Seeing beneath the surface is essential…to the health of your eyes
In 2011 we were the first practice in Solihull to make this amazing sight-saving technology available to our clients. We have recently invested over £70,000 in our latest hospital-grade Triton OCT system, that captures ultra-definition scans of the retina and optic nerve. The scans help us detect much earlier and accurately a number of key eye conditions, such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy, during your eye examination.
“We are extremely proud that we have been able to provide the benefits of OCT scans to our patients for over 10 years. As we have so much OCT experience, it feels great providing people with the invaluable peace of mind that their eyes are in good health.
It has saved the sight of many clients, and in some instances, it has even helped to save their life….which is why it is now standard for all our clients.”
Dan & Sam Sanders – Optometrists & Directors
What is OCT?
Ocular Coherence Tomography is an advanced eye scan for people of all ages. Similar to ultrasound, OCT uses light rather than sound waves to illustrate the different layers that make up the back of the eye. Our 3D OCT also captures a digital photograph of the surface of the eye at the same time, and this can then be cross referenced with any areas of concern.
Since 2006 we have been able to photograph your central retina with our digital fundus camera. This has provided the benefits of a much more detailed and magnified view that can be stored on our computer for comparison with your photos from your next examination.
Our new 3D OCT not only takes more detailed photographs but also takes 128 individual scans of the back of the eye! These scans are effectively cross-sections through the retina and show up structures of the back of the eye in incredibly fine detail. The scan shown here is through the macula and shows very clearly how the nerve fibres at the top are scooped away from the very central area to allow more light through to the photo-receptors underneath (at the top of the red band). The overall thickness of the whole retina shown on this scan is just over half a millimetre!
The major benefit of OCT is that it can put all 128 scans together to produce a three dimensional image of the retina and optic nerve. This allows Dan and the other optometrists to literary look beneath the surface of your retina, so they can can see and better understand the very fine changes which can be indications of something unhealthy or abnormal.
Never before, has it been easier to find out the exact state and location of a particular eye condition. Dan and the other optometrists can then review the images on a PC screen and pin point areas of concern by digitally peeling the layers back until they define what it is that they have identified as requiring further investigation.
Using the OCT, your optometrist can more confidently diagnose, manage and refer you to a specialist for further treatment, should this be required.
Who will benefit from OCT?
We would encourage every patient to have regular scans as part of their normal eye examination. This is because it shows us in the greatest detail what your eyes are like now, providing data the computer software can compare in the future , to help us spot small but significant changes as soon as possible. OCT is particularly useful for patients worried about Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration, and “flashes and floaters”.
Hospital Grade 3D OCT is included as standard in our Advanced Eye Examinations
Our extended 60 minute appointments allow plenty of time to fully explain your OCT scan images, and discuss any findings in detail.
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