We recommend a ‘baseline’ eye scan for people over 40 years old coming to us for regular eye examinations. OCT stands for scanning technology Optical Coherence Tomography. Scanning lets us ‘see’ tissue behind the visible retina inside the eye. In the past 5 years these scans have become invaluable in monitoring your eye health.

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Most of us know the importance of regular checks to protect our future eyesight and acknowledge how precious our eyesight is. Documenting a ‘normal and healthy’ situation gives us the best chance of catching problems early. These detailed measurements of your eye form a baseline we can compare back to - a useful check.

How often should you have eye scans?

Once we have a baseline scan then repeating every 5 years is smart. If there are other concerns during your regular exam we will recommend repeating the eye scans.

We use more comprehensive scans when we are monitoring eye conditions such as Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration. In these conditions different scans help us determine if things are progressing or stable.

OCT stands for scanning technology Optical Coherence Tomography. Scanning lets us ‘see’ tissue behind the visible retina inside the eye. In the past 5 years OCT has become invaluable in assessing eye health, particularly helpful for Macular Degeneration (MD) and Glaucoma.

When we see signs of MD during an eye examination, we take an OCT scan which reveals what is happening in the underlying retina. In particular we want to spot the ‘wet’ form of MD which can cause rapid, devastating vision changes. With a scan we can see if there is fluid in the macula and allows us to make referral for treatment.

The detailed measurements of the nerve fibre layer in the eye are particularly helpful when we are looking for Glaucoma. If there are signs in a regular examination, OCT gives us a way to closely monitor changes over time. These changes are seen before any vision loss.

But OCT is not a stand alone magic bullet. It’s a tool and interpreting the results needs careful consideration along with all other clinical findings. At the end of the day an OCT scanner is not an optometrist.

We are committed to using all our available diagnostic tools and we strongly believe the best place to start is regular eye examinations. The simple, vital step of spending time with you, to collect relevant history, through careful listening, guides us to the best combination of diagnostic testing.