In a busy, highly medical optometry practice, Pamela A. Lowe, OD, FAAO, Dipl. ABO, relies on multiple Visionix (now iCare | Visionix) devices, including the VX 40 automated lensmeter, the Visionix VX 130+ anterior segment analyzer and the Optovue Solix OCT/OCT-A system. Together, she says, the platforms support nearly every step of the patient’s visit at Professional Eye Care Center in Niles, Illinois—from pretesting and contact lens workups to advanced retinal and anterior segment evaluation.
For Dr. Lowe, the biggest value of the VX 130+ is its ability to consolidate a wide range of measurements into one fast, tech-friendly workflow. The device combines autorefraction, keratometry, wavefront analysis, topography, intraocular pressure measurement, tomography, pachymetry and anterior chamber angle assessment. It also provides a retro illumination of the intraocular lens. These findings give Dr. Lowe a comprehensive picture of the patient’s eyes before the doctor ever enters the room.
“That alone empowers me in the exam lane,” Dr. Lowe says. “Before I walk in, I not only know their refraction and keratometry, I also know their IOP, their angles and their pachymetry.” Based on the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study, which found that patients with high intraocular pressure who had thicker corneas had less risk of getting glaucoma in five years than patients with thinner corneas, she can be more proactive. “I’m able to identify patients at higher risk right away,” she says.
One Scan, Many Answers
Every patient with spectacles gets their prescription checked on the VX 40 automated lensmeter, and the device can also flag lens distortion and other quality issues through its wavefront-style analysis. “If there are distortions in the lenses, it alerts us,” Dr. Lowe says. “That allows me to address it, saying, ‘That may have been a poor-quality lens you were in. We’re going to upgrade that.’”
The VX 130+ has become a workhorse in the practice because it delivers multiple diagnostics in about 80 seconds. That speed and depth of data are especially important because if the results point to something suspicious, the team already knows the patient will likely need additional testing and a follow-up visit. “We have a philosophy: every comprehensive exam is a medical follow-up until we prove otherwise,” she says.
That approach helps the practice stay efficient and targeted. Rather than chase a refraction that is thrown off by dry eye, corneal disease or another issue, Dr. Lowe says the team can identify the problem early and shift the visit into medical management. “You’re not chasing your tail doing a refraction when you’re getting a poor endpoint,” she says.
Contact Lens Fittings Simplified
The VX 130+ also fits naturally into Dr. Lowe’s specialty contact lens practice. She says the device gives the team topography immediately and is great at catching subclinical keratoconus. Both of these are especially useful for specialty contact lens evaluations and scleral lens fittings.
The older workflow involved multiple machines and extra steps. Now, the team can gather the needed information in one room and in one capture sequence. That moves the fitting process forward much faster. In fact, the technicians rarely use the practice’s older topographer anymore.
The speed also benefits patients, especially those already spending more time in the chair for specialty lenses. Dr. Lowe says a quicker and more complete scan means fewer delays and a better patient experience.
Solix Adds Another Layer
The Optovue Solix is the newest upgrade and an important one. The device replaced an older OCT that was no longer performing well, and she says the team wanted a more capable OCT platform with angiography. “It’s really helpful because it’s another layer of seeing the vasculature of the retina at different levels,” Dr. Lowe says.
That has been especially useful in diabetes care and macular disease, where seeing the retinal vessels clearly can help identify problems sooner and reduce the need to send patients out for more invasive testing unless it is truly needed.
The Optovue Solix is faster and more tech-friendly than the systems the practice used before, she says. That matters in a busy clinic, where a device has to be easy for staff to learn and simple for patients to tolerate. “Techfriendly and patient-friendly” is how Dr. Lowe describes it.
Dr. Lowe says the Optovue Solix has also improved anterior segment imaging, which is valuable for specialty contact lens fits. The system can capture a wider image of the anterior segment in one view, including scleral lens landing zones, without requiring
multiple attachments or repeated captures. “That does it all in one,” she says.
Beyond clinical efficiency, Dr. Lowe says the Visionix platforms help her educate patients. The devices can display visual information in a way that makes subtle findings easier to explain, whether it is corneal distortion, aberrations or early cataract changes.
Those benefits make the technology extremely valuable to the practice. It helps the staff work faster, gives her more confidence in the findings and allows her to walk into the exam room already knowing where to focus. “I get to walk in and be the hero,” Dr. Lowe says.
About the Author
Dr. Lowe is currently Director/President of Professional Eye Care Center, Incorporated, a private practice she founded in 1992 on Chicago’s Northwest Side. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Loyola University of Chicago in 1984 and graduated with honors from the Illinois College of Optometry in 1988. The college named her the Alumnus of the Year in 2002.
Dr. Lowe is active in organized optometry and is a Past President of the Illinois Optometric Association. Dr. Lowe was awarded Illinois’s Young Optometrist of the Year in 1995 and Optometrist of the Year in 2006. She has been a career long member of the American Optometric Association and currently serves as Chair of the AOA Contact Lens and Cornea Section and is a Key-person for AOA Advocacy; she is a Fellow with the American Academy of Optometry and a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry. She serves as Vision Source Medical Director in Chicagoland where she is an administrator for over seventy independent private practice locations.
Dr. Lowe has lectured and authored on many topics including retinal disease, cataract extraction, laser vision correction and currently travels throughout the country speaking on new technologies for early detection of macular degeneration, dry eye disease strategies and myopia management. She has had the distinction of serving as a Clinical Examiner for the National Board of Optometry, Past Chair for the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation State Board for Optometry and Past-President of the Illinois College of Optometry Alumni Council.
**The views and experiences expressed are those of the individual user. They may involve off-label use of the medical device, which is not endorsed or approved by the manufacturer. Medical procedures, case studies, and practices mentioned in this content may vary depending on regional standards, local regulations, and the discretion of the healthcare provider. Not all products, accessories, services, or offers are approved in every market.
This article originally appeared in the September 2026 issue of Vision Source OD magazine - Vision Source OD • 3QTR 2026.