Family Vision Clinic prides itself in being at the forefront of technology to provide patients with the latest care in Optometric innovations. With these new advancements in technology Dr. Rupnow can diagnose ocular problems and diseases earlier. As we all know, early detection of any health problem is essential to providing optimal care. Dr. Pamela Rupnow highly recommends having these innovative tests performed as part of your annual comprehensive eye examination. The test results can be compared year to year, giving Dr. Rupnow the opportunity to track subtle changes over time. These screenings give immediate results that Dr. Rupnow can review with her patients during their comprehensive eye examination. The test results can be transferred to another doctor should you choose to relocate or need to see a specialist. A more in depth description of each advancement in technology is below.
Retinal Photography
Retinal Photography is the state of the art technology that takes a digital photograph, giving Dr. Rupnow more accurate baseline to evaluate the interior of the eye and the retina. The retina is the sensitive tissue that is responsible for your vision; which can be susceptible to a variety of diseases that can lead to vision loss. Retinal Photography potentially allows Dr. Rupnow to diagnose ocular problems earlier, such as retinal abnormalities, glaucoma, macular degeneration, the health of blood vessels and diseases. With Retinal Photography we can track subtle changes in your retina from year to year which may be caused by a deeper problem; much like the dentist takes X-rays to compare any small changes from year to year. Early detection of ocular problems is critical to protecting your vision. Retinal photographs are kept in records to be evaluated year after year during your annual comprehensive eye examination.
OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography)
OCT screenings can identify patients, earlier than standard examination techniques, who should receive full glaucoma evaluations. These results can also be compared year to year allowing us to track subtle changes over time. This technology works by measuring the thickness of eye nerve tissues. Studies have shown that evaluation of the nerve fiber layers can differentiate between normal and glaucomatous eye BEFORE any vision loss develops. Although annual “pressure checks” are important to monitor for glaucoma, one-half to two-thirds of patients with glaucoma are not diagnosed base on pressure readings. Patients can have normal looking optic nerves and normal pressure readings and still have glaucoma. This is beneficial to all patients and especially those with a strong family history of glaucoma.
- Healthy Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer
- Moderate Retinal Nerve Fiber Loss
- Severe Retinal Nerve Fiber Loss