The iTrace: Improving Experience, Decision-Making, and Results

Meet Jesse B. McKey, MD

Jesse B. McKey, MD
Dr. Jesse McKey is an experienced ophthalmologist practicing at Whitsett Vision Group in Houston, TX. He and the other doctors at his practice take pride in pioneering the latest and most advanced refractive and cataract surgery technology, so when the time comes to bring a new device into the practice, it’s always the result of an extensively researched decision.

Here’s why, when Dr. McKey set out looking for a new corneal topographer for his practice, he landed on the iTrace and never looked back:

Dr. McKey’s Commitment to a Premium Patient Experience

With lens replacements and premium cataract surgeries making up more than 50% of the procedures he performs, Dr. McKey is always looking for a way to improve the experience for his patients.

This means that any new technology into the practice needs to meet the high standards of that mission: “it needs to contribute to our ability to deliver outcomes to our patients or contributes to the experience. Preferably both,” he says. “If it doesn’t do those things, then we pass.”

Why the iTrace Made the Cut

When Dr. McKey was looking for new equipment to help him refine the experience he offered to cataract and refractive patients, he admits that the appeal of the iTrace was unclear at first. “Initially we were a little skeptical,” he says. “It seemed a little academic, but what we found was that it’s very easy to learn and use.”

After learning more — and purchasing — an iTrace, however, Dr. McKey now sees an iTrace scan as an essential part of the exam for patients who come for surgical consults.

The iTrace is the only device on the market today that can objectively separate vision quality between the cornea and the lens, helping doctors make the right decisions to correct their patients’ vision. As Dr. McKey puts it, “it helps us identify where the problem is in the visual axis in a way that other devices don’t. The iTrace just puts it right in front of you.”

The iTrace from Tracey Technologies

The iTrace Enhances the Patient Experience

According to Dr. McKey, one area where the iTrace stands out is how it allows him to talk to his patients about their vision, using the popular Dysfunctional Lens Index display:

“We can say to the patient, ‘I know you think you need LASIK but here’s your cornea, you can see that everything is doing well here. What we need to do is focus on your lens, here are the things that we can do about it’ — it’s really easy to facilitate that discussion.”

The ability to sit down with patients and show them their best path to clearer vision has made a huge difference in Dr. McKey’s practice.  

The iTrace Improves Surgical Decision-Making and Results

Dr. McKey says that not only is the iTrace pivotal in helping triage patients for cataract and refractive surgery, it also helps his team anticipate potential issues with using certain implants in specific cases before surgery instead of after. “It helps us look at higher order aberrations better than other machines. Some multifocal lenses are really sensitive to HOAs so it helps us rule patients in or out.”

When the tiniest oversight in pre-op analysis can be the difference between a patient who has to continue wearing corrective eyewear after surgery and a patient who doesn’t, this can be huge. Says Dr. McKey, “the iTrace decreases unhappy post-operative patients. With this and helping us facilitate discussions about premium lenses, I’d say the iTrace paid for itself within a year.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the iTrace, contact us to schedule a demo.

Eye doctor giving a patient an eye exam with the iTrace

OUR COMMITTMENT TO INNOVATION

We started with a device that uses 256 unique points of light to gather the most accurate measurements of lenticular and corneal aberrations. Since then, we’ve built on our core technology to create displays in which users can objectively see through the eyes of a patient. The possibilities for vision analysis with the iTrace are as endless as our commitment to innovation. Once you own an iTrace, you can simply upgrade your software to get access to the latest advancements.