Specsavers in Arnold has invested in hospital-quality technology which can detect treatable eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration sooner.
The OCT (optical coherence tomography) scan, which only
takes a few seconds, allows an optician to look deeper into the eyes than ever
before and it can help to detect glaucoma up to four years in advance and can
help prevent potential sight loss.
Store director Vineet Nehra said: “This investment gives our
team the ability to enhance the services to the local community by helping to
detect and manage conditions, with a level of diagnostic capability which
previously would have needed a hospital visit.”
An OCT scan uses light to take more than 1,000 images of the
back of your eye and beyond, looking right back to the optic nerve and creating
a cross-section view.
He said: “You can imagine it like a cake – we can see the
top of the cake and the icing, but the image produced from an OCT scan slices
the cake in half and turns it on its side, so we can see all the layers
inside,’ says Vineet. ‘It gives the optician an incredibly accurate picture of
your eye and its structures, allowing them to check your eye health.’
Glaucoma is a condition that can creep up on you without any
signs or symptoms. In fact, for many people, glaucoma is caused by a painless
rise in pressure inside the eye.
This rise in pressure can cause gradual but irreversible
damage to nerve fibres and may lead to tunnel vision if left untreated.
Fortunately, there are treatment options for glaucoma, and the earlier it’s
picked up the better.
Early detection means that treatment with prescribed eye
drops, laser treatment or surgery can be started before you experience any
significant sight loss — and an OCT scan is a key way to help detect any early
changes.
A customer’s OCT images will be stored so they can note
changes over time – a real benefit to the monitoring of someone’s overall eye
health.
An OCT scan is in addition to a normal eye test and can be
requested when you book an appointment or when you arrive in store.
For more information, call 0115 967 0856 or go to www.specsavers.com/stores/arnold
