Approximately two years ago, East London Optometry decided to purchase an instrument to do Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Wow! What a difference it has made!

What is OCT? Its main use in eye care is to scan the back of the eye to image the optic nerve and the layers of the retina. It is similar to ultrasound but instead of using sound it uses light. OCT is painless, non-invasive, only takes a few seconds and the results are available immediately.

So why the wow? Before the OCT, in an eye exam, the most I would see of the retina would be the inner surface. While this is important, at times, it made it difficult deciding if some disease processes existed (particularly in the early stages) or to what extent they had progressed. Whereas, with an OCT, all the layers of the retina are imaged and even subtle changes in health and integrity can be observed.

OCT is particularly valuable for early diagnoses of diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular holes and macular degeneration. Shortly after obtaining an OCT, I saw a patient who reported reduced vision in one eye. I already knew she had dry macular degeneration. (There are two forms of macular degeneration: dry and, the more destructive, wet.) With direct visual inspection of the back of her eye (macula) it looked like she still had the dry form of the disease. However, with OCT, it was determined that she was clearly developing the wet form and was referred immediately for treatment to stabilize her vision. Without the aid of the OCT, I would not have known the wet form of the disease was developing and thus, would have simply sent the patient home with instructions to self-monitor for changes. In the meantime, she would have lost vision.

Since obtaining OCT my associates and I have had many instances similar to the one described above. We continue to be impressed by its value as a diagnostic tool and how it enhances our abilities to better serve our patients. In eye care, it is “the greatest thing since sliced bread”.

ARTICLE BY: Dr. John Astles O.D.