Optical Coherence Tomography

Cast your mind back 15 years, when our mobile phones were used only to make calls and send messages. No emails, no internet, not even a camera.

Advances in technology affect every aspect of our life and optometry is no exception.

Technology to help diagnose and monitor eye conditions has come a long way – in particular our ability to image the structures of the eye.

L.Thompson Optometrists are excited to offer you the latest in scanning technology with our new OCT machine.

Optical Coherence Tomography has been used for many years in hospital eye departments and can be thought of as the optical equivalent of ultrasound. It works by shining certain wavelengths of light into the eye and measuring the amount reflected from the internal structures. It is most commonly used to image the retina and optic nerve head, which becomes damaged in glaucoma.

An OCT scan provides more detail to the optometrist that can help with early detection of eye conditions like glaucoma and macular disease.

OCT is particularly relevant for patients with a family history of glaucoma, at increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration and those experiencing sudden changes to their central vision.

An OCT scan can be done during your normal eye examination by our optometrists.

This technology is not available on the NHS and so the private charge is £25.