Advanced Diagnostic Instruments

OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY (OCT)

The OCT is a state-of-the-art diagnostic device used in the diagnosis and management of a wide range of conditions. Specialized lasers in the OCT (safer than the lasers used in your television remote) scan layer-by-layer to form a 3-dimensional map of the part of the eye being examined (optic nerve, retina, cornea, and others). These scans provide such a fine level of detail that problems can often be detected (and treated) years earlier, which can improve outcomes dramatically. This is true of many conditions, including glaucoma, diabetes, macular degeneration, keratoconus, and many more.

RETINAL IMAGING

Photographing the retina is a highly specialized form of medical imaging that cannot be done with an ordinary camera. Our customized digital camera is mounted to a microscope with intricate lenses and mirrors that allow us to visualize the back of the eye by focusing light through the cornea, pupil and lens of the eye. The photographs taken with this equipment are used to document the health of the optic nerve, vitreous, macula, retina, and its blood vessels. Eye doctors can use these photos for documentation, comparison, and sometimes to diagnose certain eye conditions. Photographs can be viewed digitally in each exam room to enable the doctor to interactively review the findings with each patient.

​Routine or screening retinal photographs are offered to each patient not only as a way to share a snapshot of your eye with you, but also to document a baseline or any abnormal findings.

ANTERIOR SEGMENT IMAGING

Like retinal photography, imaging the front (anterior segment) parts of the eye can be tremendously helpful when ocular conditions are uncertain or changing. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words and sometimes comparing a new photo to a previously taken baseline is the only way to know whether small changes are occurring. This has many applications, from knowing whether cataracts are getting worse, to knowing whether a corneal ulcer is beginning to respond to treatment. In the world of specialty contact lenses, high quality images enhance collaboration between the doctor and lab consultants and allow for a faster, smoother, more successful fitting process.

CORNEAL TOPOGRAPHY

The Medmont Corneal Topographer at our office is a specialized piece of equipment designed to image the cornea, the clear, dome-shaped front surface of the eye. Using a series video images, the Medmont is able to analyze over 15,000 points to create a 3-dimensional topographical map of the cornea just like a geographical map showing the elevations and valleys of the corneal surface. This allows our doctors to see even minute irregularities that can aid in the diagnosis and management of many corneal conditions.

​Eye doctors use the information provided by this instrument for several clinical applications. First, we can use this information to design custom contact lenses for patients with special corneal conditions like keratoconus. We also use topography information as part of our LASIK consultation exams, to help our doctors determine eligibility for laser corrective eye surgery. Finally, we can use these corneal maps to aid in fitting specialty contact lenses, such as highly toric or orthokeratology contact lenses.

FULL-THRESHOLD PERIMETRY / VISUAL FIELD TESTING

Visual Field testing is something that every eye doctor’s office should be able to perform, but not all instruments are created equal. We use an advanced Octopus unit which emphasizes smart algorithms and software enhancements to increase efficiency. Older units still in use at other offices can take over 10 minutes per eye (which really adds up!) whereas our unit can collect data that is as good or better in approximately 2 minutes.

Accurate, sophisticated field of vision assessments are critical for a wide range of conditions from glaucoma to traumatic brain injury.

RIGHT EYE FUNCTIONAL VISION TESTING

When most people think of a vision test, they think of reading smaller and smaller letters on a wall several feet away. There is a LOT more to it than that. Right eye is a first-of-its-kind technology that uses guided activities and eye tracking sensors to determine where your eyes may be under-performing or over-working. If your test results show a deficiency, the program has training modules to improve your specific weaknesses. This is especially important for improving quality of life for those who may have good acuity (reading those letters off of the wall), but still experience eye strain, fatigue, reading difficulties, frequent headaches, and other problems.