Eye Health
OCT - The latest technology
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) - The Future, Today!
At Sharpe and Fowler EyeCare we are committed to providing you with the highest standard of eye care available. With this in mind we have recently upgraded to Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) which allows us to take 3-dimensional scans of the back and front of your eyes rather like an MRI scanner does for the rest of the body. This is one of the most advanced diagnostic tools available. The procedure is comfortable and the image captured in seconds using optical scanning and flash photography- nothing touches your eyes. The images show exceptional detail and year on year auto-comparisons show changes that would be impossible to detect without this revolutionary new equipment.
What are the Benefits?
We can look beneath the retinal surface and detect changes too small to be seen by other methods. We can keep a permanent record, so small changes can be regularly monitored. Should referral be required we can include photographs and diagnostic levels of detail. Eye diseases such as glaucoma and macula degeneration may be detected, and treatment started, at a much earlier stage. You can see and understand any changes taking place and you will be given detailed reports of the scans.
Who should have OCT?
• Those with a family history of eye disease or blindness
• Diabetics and smokers
• Anyone with health problems or medication that may affect the eyes
• Anyone who has had an abnormality detected using any other method
• Anyone with unexplained vision loss
Why is this an Improvement over Retinal Photography?
Retinal Photography captures the visible surface area of the back of the eye. This can be highly magnified and filtered to enhance what we see. However many changes start below the surface. With OCT we can for the first time look beneath the surface at the layers below. We can magnify them and ensure that they are healthy. A retinal
photograph is taken at the same time. By measuring and monitoring the key layers within the back of the eye we can pick up abnormal changes which would not otherwise become apparent until much later in the development of a disease. Glaucoma is a good example. Frequently this shows no symptoms until the later stages, by which time there will have been a severe and permanent loss of the field of vision. OCT can identify subtle changes in the thickness of certain layers of the retina, leading to identification and treatment of glaucoma up to 4 years earlier than using conventional methods.
How much will it Cost?
Not all of our clients will require an OCT scan. For those that do, the test will cost $90 in excess of a normal consultation fee.
Eye Health Facts
Seeing in the dark
Vision in the dark continues to improve for about 30 minutes after being in bright light, as our eyes switch over from the colour-rich, crisp vision of daylight to the less crisp but more sensitive vision of night.
Once the eyes are adapted to dark, their most sensitive area is off to one side of 'straight ahead', making it possible to sense something out of the corner of your eye that disappears when you look straight at it.
Retinal degenerations, a genetic condition called retinitis pigmentosa, and Vitamin A deficiency can all reduce night vision.