Disease Diagnosis/Management

Advanced Technology for Early Diagnosis

The GDX system

The GDX system is a piece of state of the art equipment that allows us to provide for the early detection of Glaucoma. This significant diagnostic breakthrough has been found to provide precise, accurate information to help detect glaucoma earlier, allowing the possibility to start treatment before any vision loss occurs. The GDX is a quick, non-invasive machine that scans the retinal nerve fiber layer in the back of the eye. By using polarized light it measures the thickness of this layer at 36,000 points. These measurements are then mapped by computer and compared to those of healthy, glaucoma-free patients. An abnormally thin nerve fiber layer may indicate that glaucoma is present. By using this machine, we can track how thick or thin the layer is each year allowing us to notice any subtle or drastic changes.

OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography)
Optical Coherence Tomography, or OCT, is a non-contact, noninvasive imaging technique used to obtain high-resolution cross-sectional images of the retina.  It uses a laser to scan the retina to diagnose early changes or progression involved in glaucoma and other diseases of the optic nerve head, diabetic eye disease, macular degeneration, and other macular abnormalities such as macular holes.

Diabetic Macular Edema (The number one stealer of sight for Diabetics)

The topographic mapping of the OCT is useful for monitoring patients for the development of macular edema and for following the resolution of edema after laser treatment. The false-color map of retinal thickness provides an efficient method of comparing retinal thickness over several visits, which could be directly compared with slit-lamp observation.

Development and resolution of diabetic macular edema by use of OCT readings.


Fundus


Initial Visit


Second Visit


Final Visit

Macular Holes
Lamellar or partial thickness macular holes, most often due to rupture of cysts, may also resemble full-thickness holes and are sometimes hard to differentiate by simply observing through the microscope. The visual acuity, which is often worse in eyes with a true macular hole due to the complete loss of light receptors, may not accurately indicate the diagnosis.
Here is an example of how the OCT can aid the Doctors of Advanced Eyecare in the correct diagnosis.  Ex) Macular hole and lamellar macular hole. A 69-year-old woman had a full-thickness macular hole in her right eye and a lamellar macular hole in the left. The visual acuity (20/100 OD and 20/200 OS) was worse in the eye with the partial thickness hole compared to the eye with a full-thickness hole.

Digital Fundus Photography
The most accurate way to check for progression of a disease is to compare the exact current presentation of that disease to exact past presentation of that disease.  The only way this is accomplished is by digital photography.  Additionally, photography allows the doctors to have a visual aid to better describe the area of concern or condition to the patient.  It allows the patient to obtain a better understanding of what is happening inside of the eye.

Humphery Visual Field
Visual Field testing is a very important diagnostic tool in glaucoma diagnosis and sudden vision changes and/or loss as well.  The system is automated and to a very small degree can map out areas of the visual field that are less sensitive than expected or even non-existent.  With this technology we can monitor progression to a much more detailed degree that ever before.
              

Click here to return to Disease Diagnosis/Management choices