Technology

Here at Gathercole & Ward, we have some of the latest technology which helps with the early diagnosis and treatment of a number of eye conditions including Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration and more!

More info on some of these conditions can be found below...

OCT

Ocular Coherence Tomography

The health of your eyes matters to you and it matters to us too, which is why we are offering OCT to all our patients. OCT is a new, completely painless and highly advance screening system that checks for potentially serious conditions such as glaucoma, diabetes, age-related macular degeneration, vitreous detachments and more. Similar to ultrasound, OCT uses light rather than sound waves to illustrate the different layers that make up the back of your eye. We also capture a digital photograph of the surface of your eye to cross-reference areas of concern.

What does OCT cost?
There is an additional charge for the OCT scan, but the benefits are obvious. Enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your eyes are in great condition.

A step-by-step approach
Having an eye scan is simple and painless, just follow the steps below to bring about peace of mind.

Step 1 - Book an appointment with your optometrist

Step 2 - The optometrist will scan your eyes using the state-of-the-art 3D OCT camera from Topcon

Step 3 - The high resolution 3D images are examined by the optometrist using specialist built-in analysis tools

Step 4 - The results are presented to you

Step 5 - Any future scans can be compared with previous ones for comparative diagnosis

The OCT

Using a Topcon state-of-the-art 3D OCT camera, your optometrist will take both a digital photograph and a three dimensional cross sectional scan of the back of your eye in one sitting. This allows us to instantly diagnose a number of common conditions. The scan is non-invasive, painless, simple and quick.

Glaucoma

This is one of the world’s leading causes of blindness affecting 70 million people worldwide. Since there are few symptoms in the early stages, most people are unaware of having glaucoma and when loss of vision is experienced, damage is irreversible. This disease damages the Optic Nerve Head and can affect anyone. A simple, non-contact, pain-free test using the Heidelberg HRT 3 can detect glaucoma before it progresses and allow for early treatment.

Macular Degeneration

The macula is the central part of the retina at the back of the eye and is used for detailed vision, as the eye ages this central area can suffer from ‘wear and tear’ – a process known as macular degeneration. This can cause a gradual deterioration of detailed central vision, peripheral vision often remains unaffected. Eventually an ‘empty’ area can develop in the centre of the vision, which causes difficulty with tasks such as reading, driving and watching television. Treatment is possible for a small number of people with a specific type of macular degeneration.

The Heidelberg HRT3

The Heidelberg HRT3 is one of the most advanced tests available for the early detection and monitoring of Glaucoma and Macula Degeneration. Speak to your optician and protect your most treasured sense from the risk of damage.