Understanding Eye Scans Like Optomap

Many eye disorders don’t reveal any symptoms including loss of vision. Today there are quite a few sophisticated tests and scans that can detect eye problems at an early stage.

One of the newest is the Optomap scan, which is the only one that can examine more than 80% of the retina and give a single panoramic image to allow the early detection of underlying eye diseases. This blog post explains the pros of an Optomap scan while also highlighting some alternatives.

Benefits of Optomap

Optomap scans are non-invasive and pain-free as they are done without the need for pupil dilation – in other words, nothing touches the eye. An image of the eye is taken using a very brief flash of light. Optomap can detect:

• Cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma
• Life-threatening diseases such as cancer of the eye, stroke and cardiovascular disease
• Vision problems which mainly show up at night such as halos or starbursts
• Early signs of retinal disease, to enable prompt treatment and prevent vision loss and complications

An Optomap scan can also be used to spot early signs of damage caused to the eye by diabetes. The NHS advises that anyone with diabetes should have eye screening every 2 years.

Disadvantages of Optomap

There are a few disadvantages to the Optomap scan. 

• It cannot detect retinal bleeding caused by eye disease
• Diabetics still need and additional eye screening every 2 years

As you can see the advantages of Optomap allow your eye care practitioner to detect any problems at an early stage to protect you against blindness or other vision impairment. It’s a very high-tech and advanced tool for the early detection of eye disease but there are several other options available for our optometrists to use.

OCT scan

OCT  is optical coherence tomography. This scan helps the practitioner to view the eye in detail by producing a 3D image of the different layers inside the eye. It is commonly used to detect:

• Glaucoma
• Detached retina
• Age-related macular degeneration
• Macular hole
• Diabetic retinopathy

Corneal topography

This computerised imaging generates a mapping image of the surface of the cornea to assess its shape and contour. It helps to diagnose conditions like astigmatism and keratoconus.

Topography is also used for planning of vision correction surgery and fitting contact lenses such as ortho-K.

Refraction

This test measures how light bends as it passes through the eye and is commonly used to assess vision and determine the correct prescription for spectacles if needed.

Visual field test

This is a very common test which assesses and monitors central and peripheral vision. It can provide information about the function of the retina and optic nerve to help detect certain eye conditions including glaucoma at the early stages.The wide range of tests available to our practitioners means that any problems can be found and treatment started early. If you are experiencing vision problems or just need a check up, contact us as soon as possible.

Tweet