Macular edema, degeneration, hole, pucker, drusen (small yellowish deposits), scar, fibrosis, hemorrhage, and vitreomacular traction are common conditions that involve the macula. The small, central area of the retina is worth the most-the bullseye of sight. It’s packed with more photoreceptors (light-sensitive cells) than any TV or monitor. The macula is the part of the retina that helps us see fine detail, faraway objects, and color. There, the message is decoded and directs us to take action- “that’s a fine looking piece of pie!” The many layers of the retina work together to convert light focused on the retina into an exquisitely detailed message that travels to the visual cortex in the brain. The retina is the light-sensitive layer of cells that lines the inside of the eye. Last reviewed January 4, 2022.Even as the word retina has become commonplace, the macula and its diseases are often misunderstood. CSLO – Confocal Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy (HRT)Īrticle by Robert Chang, MD.OCT – Optical Coherence Tomography (Devices include: Cirrus HD-OCT, RTVue-100, Spectralis, Topcon 3D-OCT 2000, and others).Types of Optic Nerve Scanning Technologies Since optic nerve damage cannot be reversed by any current therapy, close surveillance with structural as well as functional testing, combined with early intervention while balancing the risk of side effects, is key to keeping glaucoma under control and to preserving sight. This sometimes makes the data less useful because it can be difficult to compare new versions with old ones. However, every few years, the software is updated, and every decade the technology advances dramatically just like computers. Scans may also be better for determining when glaucoma is getting worse. Photographs do not get outdated, and the information contained in them can be very useful for demonstrating “no change” years later.Ĭompared with a photograph, optic nerve scans contains more objective, quantitative information for staging of disease progress. A color photograph provides a more accurate baseline for future comparison. Your doctor may document this assessment either with drawings or with optic disc photos. Viewing the optic nerve through lenses and a slit lamp is the best way for your doctor to assess the optic nerve for glaucoma. Scans can detect small nerve fiber layer changes of the optic nerve at the micron level. Two common imaging tests include a simple high-resolution color photograph with a very bright flash from a professional camera, and a quick laser scan of the optic nerve. In general, optic nerve imaging is more useful in glaucoma suspect and early-to-moderate glaucomatous patients rather than advanced disease. This is because imaging records the anatomy, or structural features of the eye, while visual fields assess what someone actually sees, or the function of the eye. Imaging of the optic nerve is complementary to visual field testing and using both together is more useful than each test alone. The goal of today’s glaucoma therapy of lowering intraocular pressure is to slow progression, and imaging tests are an important tool for monitoring progression. There are several types of pictures, and each one provides different information about the amount of optic nerve tissue lost as well as the rate of nerve fiber thinning or “progression” that occurs when glaucoma is not controlled.
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