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Tomografia în coerență optică Clinica Oftalmologica Dr. Munteanu

Articles - 1st November 2022

Optical coherence tomography

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Optical Coherence Tomography - What it is
and what are the uses

Tomografia în coerență optică (OCT) reprezintă o tehnologie avansată de imagistică non-invazivă, utilizată în domeniul medical pentru diagnosticarea și monitorizarea afecțiunilor oculare. Prin utilizarea unui fascicul de lumină cu lungimea de undă scurtă, OCT permite obținerea de imagini detaliate ale structurilor oculare interne, inclusiv a retinei și nervului optic. Această metodă prezintă multiple indicații, inclusiv evaluarea și diagnosticarea glaucomului, degenerescenței maculare legate de vârstă și a altor tulburări retiniene. Tomografia în coerență optică reprezintă o soluție non-invazivă și eficientă pentru evaluarea stării ochilor, contribuind la un diagnostic precoce și la o gestionare adecvată a bolilor oculare.

Optical Coherence Tomography - a non-invasive, painless, light-based ophthalmic investigation indispensable in ophthalmic practice.

1. What is optical coherence tomography (OCT)?

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging method that uses reflected light to create images of the wall of the eye. It can be used to diagnose and monitor diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration.

Optical coherence tomography, or OCT, is an imaging method used to generate an image of a layer of the eye wall, called the retina. The non-invasive method produces an image by measuring the amount of faint red light that reflects off the retina and optic nerve. Optical coherence tomography can measure the thickness of the retina and optic nerve.
Optical coherence tomography is used in a variety of medical fields, not just ophthalmology.Cardiac and vascular medical providers use optical coherence tomography for cardiac catheterization to produce images of blood vessels. Medical staff in the fields of dentistry, gastroenterology, pulmonology, dermatology and oncology also use OCT imaging quite frequently.

Tomografia in coerenta optica (OCT) reprezinta o tehnologie avansata de imagistica non-invaziva utilizata in oftalmologie

An optical coherence tomography scan (commonly referred to as an OCT scan) is the latest advance in imaging technology.

2. What is optical coherence tomography angiography? (angio-OCT)

Traditional angiography, also called arteriography, refers to the examination of the inside of blood vessels using X-rays. Usually, the doctor injects a radio-opaque dye that appears on the X-ray. Eye care professionals also use a special type of angiography to examine the blood vessels of the retina, but without using X-rays. The dye used glows when exposed to blue light.

Medical centers specializing in eye care may also use optical coherence tomography angiography to see inside the blood vessels in the eye. Unlike traditional angiography, the test is completely non-invasive and no dye needs to be injected.

3. When is optical coherence tomography performed?

Your ophthalmologist may suggest that you have an optical coherence tomography scan if he or she suspects that you have certain conditions on your eye exam or if you already have a condition that it helps to monitor and control.

Recommendations for performing an OCT are both to diagnose and manage several conditions affecting the eyes, including:

  1. Degenerescența maculară legată de vârstă: people can lose central vision due to this condition. Age-related macular degeneration is a progressive age-related disease, but fortunately treatments are available for some forms.
  2. GlaucomIf you have glaucoma, fluid in the eye called aqueous humor builds up in the eye and causes increased intraocular pressure and this .over time damages your optic nerve, leading to optic nerve atrophy and permanent vision loss.
  3. Diabetic retinopathy: diabetes affects the small blood vessels of the eye, leading to vision loss. The wall of the blood vessels is damaged leading to diabetic lesions such as retinal haemorrhages and exudates, which cause blurred vision. In severe forms, the entire retina may detach from the back of the eye and retinal detachment may occur. People can become completely blind, but with treatment, diabetes-associated retinopathy can be controlled.
  4. Cystoid macular edema: Macular edema refers to the accumulation of a luchid in the area of the macula. The macula is the part of the retina that has the most light-sensitive cells
  5. Scar tissue/macular fibers: scar tissue can grow on the surface of the retina, causing vision distortion. In some cases CT-guided surgery may help.
  6. Macular hole: A macular hole occurs when the retina detaches, forming a hole in the macula. This can affect your vision, but can be relieved by posterior pole surgery.
  7. Cellulose dystrophies with cones and rods: These conditions affect eye cells (receptors) that are sensitive to light and colour. Depending on the type of dystrophy, vision can be lost over time and colour sense is affected. Unfortunately, there is currently no treatment for retinal dystrophies.
  8. Choroidal and retinal tumours: These types of tumours can occur in the retina and choroid, which is a vascular layer between the retina and the sclera.

At the Prof. Dr. Munteanu Ophthalmology Centre, diagnoses are accurate thanks to the latest technology and experts in ophthalmology.

4. When would an optical coherence tomography scan be necessary?

Optometristul sau oftalmologul dumneavoastră vă poate recomanda să efectuați aceasta procedură numita tomografie in coerență optică dacă aveți peste o anumită vârstă și/sau riscați să dezvoltați anumite boli oculare, in functie de acuitatea vizuala si de antecedentele familiale. Medicii oftalmologi pot sugera ca scanările OCT să fie incluse în mod regulat în programul dumneavoastră de examinari oftalmologice, astfel încât să poată monitoriza grosimea straturilor din retine si a nervului optic.

Another medical recommendation for an optical coherence tomography scan is when undergoing treatment for certain eye conditions. Both optometrists, nurses and ophthalmologists perform the procedure.

5. How does optical coherence tomography work?

Optical coherence tomography uses a low-power laser to create images of the retinal and optic nerve layers. The cross-sectional images are three-dimensional and colour-coded.

6. What can I expect if I am going to have an optical coherence tomography scan?

No special training is required for an OCT test, and in most cases it does not require dilation of the pupil. The procedure is performed in an outpatient setting, the patient is seated in a chair in front of the CT scanner, the forehead will be glued to a special support and the chin will rest on a support attached to the scanner. The OCT equipment will scan one eye each. You will focus your eyes on a green target inside the machine. You may see a red line as you perform the scan. The test will take a maximum of a few minutes. Nothing touches the patient's eye, as it is a non-invasive, non-contact procedure.

7. What are the risks of optical coherence tomography?

There are no risks or side effects associated with optical coherence tomography, except for possible dry eye, eye fatigue or discomfort created by the flash of the machine, symptoms that disappear within seconds of the completion of the investigation. Because this type of examination relies on light, OCT is not effective if you have dense cataracts or heavy bleeding inside the eye (vitreous haemorrhage), or retinal detachment. Vitreous is the gel that fills and maintains the shape of the eyeball.

Descoperiți mai multe informații valoroase despre oftalmologie și sănătatea ochilor vizionând materialele realizate de experți în domeniu de pe canalul nostru de YouTube.

Oftalmologie Timisoara - Doctor oftalmolog Timisoara - Dr. Alexandra Preda, Medic primar oftalmolog

Head of Work Dr. Alexandra Preda, PhD

Dr. Alexandra Preda, Primary Ophthalmologist, Head of the Department of Ophthalmology - University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes" Timisoara, PhD in Medical Sciences, with specialization under the coordination of Prof. Dr. Munteanu Mihnea, obtaining European accreditations following specialization courses in the field in Austria, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Turkey.

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