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OCT Scans
3D OCT screening diagnoses potentially serious conditions that can affect your eyesight and your overall well-being.
With this non-invasive, painless and quick scan, your optometrist is able to see both the surface of the back of your eye and a three-dimensional image of the layers that are beneath the surface.
What is OCT?
Optical Coherence Tomography – it’s an advanced eye scan for people of all ages.
Similar to ultrasound, OCT uses light rather than sound waves to illustrate the different layers that make up the back of your eye. Seeing the different layers of your eye helps check for potentially serious conditions such as glaucoma, diabetes, AMD, vitreous detachments and more. The OCT machine captures both a fundus photograph and a cross-sectional scan of the back of the eye at the same time.
OCT scans taken over a period of time are a great way for your optometrist to monitor even the most subtle changes in your eye health.
Over time, the scans allow for comparative diagnosis. If a change in your eye health is indicated, we can determine whether medical attention is required or whether continued monitoring by our optometrists is sufficient.
We will ensure that you receive a full, jargon-free, explanation of your eye health and that you understand what we can do to help you achieve the best vision, visual comfort and ocular comfort.
What happens during your OCT scan?
The scan itself takes just a few seconds per eye. You’ll be asked to rest your chin on a support and look at a fixed point of light while the machine captures the image – there’s no contact with your eye, no bright flash, and no discomfort. Most patients don’t need their pupils dilated for the scan itself, though dilation may still be recommended as part of a wider eye examination if your optometrist wants a closer look at the back of the eye. Once captured, your optometrist reviews the images with you there and then, comparing them against normal, healthy anatomy and, where you’ve had a scan before, against your own previous results.
Who should have an OCT scan?
An OCT scan can benefit anyone, but it’s particularly valuable if you have a family history of glaucoma or macular degeneration, have diabetes, or are simply over 40, when the risk of many sight-threatening conditions starts to increase. Because OCT can pick up changes years before they would affect your vision or show up in a standard eye examination, it’s also useful as a baseline scan even if your eyes feel completely healthy – giving your optometrist something to compare future scans against.
Book your OCT Scan….
Newark Birstall
OCT scans for common conditions such as:
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – affecting central vision, most common in the over-50s. Learn more…
- Glaucoma – progressive damage to the optic nerve, often with no early symptoms. Learn more…
- Diabetic eye disease – changes to the blood vessels at the back of the eye caused by diabetes.
- Macular holes – a small break in the macula that can affect central vision.
- Vitreous detachments – where the gel inside the eye separates from the retina, common with age.
Book your OCT Scan…
Newark: 01636 679 555
Birstall (Leicester): 0116 267 7855