Hi-tech scanner can give four-year warning of eye disease

SPECSAVERS in Castlebar have installed a state-of-the-art scanner that can detect eye problems four years earlier than that of traditional methods, writes Tom Gillespie.

The hospital grade optical coherence tomography (OCT) takes over 1,000 images of the back of the eye to create an in-depth 3D image which helps optometrists see what’s going on beneath the surface.

The Castlebar store directors, Niamh O’Connell and Rachel Murphy, and their highly trained, professional team are dedicated to providing the highest level of service to the people of Castlebar and surrounding areas.

Charlestown native Niamh told me: "Up to this when we looked in at the back of the eye we could only see the top layer of the retina which is made up of about seven layers.

"A lot of problems can develop within the different layers, the most common being macular degeneration, for which there is no real cure.

"The OCT machine takes an ultrasound scan through the different layers of the retina. We can then view it and see down to the lower layers so we reckon we can pick up changes up to four years ahead of what we would have previously been able to do. This is a hospital grade piece of equipment that the consultants would have.

"It also helps us in diagnosing if a person comes in with an eye problem. We can tell the changes that occur in the eye at a much earlier stage and it helps us in diagnosing a lot more problems.

"We can then map out and measure the thickness of these layers to get an even clearer idea of your eye health.

"Imagine it like a cake – we can see the top of the cake and the icing using the 2D digital retinal photography, but the 3D image produced from an OCT scanner slices the cake in half and turns it on its side so we can see all the layers inside.

"OCT scans can help detect sight-threatening eye conditions earlier. In fact, glaucoma can be detected up to four years earlier.

"An OCT scan takes a matter of seconds and we will go through the results with the client during their eye examination.

"OCT is separate to an eye test. An eye test checks your eye health as well as how well you can see. Part of that often involves taking an image of the back of the eye - digital retinal photography, but an OCT scan takes this a step further, allowing your optician to look even deeper into your eyes and the structures within it.

"Essentially, an OCT scan gives an optician a clearer idea of your eye health when testing your eyes."

Niamh added: "CT scanning is great at confirming that your eyes are healthy and can be repeated over time for comparison. This makes it particularly useful for detecting potentially sight threatening conditions that generally don’t have any symptoms until they start to have an impact on your vision.

"Many of these conditions form at the very back of the eye, and OCT allows your optician to identify subtle changes over time, such as changes in the vitreous - the jelly-like substance that fills the eye, retina - the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye, macula - an area at the centre of the retina responsible for our central vision, and the optic nerve that transmits light impulses to the brain to produce the images we see.

"These include glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, detached retina, age-related macular degeneration and macular hole.

"It also prevents us referring unnecessary because we can use that as an aid in detecting glaucoma where we might think there is a problem, but when we put them on the scanner we can see one way or the other."

She emphasised that the investment in the OCT also shows they are constantly putting money back into state-of-the-art equipment and updating staff in the most modern technology.

Niamh and Rachel have been running Specsavers in Castlebar for 15 years. Ironically, the day they closed at the beginning of the shutdown in March was exactly 15 years to the day that they had opened.

Niamh added: "At Specsavers Castlebar we are extremely passionate about delivering honest and professional advice to our elderly customers on the fantastic range of glasses and hearing services available. We feel it is important that customers are given time to browse and try on different styles before making their choice."

The Specsavers team in Castlebar also offer a range of multifocal contact lenses, so those who need glasses for both reading and distance correction can take a break from their spectacles for social and sporting occasions.

Specsavers is located at Unit 9, Hopkins Road, Castlebar, across from Tesco and can be contacted on (094) 9038750 and their opening hours are: Monday to Friday 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. and on Sunday from 12 noon to 6 p.m.