Funny you should ask.
Our new Optovue iVue is a Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomographer or SD-OCT if you prefer. If you want to know how it works you’ll probably need to get a PhD in electrical engineering and applied physics. Fortunately much like you don’t have to understand internal combustion to drive a car, you can think of the SD-OCT as working like magic.
Measurements are painless and take only a moment. 26,000 measurements per second means we get much more detail than even the highest sensitivity MRI. Dr. Sullivan are able to show you each of the 10 layers of your retina. Not impressed? The entire thickness of your retina is around one fourth of a millimeter.
Who cares? Different layers are affected by different problems: glaucoma vs. macular degeneration vs. diabetes to name a few.
So here’s a patient we saw recently. She was sent over from her rheumatologist because she is taking medications which are known to potentially cause eye problems.
Unrelated to her rheumatoid arthritis and high risk medications, she was found to have normal tension (low pressure) glaucoma. These are tough because patients say “How can I have glaucoma? My eye pressure has always been good and I’m seeing fine.” High eye pressure is only one risk factor for developing glaucoma and peripheral vision loss is very insidious. We now have her on treatment to halt her vision loss.
This new scanning laser is one more piece of equipment that we have invested in because you’re worth it. Fortunately no instrument can substitute for a knowledgeable and caring doctor, but it sure is nice to have them help us out.
Clear and comfortable -o-o-