case presentation.
What’s included in this test?
Clinicians are supplied 78 allergens (shipped cold), dip well tray sets and storage containers, 10-prong sterile testing applicators, a measurement tool, and documentation that include an allergy health assessment form, test prep card (for patients), test signature forms, and a color-coded test report form.
At first delivery, practitioners receive an allergen description book and test cart.
So how does it work?
The test uses skin contact to identify allergies based on skin reactions.
Go on …
The 10-prong applicators are inserted into the dip well-filled trays; from there, four applicators are applied to each arm of a patient.
How long does it take for results?
About 15 minutes, according to AllerFocus.
At that time, practitioners can measure the level of the skin reaction or flare among all 78 allergens compared to two controls (with one of five allergy levels).
Then what?
With these results, practitioners are able to offer input on which allergens to avoid; similarly, patients may choose to receive treatment from an allergy doctor.
Gotcha. So why did Bruder partner with AllerFocus?
Quite simply, the company wanted to add a point-of-care test to its portfolio to assist eye care practitioners (ECPs) with identifying diseases such as ocular allergies.
Per Brent Jones, Bruder’’s General Manager and Global Head of Dry Eye, the allergy test adds “a crucial diagnostic solution for eye doctors in their treatment of patients.”