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What is an OCT scan

An Optical Coherence Tomography scan, usually referred to as an OCT scan.
This is a safe, painless and comfortable method of viewing the back of your eye. You just sit in a chair and the special camera looks in your eye for a few seconds.

This scan allows the optometrist to view the health of your eyes in great detail, by letting them see what is happening to the cell layers below the surface of your eye.
The back of your eye is called the Retina.

A traditional method of looking at your Retina in great detail is to take a photograph of it using a special camera that uses 2D digital retinal photography. This results in what opticians call a Fundus Image of your retina.
This a Fundus image of a left and right eye

Now imagine that your retina is like a cake covered in icing.
But the optometrist can only see the outside of the cake and the icing using the fundus camera.

So using an OCT scan allows the optometrist to produce a 3D image that is far more detailed than the old 2D image from the Fundus camera. Also the high resolution 3D OCT scan allows the Optometrist to turn the ‘cake’ on its side and view all the layers underneath the icing in great detail.

These are 2D and a 3D images from an OTC scan showing of the layers of a retina

Why is it important I have an OCT scan

Our opticians can then examine these layers of your retina to get a very clear and detailed picture of your eye health.
Here at Barnham Opticians we have the latest OTC technology.

This means the optometrist can detect very early signs of harmful eye conditions such as:

Some of these conditions are sight threatening and so it is vital that they are detected early so they can be treated and managed.
In fact, glaucoma can be detected up to four years earlier with an OTC scan than with traditional methods.

If any of your family members suffer from Glaucoma, Keracatonis or Macular Degeneration it is important that you have an OTC scan with your next eye test.
Early detection is the key to managing these conditions.

Click here to book an eye test and an OCT scan at Barnham Opticians