State of the art equipment arrives at Wilmslow Opticians

Here at James Doyle Opticians in Wilmslow Cheshire, we have recently installed the most up to date scanning equipment for your eyes, an Ocular Coherence Tomographer or OCT for short. 

We are one of the first opticians to have this technology in the North West of England, until now OCT have been primarily used in macular clinics within eye hospitals.

As you will appreciate, this it will enable us to take our patient care to the next level.  

OCT  is a painless, non-contact, non-invasive imaging technique, used to obtain high resolution cross-sectional and three dimensional images of the retina, cornea and anterior chamber of the eye.

It is effectively ‘optical ultrasound’, imaging reflections from deep within the eye tissue to provide high quality cross-sectional images.

Using our OCT equipment will enable us to see below the surface of your retina and pick up on changes long before they become problems, meaning patients will be referred for treatment at the earliest stages of a condition, leading to the best long term prognosis.

We would recommend OCT scans for the following groups of people

• If you are over 60
• If you are over 40 and shortsighted
• If you have high blood pressure
• If you have diabetes
• If you have any retinal abnormalities
• If there is any family history of eye problems

Of course, anyone can have a scan even if it is just for your own interest


Remember up to 80% of vision impairment and blindness can be prevented by early detection.

The scan only takes a few minutes and can usually be done during your eye examination. It is totally safe, as the OCT uses visible light to scan the retina. Anyone can have an OCT scan done. It is totally safe, painless and nothing touches your eye.


Here are just some of the conditions OCT screening as part of your eye examination can help us monitor

• Macular drusen [dry AMD], 
• Wet macular degeneration, 
• macular hole, 
• vitreous detachment, 
• epiretinal membrane formation, 
• corneal thickness, 
• anterior chamber angle, 
• retinal naevus, 
• retinal nerve fibre thickness.

AMD is the most common cause of blindness in the over 50 age group in western society. Wet AMD can cause sudden loss of sight over a matter of days, fortunately it is less common than Dry AMD which is often described as “wear & tear”.
 
OCT can not only identify which type of AMD is present but can monitor progress, for example if you are undergoing treatment.

Macular holes are fairly rare but if caught early can be treated successfully. If untreated they affect the very centre of your vision.
OCT clearly shows even very early macular holes when they are invisible with conventional viewing techniques.

So, to summarise, here are the reasons that an OCT is recommended

• The opportunity to have the most advanced technology screen the most important part of your eye.
• Early detection of preventable changes.
• Accurate comparison of your eye health from one year to the next.
• Improved referral if necessary.

For more information or to book your appointment today please call 01625 548848 or contact us by email via our website at James Doyle Opticians, Wilmslow.

Glaucoma Awareness Week - 9th to 15th June 2014

Action for Sight: Book an eye health check

This year’s National Glaucoma Awareness Week 2014 is urging people to take Action for Sight, and have regular eye tests.

Were you aware that people of African-Caribbean origin are four times more likely to develop the condition, and are more likely for it to appear earlier and for it to be more severe, when compared to people of European origin ?  However,  that does not mean that those of European origin should ignore their eyes, Glaucoma can strike anyone.

Early detection and treatment literally saves sight, as over 90% of individuals who are diagnosed early will retain useful sight for life. Despite such promising results, it is estimated that over 50% of cases of glaucoma remain undetected in the UK.

Awareness and regular eye health checks are critical. Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness.

There are no early symptoms for the patient to be aware of and it isn’t until the condition is fairly advanced that people recognise that there is something wrong with their vision. Once vision is lost, it cannot be recovered. However, a simple eye health check can pick up the condition in it’s early stages and treatment, which most commonly includes taking eye drops, means most people will maintain sight for life.

Here at James Doyle Opticians in Wilmslow Cheshire, our visual fields tests and eye pressure tests are carried out as part of the standard eye examination, so the symptomless vision changes in early glaucoma are identified.

In addition to these tests, the more detailed process of laser scanning tomography can reveal the earliest and most subtle changes, for those with a family history of glaucoma.

So book your eye test today and make sure that you save your sight.

If you're on Twitter, you can search for National Glaucoma Awareness Week news with the hashtag #Glaucoma2014.