Advanced diagnostic testing

In addition to testing your near vision and distance vision, we use advanced diagnostic equipment to evaluate your eye health. Through wide-field fundus imagery, optical coherence tomography, and other state-of-the-art technology, we can assess your eyes’ internal structures, monitoring for any subtle indicators of changes or diseases.

ULTRA-WIDEFIELD RETINAL IMAGING

Ultra-widefield retinal imaging technology helps your eye doctor capture a wide, high-resolution photograph of the retina, facilitating comprehensive assessment of your eye health and aiding in the early detection and management of eye disease.  Retinal imaging is beneficial for patients of all ages.  By accurately documenting the health of the retina, your doctor can compare detailed images side-by-side and detect subtle change that may otherwise go unnoticed and can be the hallmark of early changes in your eye health.  Some of the most harmful eye diseases, such as retinal tears, ocular tumors, and diabetic retinopathy, occur in the periphery of the eye, making them more challenging to detect.  Symptoms may be absent in the early stages and vision may not be affected until there is significant and often permanent damage.  We recommend retinal imaging as part of every comprehensive eye exam.

OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY (OCT)

OCT is a non-invasive, high-resolution technology used to image the retina, the multi-layered sensory tissue lining the back of the eye.  OCT scans produce real-time 3-D cross-sectional images of the retinal layers and it is revolutionizing the early detection and treatment of eye conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, epiretinal membranes, and macular holes. 

Similar to CT scans of internal organs, OCT uses the optical backscattering of light rays to rapidly scan the eye and describe a pixel representation of the anatomic layers within the retina.  Each of these important layers can be differentiated and their thickness can be measured.  OCT produces extremely high resolution images – 10 times greater than MRI or ultrasound.  No radiation nor x-rays are used and the scan is quick and painless.

OCT is also useful for the detection and management of glaucoma:  a progressive disease of the optic nerve.  The OCT will scan the nerve fibre layer of the optic nerve allowing for more accurate measurements and analyses of change over time.  This objective data will help your eye doctor determine when treatment of glaucoma is necessary and, if you are already on treatment, whether your prescribed treatment is adequately controlling the disease.  This test will most likely need to be repeated on a regular basis.

VISUAL FIELDS

Visual field testing is a way for your eye doctor to measure your side or peripheral vision, comparing right eye to left eye and making comparisons of progression over time.  Your visual field is how wide of an area your eye can see when you focus on a central point.Visual field testing is an automated subjective method to determine if you have any blind spots (scotomas) in your vision and where they are located.A scotoma’s size and shape helps your doctor understand how eye disease or a brain disorder is affecting your vision.To do this test, our technician will instruct you to look in the center of a bowl-shaped instrument called a perimeter. The eye not being tested will be covered with a patch.  The testing eye will have your lens prescription placed in front of it to ensure you see as well as possible.  You will be asked to maintain fixation on a central target throughout the duration of the test.  Small lights of varying intensity will appear in different areas of the bowl and you will press a button whenever you see a light.  Some lights will be bright and easy to see; others will be very dim and difficult to see.  As many of the stimuli are just barely visible, you are not expected to see every light.  The machine will track your sensitivity to light and compare your results to age-matched normative data.

Visual field testing is an important part of routine eye care for individuals at risk for vision loss from various eye and/or neurological diseases, such as:  glaucoma, MS, pituitary gland disorders, central nervous system problems, stroke, etc.