OCT: Major medical conditions can be found by simply examining your eyes

We have recently invested in a revolutionary piece of diagnostic equipment that can detect a number of common eye conditions, such as glaucoma, age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy, during a routine eye test. This piece of equipment is called a 3D Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) system.

Time is of the essence with many sight threatening conditions, so the sooner you take action, the more effective your treatment will be. At Elliott Optician’s, we offer OCT scanning from just €25.

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 reveal the many layers that make up the back of the eye. This particular 3D OCT unit captures a digital photograph of the inner surface of the eye at the same time, so that areas of concern identified by the scan, can be cross referenced with the classic view of the back of the eye that your optometrist sees.

In other words, if you are looking at an iced cake before it has been sliced, you don’t know if it contains jam, cream or chocolate layers; equally if it’s lumpy or smooth. With this unique NON-INVASIVE technology we are able to see both the surface of the back of your eye (the top of the cake) and a three dimensional image of the layers that are beneath the surface.

Never before has it been easier to locate and identify eye conditions that affect the layers below the surface. We can then review the images on a PC screen and pin point areas of concern.

Using this machine, we can more confidently diagnose, manage or refer you for further treatment, should this be required. For the majority of patients, OCT provides significant reassurance that the deeper layers of their eye are healthy.

Make sure that when booking your next eye test, you ask about an OCT scan.