The OCT scan can check for the following conditions:
AMD is the leading cause of blindness in the UK, and there are two types, wet and dry. Wet AMD causes rapid reduction in vision and must be treated in the hospital very rapidly. OCT can help identify the earliest signs of AMD, determine if it is dry or wet form and help monitor its progress over time.
Diabetic Retinopathy is one of the leading causes of blindness in the working age within the UK. OCT examination helps enable early detection of diabetic retinopathy, allowing early referral and management which can greatly improve the success rate of treatment.
With glaucoma the optic nerve is damaged, which causes gradual loss of peripheral vision. Recent statistics show that some form of glaucoma affects around 2 in 100 people over 40, rising to almost 1 in 10 over 75yrs. Early stages of chronic glaucoma don’t cause symptoms, and so regular eye examinations are essential to detecting glaucoma at its earliest stage so that ongoing damage can be prevented. OCT examination can allow early detection of glaucoma, and can identify glaucomatous changes over time.
A macular hole is a small hole in the macular- the part of the retina that is responsible for our sharp, detailed central vision. This is the vision we use when looking directly at things. Macular holes are usually formed during a complicated vitreous detachment, when the vitreous pulls away from the back of the eye, causing a hole to form.
