The non-invasive diagnostic device used for imaging the retina is known as the Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). The OCT technology can detect problems in the eye before any types of symptoms being present in the patient.
With OCT’s results, it becomes easy for the ophthalmologist to see each of the retina’s distinctive layers. The ophthalmologist is then able to map and measure the retina’s thickness. The OCT supports in diagnosing and treating many eye conditions glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and many other eye conditions.
This device evaluates disorders of the optic nerve. The OCT exam aids the ophthalmologist to see the changes to the fibers of the optic nerve.
However, certain eye conditions that interfere with light passing through the eye cannot diagnose certain conditions with dense cataracts or significant bleeding in the vitreous.
Swept-source OCT
The Swept-source OCT provides an accurate visual chloride structure. With the aid of OCT, the ophthalmologist can diagnose many retinal diseases. This OCT provides high-speed data acquisition that is twice as fast in delivering the results in a clearer image.
The SS-OCT is known for its deeper penetration and faster acquisition time to visualize choroid, vitreous, and retinal structures behind dense pre-retinal hemorrhages. The SS-OCT is the first ophthalmic diagnostic device that can demonstrate the complete eye structure of the posterior cortical vitreous pocket (PPVP).
Heidelberg Spectralis OCT
The new Heidelberg OCT provides images of the optic nerve so that the ophthalmologist can assess the thickness of the nerve fibers as they go into the nerve. In diagnosing the glaucoma patients, the disease damages the nerve fibers, and they die, hence the thickness of the nerve fibers is reduced. With this device the ophthalmologist can diagnose the thickness of the nerve to detect is the nerve looks like one with glaucoma.
The bonus with Heidelberg OCT is that it has an inbuilt eye tracker that can help in comparing the images from year to year to see if there has been any change in the reduction of the patient’s nerve fiber layer. These results help the ophthalmologist to diagnose glaucoma at the earliest.
OCT – Optovue
The OCT – Optovue is the next generation scanning, that has an ultra-high-speed, high-resolution OCT retina scanner used for retina imaging and analysis. With the added benefit of:
- Ultra-high-speed: 65 time faster (26,000 A-scan/s) for 3D
- High-density mapping; and high resolution: 5µm
- Scan depth: Up to 2.5mm for imaging the macular and 2.3mm for imaging a tilted disk
Enables the ophthalmologist to be able to diagnose the retinal tissue with ultra-high clarity in a fraction of seconds.